Book Nook: This Book Shreds

Musician-turned-author Rob Spampinato, CEO of Rob's School of Music, just released This Book Shreds, a foundational guide to understand, practice, and make music, while also setting goals and achieving them. Rob has taught over 30k lessons and interviewed artists like Steve Vai, Phil X (Bon Jovi Guitarist), Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses Guitarist), and Arianna Powell (Olivia Rodrigo Guitarist).

Secrets and tidbits in his book include how to write a powerful song using universal emotions to connect using a quick, comprehensive songwriting lesson, how to get over the 'quitting' hump, how to find a music mentor to guide you and keep you going, using unique sounding notes to drive interest and recover after you’ve played the wrong note, and a practice method for success instead of playing the same song over again, to become a diverse musician who people love to gig with.

Rob says, "I started playing music when I was five years old. My guitar teacher couldn’t connect with me, which led me to quit the instrument at six. At 13, my best friend started playing and asked me to dig that old guitar out of my closet. A quarter of a century later, thousands of gigs, tens of thousands of lessons later, music is my life. My music school and this book show people it's never too late to make music part of your life. It doesn’t have to be intimidating… it can help you with your confidence, focus and overall happiness."

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.

Why did you write this book?

I wrote this book to teach people that it is never too early or late to bring music into your life. Within my teaching business, a common conversation I have with new adult students is “I always wanted to play but never had a chance and now it’s too late.” Music can bring incredible joy along with confidence and self-discipline. 

Why is it important for everyone, even those who aren't traditional performers, to know how to reduce stage fright?

In the book, I give various tips on helping to read deuce stage fright. This is a valuable skill for everyone including non-musicians. Have you ever had to discuss something in front of a board room? Give a speech at a wedding? My shyness and anxiety made it difficult to do something as simple as ordering a cup of coffee. My framework for battling stage fright can be applied to all of those situations.

Why is music such a beneficial thing for people of all ages to learn?

Music is so much more than playing an instrument. Have you ever heard a song from your youth that triggers a flood of emotions from five, 10, 20, or 30 years ago? Music is a foundational building block of our experience. In the book I discuss how playing an instrument can help you tap into a part of yourself that few other things can access.

 

For more on Rob Spampinato, please visit:

www.robsschoolofmusic.com
Facebook.com/robsschoolofmusic
Instagram.com/robsschoolofmusic
YouTube.com/robsschoolofmusic

More about Rob:

Rob Spampinato grew up the son of a talented drummer and after a false start with the guitar at five years old, renewed his passion for melting faces as a teenager in his first band BLacK RoseS. By combining his profession with his passion, Rob has been able to tour the country multiple times, play in various bands, create and produce music with musicians all over the world, and start a music school that uses a custom approach so no one else has the same false start he did. Rob opened Rob’s School of Music in Suffern NY in April 2017. In the past half decade, he and his team of teachers have taught over 30k lessons both in person and virtually nationwide. Rob also has a successful YouTube channel featuring educational lessons and interviews with artists such as Steve Vai, Phil X (Bon Jovi Guitarist), Richard Fortus (Guns N Roses Guitarist), Arianna Powell (Olivia Rodrigo Guitarist) and many others.