Behind B# Music, an Interview with Bill Sanderson

As a local Charlottesville music instructor for over 17 years, Bill Sanderson of B# Music certainly knows his way around the guitar’s fretboard. From his past inspirations to his pastime activities, Sanderson sheds light on his philosophies and experiences working in the field of music.

I approached the front porch with my guitar in one hand and a pen and notebook in the other. The evening sun emanated a deep orange haze among the grass and trees on this unusually warm October day.  Sanderson sat calmly, rocking gently on the porch swing of the house. As I handed him my acoustic guitar, I proposed a brief interview with him for The Forum, which he kindly accepted. 

Sanderson is seldom seen without a guitar in hand. From his daily routine of teaching private lessons at B# Music to playing local open mic events in the evenings, Sanderson can safely assume he has put in over 10,000 hours into guitar. “At least,” he said, with a grin. 

He began to pluck the guitar strings as a slight breeze formed among the light blue sky. He looks back fondly on his days growing up in Utica, New York, and learning to play guitar. 

“I was in 7th grade when I took my first guitar class,” he said, “The teacher would have us do these 1980s hair metal ballads on guitar while she was playing the piano. I remember telling my mom how awesome this class was and she ended up giving me her old guitar and a copy of Led Zeppelin IV on vinyl,” he said. His mom was the primary musician of the family before Sanderson began playing guitar. “She’s a master of the piano,” Sanderson said. This upbringing allowed music to come naturally to his ear. He began to play various tracks from Led Zeppelin IV, quietly reminiscing about the album.

Led Zeppelin IV, which he still regards as the best rock album of all time, was his gateway into rock music. He continued to play on his own, eventually taking formal guitar lessons around the age of 14 to 18. He credits his old guitar teacher, Carman Caramonica, for inspiring him to teach. “He was a really great teacher,” Sanderson said. At the Crane School of Music, he would often get the classical guitarist students to teach him some of their guitar pieces in their free time. He then humored my suggestion by playing a few classical pieces. 

Sanderson got into teaching shortly after moving to Orange County, Virginia. “I had just moved down here in June of 2003, and within about three months of playing open mic events at the Silk Mill Grille in Orange, I was invited to teach guitar at Orange Music. I started B# Music on the first of February, 2009,” he said. With his own instruction studio, he is able to teach whatever instruments he wants. His wide range spans guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, bass, and piano, noting that there are no limits to what he teaches. 

 Sanderson’s style is focused around freedom and refining the craft. “I believe that students never quite finish taking lessons. With the piano, I’ve had students take lessons from 3rd grade to college. They can take lessons as long as they want.” Sanderson remarked that he still takes occasional lessons with his old guitar instructor Carman Caramonica when he visits family in New York. 

He firmly believes that you never outgrow lessons and that it’s never too late to start. “I’ve had students start anywhere from 4 to 70 years old,” he said, noting that all they need is to practice. “Students that succeed maintain a consistent routine of daily practice, even if it’s just 20 minutes a day. There have been days where I’ve played up to 8 hours and others where I only played 30 minutes,” Sanderson said. As the afternoon progressed, the temperature became colder and the natural light of the sun dimmed. The guitar began to lose its tune as it was played more and more; a sign of the cheapness of the old Epiphone guitar.

The Charlottesville music scene is known for its varying styles and tastes from its diverse backgrounds.  Sanderson appreciates the promotion of original music and many open mic opportunities. He notes that Richmond, Orange, and Madison all have a decent musical web for local artists as well.

In his free time, Sanderson plays many genres of music. From folk and classical to heavy metal and alternative ’90s music, he appreciates a vast range of genres. “If you play songs from ten different artists and spend time listening to different genres of music, you’ll develop your own unique style,” Sanderson said. 

Apart from music, Sanderson often skydives in his spare time. Some weekends, he’ll go fishing. “Didn’t catch anything today, though,” he said, smiling.

While the inspiration behind B# music seems obvious at first, Sanderson responded while putting the guitar down, “It means to be sharp mentally. It takes focus to practice music. If it were easy, everybody would do it.”