From a Teen’s Perspective: The Riekestra is exactly what we need

If you read this column regularly, you know I’m a big fan of community — I love to see it built, maintained, and showcased, especially in our local area. Never before have I experienced such a stunning and inspiring display of community than the Riekestra concert at the Guild Theatre last Tuesday night.

The Riekestra is a student-run band at the Riekes Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people achieve whatever goals they set their minds to. The Center is a longtime favorite of this column, and I encourage everyone to check it out —whether you want to work out more, learn an instrument, make a short film, or pursue any other passion you may have, the Reikes Center has the resources and supportive network of people to make it happen.

The Riekestra originated to improve music education and foster relationships between musicians. Instead of stuffy old recitals, the Riekes Center hosted monthly concerts that let students show off their hard work with lively songs. However, as the concerts gained popularity, instructors didn’t have enough time to teach and learn all the songs for every concert, so they brought in talented high school musicians to back up Riekes music students onstage. Soon enough, the program blossomed and the Riekestra became an official band, regularly booking gigs arounud the Bay Area.

Then, in 2014, Guy Nohra, a member of the Riekes community who had always dreamed of playing in a rock band in Europe, asked Aidan Young, a Riekes staff member, if the Center could help turn his dream into a reality. Together they planned a Riekestra trip gigging in France, and it went so well they led another in Spain the following year. Eight trips later, the group is still going back, and their motto remains “I got your back” to signify their dedication to each other’s success and their community as one.

Each year the Riekestra visits the same small town called Sitges where they have now become local celebrities. On one particular trip, the Riekestra was playing a popular song by Ramon Mirabet, a Spanish singer from Sitges, when Mirabet, who had been invited by a hometown friend to watch them, jumed up on stage and began singing along! Mirabet quickly formed a deep bond with the Riekestra, particularly admiring their supportive and collaborative energy, which inspired him to fly out to the Guild to play a show with them.

Current students (including Logan Greenbaum, my friend from M-A who I now realize is a talented rockstar), alumni, and instructors of the Riekestra came together to play at Tuesday’s show. They sang, strummed, and drummed in perfect unison, showcasing their talent and versatility with unique takes on songs like “I Got You (I Feel Good),” a jazzy R&B tune with a rock n’ roll flair, and “If I Ain’t Got You,” a soulfull ballad that kept the audience entranced.

The Guild’s lighting perfectly matched the mood, transporting us from a spirited rock gig to a moody jazz club in seconds. By the end of the night, I felt like I had truly been taken on a musical journey, one that I would gladly experience again and again. I was utterly blown away by the sheer skill and star power each musician held. And I was even more shocked that I had been unaware of such an incredible local community until that night.

Standing in the audience, I felt the enthusiasm and connection so unique to the concert experience. As I looked around, I watched teenagers bobbing their heads alongside adults, people of various schools and companies coming together to dance and sing.

Riekes alumni reunited with old friends, parents got to know one another, and students like me saw themselves represented in the masterful, ambitious teens on stage. It was like spending a few hours inside a bubble where everyone knew everyone — even if before that night many of us had never met.

It became abundantly clear that programs like the Riekestra — open, accessible spaces where all types of people can share their passions and work towards common goals —are vital to our sense of belonging in a world that often isolates us from one another and deceives us into seeing our differences instead of our similarities.

I walked out of the Guild’s doors with a warm feeling inside, the type that only comes from sharing a joyous, passion-filled experience with others. It showed me that we all need to make more of a concerted effort to seek out these shared experiences so we can remember to deeply value them as well as the strength and vitality of our community as a whole.

If you’d like to support the Riekes Center, consider attending their rally on April 27 to raise money for their programs and scholarships.

Side note: Also at the concert, a reader told me how one of my articles had helped them gain insight into their teenage kid’s perspective. Stories like this make my day and highlight why I love writing this column so much! I want to make sure that I’m covering topics that readers want to know about, so if you have any requests feel free to email me at dylanclarklanier@gmail.com!

Dylan Lanier is a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School; his column appears weekly.

Photo of The Riekestra courtesy of Riekes.org