Spotlight on Alumni: Adam Keeler

Adam Keeler was a classical guitar student at the University of Akron for both his bachelors AND his masters degrees. As a result, he was in my orbit for longer than usual, some seven years. During that period, he grew from a true beginner on the classical instrument to an accomplished concert artist. His story is longer than many of these profiles, but I like the way he spins his tale. And while at several moments in the story, finding a professional footing as a classical guitarist did seem hopeless, in the end things worked out beautifully for Adam. Here, in his words, is his story.

“I was gifted a toy guitar by my grandfather, Salvatore, when I was 4. It didn’t take at first but years later, my younger brother started playing guitar with his friends and singing, attracting attention from others, including from girls. I decided there was no way I would let my brother excel in music and leave me behind. Sibling rivalry is an excellent motivator.

When I tried my brother’s guitar, it felt strange: when I flipped it over to play backwards (left-handed), it felt much more comfortable. Our boss at the time, Don, had an extra guitar. (They worked at a KOA—Kampgrounds of America). He flipped the strings for me and gave me some basic instruction: it quickly became an obsession. I can honestly say I played until my fingers bled. The house soon became a venue for the testosterone-infused challenge of playing a barre chord before my brother could, or nailing the opening to Stairway To Heaven before my cousin could. It was a joyous blur.

Adam’s first band, playing on the back patio.

When I got my first nice electric guitar, a Paul Reed Smith Custom 24, whale blue, I formed a band playing Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson tunes. I thought I was amazing. I thought we were amazing. I got us a gig at an open mic in a coffee house near the University of Buffalo, where I was living at the time. We showed up with our huge amps and nine piece drum set, totally ignorant of the clientele’s preference of folk music. We shook the place. Most of the responses were wincing expressions of shock. We played out wherever we could but nothing much came of it. Until the night 1994 when saw Phil Keaggy perform.

That concert changed my entire perspective on playing guitar. I didn’t know it could be done like that, the looping, the extended techniques, the altered tunings and finger-style approach. I developed imposter syndrome. As Tina Fey said, “I want to go to there,” except mine was I want to play like that. So I bought a 1995 Taylor 514 CE. I really hit the ground running once I started writing my own material.

I had an opportunity to see French finger-style guitarist, Pierre Bensusan in concert around this time. After the show I talked to him and he told me about his residential seminar, where students stay with him at his house in France and study guitar. I was intrigued but didn’t think I was capable of pulling it off musically or financially (the first time I showed any self-awareness regarding my abilities.)

Adam in his steel-string guitar phase.

I spent the next few months performing and playing concerts in the Buffalo area. Finally, I recorded a set to audition for Bensusan. You miss all the shots you don’t take. After months of waiting, I finally got an email saying I was accepted. Six people get in each year for this and I was one of them. I couldn’t believe it. The next few months were a whirlwind. Pierre had a massive home in the middle of nowhere outside of Paris. His town had a population of 82. I can’t recall all the other student’s names but one does stand out, Justin King. He got internet famous for his song, Phunkified, on YouTube many moons later.

Adam with Pierre Bensusan and the other students in France, 1999.

After France and the insane amount of new information I came into contact with there, I finished writing and recorded my first album, The Rest of Angels. I toured behind it, playing coffee houses, churches, and other venues. I got asked to perform with bassist/songwriter Seth Horan and played with him a lot. I was thrilled to be performing. I loved it. But I realized I wanted a degree so I could support a family (—ummm, well, that’s what I was told in high school). I decided to go to persue music. I was living in Akron, Ohio at the time, so looked at the University of Akron. I caught Steve in concert and decided, why not? I figured classical guitar was very close to fingerstyle. I figured wrong.

Adam’s first solo CD, The Rest of Angels

A promo shot during Adam’s Rest of Angels touring

I remember meeting Steve after the concert and, nerves taking over, sharing the most awkward handshake of my life and asking about the guitar program. I auditioned a few weeks later. I played an original piece and Bach’s Prelude, BWV 999 (thinking all classical guitar was Bach). I quickly discovered I had a lot to learn. Enrolling at UA in 2006, I dove into classical guitar with the same enthusiasm I had when I began, years before. I took every bit of playing advice Steve offered with a zealotry that could only be described as obsessive. I practiced till I fell asleep practicing. I dropped acoustic guitar as playing it would wreck my nails. I poured over scores. It helped. Steve helped, a lot.

I went from never playing classical guitar before to winning Outstanding Guitarist of the Year a few times during my undergraduate years. I came in 2nd place two years in a row in the James Stroud Classical Guitar Competition. I started playing weddings, background music gigs, and concerts on my classical. Before every formal degree recital I had, I would do a multi-venue tour to get ready. Ok, venue may be a bit of a stretch. These were basically house concerts, coffee shops and churches.

