At 3, Chris Griffin picked up a harmonica at his grandfather’s house and taught himself “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” That was the beginning of his love story with music.
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“I was just enamored by anything that made musical noises. I couldn’t help but pick it up and try to pick out a tune,” Griffin said.
Music has accompanied Griffin through all the twists and turns of his life, through various instruments he picked up over the years, from the accordion to the guitar, the numerous bands he played in, and the music school he built from the ground up in downtown Woodinville.
One of his most successful bands was Chronically Strange, a pop rock group that started gaining traction after some recording sessions at London Bridge, the studio where Pearl Jam recorded its first album. During Chronically Strange’s sessions, studio owner Rick Parshaw recognized their potential and shared their music with people in Hollywood, which got them a foot in the door of the music industry.
“Working and performing together was always great. Chris was the songwriter and leader. He was always professional but still made working fun,” said drummer Dave Decker, who played in several of his bands.
But as fast as the band rose, they fell just as quickly. Chris kept his positive outlook through the breakup, calling it a necessary turning point that led to him starting his music school, Jam Academy.
“It’s probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me because we lost all of our steam on that, and everything just kind of stalled. And if it weren’t for that, I probably wouldn’t have started the school, and I feel like the school was way more impactful,” said Griffin.
He started Jam Academy in 2007 under the name Spotlight Studios.
“When I opened my shop, we did lessons until about 6 or 7, and then we rented hourly rehearsal space. That helped us get off the ground. We did that for three or four years, and then instead of renting to outside bands, we started bringing our own students into their own bands,” Griffin said. “Jam Academy was formed because we did this thing for the Woodinville parade, and so I just said, okay, you guys are now the Jam Academy division of Spotlight,” Griffin said.
They continue to offer lessons for the piano, guitar, drums and many more instruments. Students also have an opportunity to be a part of in-house bands at various skill and commitment levels, and participate in camps for a variety of age groups. Griffin views these collaborative opportunities as an integral part of learning music, and believes they can have a lasting impact throughout a student’s life.
Ensembles, whether performing at band camp or in your own basement, help musicians build their communication and teamwork skills and learn from each other.
“I almost feel like speech is an aspect of music. I feel like learning music is like learning another language, so I think there are quite a few benefits in music education that people can easily overlook,” Griffin said
He has taken a step back from teaching and now fulfills more of a CEO role, but his teaching philosophy continues to be a foundation throughout the school, shaped by his experience with his past teachers, with an emphasis on the instructors who made him want to keep on learning.
He remembers some less-than-fun experiences with his first piano and guitar teachers.
“I got a teacher who wasn’t the right teacher for me. This teacher was just strictly by the book. But it wasn’t fun. And I’m like, she’s kind of robbing all this fun from me,” Griffin said.
He quit his lessons, opting to learn on his own, but quickly ran out of things he could teach himself and gave up on the piano. He had a similar experience with learning guitar at 11, when another by-the-book teacher kept him from learning what he actually wanted to.
Those experiences manifested in the student-led approach at the Jam Academy. He gives students a place to learn what they want and build not just skills but confidence, the most rewarding aspect of the job for him.
He especially likes watching the quiet kids open up and become more outgoing and confident.
“I love that. I love seeing them get confident enough to go on stage, take a chance, mess up, and then get back up and do it again. That’s the kind of culture we’re trying to build,” Griffin said.
He has ambitious goals for Jam Academy, hoping to open a second and third location. Griffin also wants to restart a podcast he recorded during the pandemic called IHeartWoodinville to share news and events about and for the people of Woodinville.
