MR. GREG
(GREG ZINSER)
Mr. Greg’s love of music started as a young boy
growing up in Ohio where his family would get together and sing around the piano on a regular basis. During his college years, he played at piano bars earning room and board and college tuition. After moving to San Diego in 1976, he and his wife Cheri had two sons whom he raised in the consistent presence of music. Music and music performance became a very powerful way for the family to connect, as Mr. Greg taught the boys everything he knew and formed a “family band” called the Relative Minors that would play for many different types of events throughout San Diego for nearly two decades.
Wanting to share the gift of music outside of his family,
Mr. Greg developed the Gift of Music to Troubled Teens program for adolescents in the Vista Hill SAFIR program. Greg would go on to earn the “10 News Leadership Award” for his replication of the program a year later at the San Diego Monarch School.
ABOUT SATURDAY SESSIONS
Saturday sessions were started in September 2008 to give musicians at all levels an opportunity to play
and sing music in a casual group setting. We provide a structure that encourages participation and
promotes learning in a positive and supportive environment. Our sessions are held on Saturday
afternoons from 1pm to 4pm and we welcome players and vocalists at all levels.
We play a wide variety of songs from all genres and in general, will select songs that are well known,
simple in structure, and have good vocal harmonies. We take requests that meet these criteria, both
before and during sessions. We will transpose songs to make them easier for all to play, or to
accommodate the vocal range of those who make a request. Our Saturday Book now includes over
1,800 charts.
Music education is also a key component of our Saturday sessions. Our more accomplished musicians
lead the way by providing individual assistance during our sessions, and sometimes conducting
workshops held prior to each of our regular sessions. Past workshops have covered basic music theory
and technique as it applies to guitar, bass and voice.
Our overall goal is to create an experience that is fun, positive, educational and therapeutic for all---one
of life’s great pleasures for all who are able to join us. We also keep our group engaged through our website at
ABOUT THURSDAY SESSIONS
As Saturday sessions evolved to higher levels, we created Thursday
sessions in October of 2012 to continue to provide opportunities for
beginner guitar players. We meet on the first Thursday of each month,
and have one very clear vision and goal for our Thursday guitar group -
to have everyone who is a part of our group still playing in ten years.
It doesn't matter at what level they're playing, as long as they're
enjoying it on a regular basis. For beginners, the best way to achieve
that goal is to make it fun as quickly as possible, which we believe will
also make it sustainable.
We start with learning about a dozen chords, and being able to play
them without looking. We play out of a book that has over 800 charts
that primarily use these chords, and are pretty well known to all.
Knowing the songs and being able to sing makes it even more fun,
but neither are essential.
We encourage and provide opportunities for those that have the time
and desire to go further, knowing that if they find that they’re not able
to dedicate the time necessary to get to that next level, they will
always have the basic chords and charts to fall back on.
CONCERTS IN THE DRIVEWAY
In April of 2020, one month after the Covid lock-down occurred, Greg started presenting the Concerts in
the Driveway series for neighbors and friends. This outdoor venue was perfect for those who had
nowhere else to go for live music. Some of the neighbors simply opened their windows, others brought
lawn chairs, while others stopped on the sidewalk to listen or listened from their car. At the beginning,
these concerts were presented twice a month, then went to once a month and now approximately once
per quarter. Up to ten musicians are part of the group and provide music on a totally volunteer basis.
During the past 3 years, we have presented over 30 concerts and although the Covid restricitions have
been lifted, this is still a very popular outdoor music opportunity for neighbors and friends alike. Many
of the concerts can be viewed on my YouTube channel
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“I am grateful for the opportunity to share the gift of music with young people who have their whole life ahead of them. If I can enhance lives through music, to me there is no greater purpose. Please help me do that by referring the program to those educators who may have an interest”.