Stephen Aron, Josinaldo Costa (1st prize), Yu Sakamoto (3rd prize), James Stroud, Adam Keeler (2nd prize), Tracy Anne Smith (guest judge), 2009

I met my wife during this time. She sat there studying nursing while I practiced for hours on end. Not much has changed on that front: she recently got her NP license, and I still practice for hours on end. We welcomed our firstborn, Samuel, in 2011, a few months into the final semester of my undergraduate years.

In July of 2012, a year after graduating, I was sitting in a meeting at my new job in the insurance industry. My boss was giving a heartfelt speech with quotes ranging from Abe Lincoln to Ron Burgundy. My takeaway was “do what you are passionate about and do not settle for anything less.” As I sat there mulling over what he said, comparing it with my dread of becoming an insurance agent, I decided it was time to talk to my wife about continuing my education.

Jonathan Crissman (1st prize), Margaret Williams (3rd prize), James Stroud, Stephen Fazio (3rd prize), Adam Keeler (2nd prize), 2010

I applied to and got into the Master of Music program at Youngstown State University, an hour’s drive from my home. During the course of the semester, though, it became clear that, with a toddler at home and another on the way, I needed to find a better solution. I reached out to Steve with a request to return to the University of Akron to pursue my MM, and he agreed. The rest was a blur of string and diaper changes combined with sleepless nights, micro-practice sessions and getting covered in spit-up. But I made it.

Adam with his toddler, Samuel

During that time I searched for more income streams. Teaching was helping, but what really helped was being married to a nurse. I started working with Bitcoin well before it became mainstream. I was trading it during the school day. During one Guitar Ensemble class, the first Bitcoin “crash” occured. I sprinted up to the computers in Guzzetta Hall (the music building) to try and get my coins off the Mt. Gox exchange but was too late. I tried doing insurance work for roofing companies. I would gaze worriedly at the deserted landscape of collegiate level guitar positions.

After my graduation in 2015, I decided it was time to get busy within the field of music. I made a bet with myself to say yes to every musical opportunity that came my way. I began by increasing my teaching hours at the Fairlawn School of Music (a local music school owned and operated by fellow U of A alum, Kurt Reed). I landed an adjunct teaching position at nearby Ashland University and I got background music gigs of every variety.

There were highlights during this “time of yes.” Working with Helen Welch was one. Welch, a widely renowned English-born singer and bandleader, had become a leading fixture in the Cleveland music scene. I got the call to create an accompaniment for her to use on her Home For Christmas CD. After a few brainstorming sessions I woke up with the opening gesture to the first Cello Suite running in my head and it occurred to me, wait… if I can reharmonize the Christmas Song with this motif, I wonder if I can combine the two? It worked beautifully, and I recorded the guitar track, “The Christmas Song in a Cello Suite.”

Adam with singer Helen Welch

Around that time, budget cuts led to the termination of my position at Ashland University. In a stroke of good timing, though, I was able to snag the position of Head Master at the Academy of Culture and Arts at one of Akron’s largest catholic churches, St. Sebastian’s. Suddenly, I was running a music and arts academy. Not too bad for classical guitarist! The job was filled with the flurry of organizing schedules and performances and included some teaching. I loved it. I still had plenty of time to practice in between administrative duties, my office overlooked a garden, and I had access to a remarkable space to rehearse in: the sanctuary of St. Sebastian’s, a gigantic, gorgeous, stone-walled space. The guitar notes I played in there are probably still ringing, it is so resonant.

The sanctuary at St. Sebastian’s Parish

While there, I brought in two guest artists to give lectures and performances: Stephen Aron and James Wilding. Wilding performed his piece based on the Ten Commandments, complete with dramatic readings from St. Sebastian’s own Father Valencheck. I also had University of Akron students come and perform, and hosted open recitals.

That summer I got a gig playing in the pit orchestra with the Ohio Light Opera for The Pajama Game. This was my first experience playing for theatre. I got the guitar book on a Thursday—70 pages of music—and the first rehearsal was that Sunday. After some frantic reading and mapping out the show, I arrived with my classical guitar in hand, as the conductor had suggested, and it did not go well. I was way too quiet and I struggled at first with the chord-chart-style notation. I was definitely a fish out of water. After talking to the conductor about proper amplification we tried the acoustic guitar, then finally, electric guitar; the electric worked much better.

Adam with members of the Pajama Game pit orchestra, Ohio Light Opera

After the Ohio Light Opera gig ended, Fall arrived and the twin realities of money scarcity and family responsibility became too stark to ignore. I needed something more professional and reliable. I left the Academy that year for a teaching position at the Laurel School in Cleveland, a prestigious, private girl’s school. I taught individual private lessons along with being a long-term substitute music teacher. All of the time I had spent learning to keep an audience engaged proved useful when teaching middle schoolers about Bach and Vivaldi and preparing them for their concerts.

