by Janet Gokay Mead

During the pandemic, the Norfolk Library stepped up to the plate with a host of online programs: art shows, mindfulness classes, studio tours, book groups. In the dead of winter a group of six intrepid souls signed up for one of the library’s more unusual Zoom classes: Harmonica I. The results were unexpected.

Taught by Stu Sternbach, an audio and video producer and composer based in Princeton, NJ, the course ran for 1.5 hours on Wednesday evenings for six weeks. Each participant received a new Hohner Special 20 C harmonica free of charge from the library, and they all bought Hal Leonard’s classic “First 50 Songs You Should Play on Harmonica.” 

All but one of the participants—four women, two men—were rank beginners. One was a professional musician who’d toyed with a harmonica but had no formal training. There were several notable aspects to the classes, in that the participants were all very dedicated to learning and enjoyed each other tremendously; there was a lot of laughter, always; and the teacher was superb. He gave structure, appreciation, and humor to the group.

Sternbach quickly moved the group from focusing on how to hold the harmonica and play individual notes to choosing a song to play for the final “concert.” He sent all of us a custom-made track to play along with the song of our choice. In class, we practiced playing successive bars of classic songs, such as “My Country Tis of Thee” and “Lean on Me”—and, thankfully, the Zoom audio kept up. 

The classes were not without their hitches. Some participants had to suddenly leave because a bear walked through their yard, threatening their domestic animals; others had to call in from their car while attending a child’s baseball game. One student, encountering a bear on a walk through Great Mountain Forest, pulled out his harmonica—and the bear hissed and pounded the ground with his front paws. Perhaps that student needed a little more practice.

Harmonica I was so successful that a second program (Harmonica II) soon followed. This class focused on the blues—and Sternbach soon had students improvising riffs to classic blues tunes. The rest swayed and clapped. A good time was had by all.