More than music:

By Valorie Brecht Our nation’s military members share a special bond because of their commitment to service. Sometimes, it can be hard for them to return to civilian life and lose the sense of community they had while in the military, or they may struggle with managing post-traumatic stress and anxiety.

A unique class at The Highground Veterans Memorial Park endeavors to meet those needs for veterans by fostering camaraderie and connection through a shared positive activity. The Vets & Ukeleles and Vets & Guitars classes have been offered at The Highground on a rotating basis since July 2022.

“I don’t know if it’s as much about learning ukelele as it is being with the guys and our teacher. It’s just nice… It’s certainly a special hour in my week,” said Mark Pares of Neillsville, who has been part of this summer’s beginner ukelele class.

Participants enjoy 10 weeks of lessons, completely free through the generosity of local businesses and individuals. Each veteran receives his or her own instrument, lesson book and any other materials they need.

Victoria Shoemaker of Eau Claire teaches the class. A graduate of Vandercook College of Music in Chicago, she plays many instruments, teaches at Morgan Music in Eau Claire, coordinates activities for an assisted living home and plays in two bands. Her rock n’ roll band, Virginia Steel, played at the Willard Well bar and she got connected to Jen Tieman, the owner. Tieman, who has been a faithful supporter of The Highground, had the idea of offering a guitar class for veterans, and after talking with Shoemaker and Theresa Hebert of The Highground, Vets & Guitars was born.

The ukelele class was added later as another option for veterans. The instrument is smaller and has fewer strings than a guitar, making it a good choice for veterans who have mobility issues or just prefer to start on a simpler instrument.

“I love it and it works well. We’ve had some veterans just take guitar, some just ukelele and some both,” said Shoemaker.

New classes start in the fall, spring and summer. Shoemaker alternates between teaching ukelele and guitar. On a given Thursday night, there is a beginner class followed by a short break and then the intermediate class. Occasionally, people from the intermediate class will come

Please see Vets, page 10 VALORIE BRECHT/STAFF PHOTOS

Above left, instructor Victoria Shoemaker of Eau Claire plays a song with beginner class members (l-r) Scot Miller of Green Bay and Dennis Kieser of Thorp at The Highground Vets & Ukeleles class. Above right, Mark Pares of Neillsville and James Liant of Altoona practice. The class is offered free to veterans.

from p. 1

early and attend the beginners’ class to review what they’ve already learned.

“I never teach the class the same way twice, so sometimes I’ll be explaining how to do something and the ones who have been through my beginner class before will say, ‘Oh, you can also do it this way,’ like a different way I taught them before. And maybe that way makes more sense to somebody. So then you have veterans helping teach other veterans, and that’s really neat to see,” she said.

The veterans, many of whom have never played an instrument before or haven’t played in decades, enjoy the challenge of learning something new and having a get-together to look forward to each week. They also have opportunities to share what they learn with family and friends. In July, nine of the veterans performed at Nashville North, an outdoor concert venue in Fall Creek, and enjoyed a concert afterward by The Bellamy Brothers.

“It was an experience that I got a lot of good feedback from, from people that just appreciated the fact that we were there. Victoria had a lot to do with setting that up and making that happen, so that was very cool,” said Dennis Kieser, a veteran from Thorp.

Despite coming from a variety of walks of life, along with differing branches of service and occupations within the military, the veterans said they were still able to relate to each other on another level because of their shared service.

“You can be with people, but when you’re with your brothers and sisters, I can’t tell you what that feeling is like. It’s totally different. You can just look at someone else and know what they’re feeling,” said Scot Miller, a veteran and retired police officer from Green Bay who makes the two-and-a-half hour trip to attend the class each week.

“A class like this maybe to a civilian sounds like, ‘Why are you doing that?’ But to us, it’s the difference between night and day… It’s grounding, and I think that’s what any veteran is looking for, whether they realize it or not. We need grounding,” he added.

In the psychological world, “grounding” or “mindfulness” techniques refer to tools such as visualization or engaging the senses to bring the person back to the present moment, according to Margarita Tartakovsky, MS, writing for Healthline. Apanic attack or traumatic flashback can cause a person’s emotions to take over their thoughts and physical responses. However, grounding techniques can help interrupt the body’s response and return the brain and feelings to a place of safety.

Shoemaker can attest to this phenomenon in the lives of her class participants.

“(One of my veterans) said, he learned as he was learning guitar and practicing, that on days when he felt stressed out or had a problem he couldn’t solve, and he could feel himself going somewhere he didn’t want to go, he’d go practice his guitar. Because forcing himself to focus on that allowed his brain to work differently and focus on something else, and take the pressure off of whatever problem he was trying to solve or whatever was bothering him. And when he got done, all of a sudden it all didn’t seem as bad as it was when he started.

“So, music is a really healing thing. But I’ve found that people heal in their own ways when they learn music. So I’m not trying to teach them how to heal; I’m just providing them with a tool that they can use however they want,” she explained.

Besides learning how to play an instrument, a lifelong skill, the veterans also genuinely enjoy each other’s company, as evidenced by the friendly banter and teasing between them and their teacher. It’s a low-pressure environment with an emphasis on having fun, said Shoemaker.

“I’ve really enjoyed watching everybody grow together in a community that’s really positive for them… To have everybody talk to each other and build friendships is great to see.”

The participants encouraged other veterans to give the class a shot. They all emphasized that you don’t have to be a wonderful musician to join.

“You don’t have to worry about your performance, I don’t think,” said Pares.

“Nor should you be embarrassed about your mental condition or your physical condition… If someone’s thinking about it, you’ve just got to do it. And know that you’re with like people,” said Miller.

The veterans will wrap up their current class soon. The next class will start on Sept. 12. “Beginning Acoustic Guitar” will be held from 4:30–5:30 p.m. on Thursday evenings. “Continuing Guitar,” for veterans who have already completed beginners’ course, will be held from 6–7 p.m. For those who have experience playing guitar but have not taken the beginner course, contact Hebert at 715-743-4224 to see which course would suit you best.

The class currently meets in The Highground museum. Veterans are asked to register for the next session by Sept. 5 by calling 715-743-4224.

People can donate to keep this program free for veterans. It costs $150 to sponsor a veteran to take the class. Checks should be made out to The Highground with “Vets & Guitars/Ukeleles” in the memo line. The Highground’s mailing address is PO Box 157, Neillsville, WI 54456.