The position at Ashland University became available again so I quickly applied. I was excited to get back to college-level teaching and assumed I was a shoe-in: after all, I had already held the position. My wife was excited that I would finally contribute a more consistent income…but I didn’t get the position.

The existential crisis that followed would have been the envy of all emo bands. How could I not get the position? Why did I invest so much time in the guitar only to fail at it? Am I just not good enough? The answer at the time seemed obvious. I started thinking of other careers, other pursuits. I even considered the ultimate sacrifice, cutting my nails.

My email chimed with a forward from the current head of the guitar department at the University of Akron, my old friend, James Marron. It read of a position at Kenyon College in Mount Vernon, Ohio, a ninety minute drive. Long, but still, a college level teaching position.

My wife and I decided this was it. Either I got the position or I moved on to other careers. I applied that Monday and was immediately scheduled for an interview that same Friday. The interview would consist of a recital and a master class with the current students. Luckily, my increasingly irrational impulse to practice guitar meant I had a performance set ready. I was not too worried about the master class: I was expecting mostly first- or second-year students.

When the audition master class began that Friday, though, the student handed me the score for the BWV1006a Lute Suite Prelude. I knew I was out of my depth. If the first student was performing at this level, I was certainly among some killer young players. When the student began playing, though, it turned out he was merely sight-reading it slowly. I felt a sigh of relief, realizing they were just inexperienced kids, not the next Julian Bream: maybe I actually could add value to the school. I talked about performance prep, fingering, historical performance practice, the liturgical cycle and Bach’s religious practice. I pushed for more emotion in the opening notes. I encouraged exploring tone color, playing notes in different locations on the string. It was exhilarating to teach concert music.

After the recital and master class, I met with the head of the music department and current head of the guitar department. The interview went really well. When they asked if I had any questions, I said I wanted to make a statement. “I love teaching, I love watching a student come into contact with fantastic music and see their eyes open up to the beauty of the music. Bringing a student along to an understanding of the music and preparing them to perform is my only goal. It’s what I want to do until I can’t do it anymore.” I left with a sense of calm knowing that I gave it my best shot. They said I would know by the end of the day. After 8pm came and went I figured that was it. Then the phone rang at 8:45. They’d decided to hire me! Gratefully, I accepted.

Kenyon College in Gambier, OH

I’ve been at Kenyon College for five years now. I started with a small studio of five students, including the one from the audition master class. Over the next few semesters it doubled in size: I now teach eighteen students and an ensemble. I have two students giving solo recitals this semester plus our semesterly ensemble recitals. I’ve had a few students perform in the “Angela White Recital,” our all-music department invitational recital. This is a great honor there, and apparently it had been a long time since any guitar students had appeared on it. I teach four days/week at Kenyon and still maintain a small private teaching studio at my home.

Sophie Wise, a Kenyon student at her senior recital, with Adam

My success would have been impossible but for my patient and wonderful wife, Julie. She has both encouraged and motivated me throughout. Her patience with me is clearly at the level of a saint.

Adam now, with his wife, Julie at her graduation as an NP, and their two boys, Samuel and Benjamin

I am currently involved in a recording project that has been simmering in the background for too long. The crippling self-doubt that can accompany today’s exposure to Instagram/YouTube guitarists is always a threat, but I have come to a decision: do it, get it done. Put it out there. I will not have all hits, I will have misses, even failures—but I will have successes. A businessman I heard interviewed on a podcast said “What if you were 24 ‘No’s’ away from a million dollars? How would you look at your ‘No’s’ then?” It was a remarkable statement. It’s currently my mantra for getting my own projects done and out into the wild.

I started a Youtube Channel, ackguitar, https://www.youtube.com/@ackguitar and a TikTok channel, https://www.tiktok.com/@redearthguitar. They are both slowly growing. My production quality is watchable. There’s a lot that in this vein that can be done with a phone. I don’t have the budget for fancy cameras nor the time for elaborate editing yet. If these efforts start to bring in an income I can always update then. I made teaching my focus on the channels.

Finally, my time now is filled with teaching, writing and practicing. I recently performed as a guest artist for the Akron Guitar Festival. I played well. It had been a long time since I’d walked onto that stage: Guzzetta Hall, at the University of Akron. The nervous ‘tween I was when I first arrived there has developed into a confident musician. Once, when I was having coffee with Steve, he told me how he and another fellow student, back when they were undergrads, made a promise to each other not to quit guitar. I took that to heart and decided I was going to do the same thing. I may not be the next David Russell but I know now who I am and what I am capable of, both as a player and as a teacher. I am supremely grateful for my time at University of Akron and for my time as a guitar student of Stephen Aron’s.”

Thank you Adam, for this account of your life as a musician! I think it is both a reality check and an inspirational tale. We all walk unique roads, but there are similarities. Other musicians will recognize many of their own experiences here. Congratulations on your indisputable work ethic and your full-on embrace of the challenges life offers in pursuit of our goals in music. Bravo!