Spiess, students harmonize through guitar play
Paul Dang (12), Cameron Sczempka (12), AP Government teacher Nic Spiess, Mitchel Bartolo (12) and Connor O’Brien (12) relax while playing guitar in Spiess’ room, Jan. 23. For Spiess, playing music with students during lunch is not only a way to relieve stress, but also allows him to connect with students on a more personal level.
Acoustic guitars in hand, Mitchel Bartolo (12), Connor O’Brien (12) and Paul Dang (12) picked, strummed and swayed back and forth to their own calming rhythms.
But the difference between this small-time jam session and others is that this informal get-together includes a fourth member: social science teacher Nic Spiess.
Each Friday during lunch, the four meet in Spiess’ room to play. Their Jack Johnson-esque harmonies fill the classroom, creating a relaxing environment reminiscent of a summer day at the beach.
“It’s such a great release for us,” Spiess said. “Whatever else is happening is forgotten for a few moments. We just focus on music and try to have some fun. It’s kind of a getaway — a little vacation during the day.”
It all began when Dang brought his guitar at lunch and began to play solo. O’Brien and Bartolo, who began playing guitar last summer, noticed Dang’s similar taste and style in music.
When Dang brought his guitar into Spiess’ third-period AP Government class, Spiess himself became intrigued and invited them to play all together.
“We don’t have a plan,” Bartolo said. “We just pick up our guitars and go with it.”
They begin their weekly jam with one chord progression from one guitar. Soon, the second guitarist joins in, improvising off the first melody. The third and fourth join in shortly thereafter, playing off each other, slipping into a comfortable rhythm.
“It’s the greatest feeling when you can get four guitars to feed off of each other and end up in perfect harmony,” O’Brien said. “We all just play off of each other’s vibe.”
Spiess said, for him, it’s not just the stress relief. It’s not just the harmony and relaxation. Playing music with students epitomizes exactly what it means to be a teacher: connecting with students on a deeper, more personal level.
This is no novel activity for Spiess either. When he taught at Mt. Carmel, he was adviser for the Guitar and Young Musicians Club. When he came to Westview, he became involved with Surf Club and coaches girls soccer. Everything he does inside the classroom and out helps build lasting relationships and rapport with his students.
“It allows me to connect with students because they see that I have other interests beyond academics,” Spiess said. “It’s important for them to realize that [life] is really all about balance. And it makes being in the classroom better because we have way more respect [for each other].”
This connection rings true for his students as well.
“I see him more as a friend than a teacher now,” Dang said, “He’s also my mentor in life.”
Their jam sessions have begun to attract the attention of students passing through Spiess’ room. What started as a quiet group of four guitarists is slowly growing.
However, the lunchtime gathering is not a formal club on campus. And the three seniors who started playing together want to keep it that way.
“An official club would be too rigid and uptight,” Bartolo said. “We wanted it to be loose and laid-back between us guys.”
Whether or not it develops into a formal club, Spiess said he hopes that his room can become a hub for people to connect and share their creativity. Ultimately for him, music still matters.
“I’ll take any excuse to play [guitar] with others,” Spiess said.