Sometimes one pivotal moment in childhood can start us on our life’s path.

Take Ryan Lano, for example. He picked up his father’s guitar at age 13, and nary a day goes by that he is not playing, composing or inspiring others to play music through his business, Park Street Guitar Lessons, based out of Minnesota Lake.

In the last month, the business hosted an open house celebrating one year in its new location: an 1860s church. Nine years and 1,000 students before, Lano taught out of locations in Mankato like Music Mart. Now, with the addition of the church location and at-home lessons, he has a home base (literally; the basement converted nicely into his living space) and a wider reach of a 60-mile radius.

A 2004 graduate of Minnesota State University with a Bachelor of Arts in music, Lano first finds out what his students want to learn and tailors the lessons to meet their goals whether they be learning the blues, country, folk or favorite songs by Green Day and My Chemical Romance.

Student Rich Coyle, 61, of Mankato had taken lessons seven years ago and wanted to start up again, “but I wanted a teacher who was young — someone that I could relate to, and also someone who would push me to practice and get better,” he said.

Coyle said that after each lesson Lano gives him an easy song to play and different chords and techniques to learn.

“In the six months that I have been playing, Keith Richards I am not, but I am getting better and I enjoy it immensely,” Coyle said.

Student Linda Gish of St. Peter dabbled in guitar many years ago but didn’t take it seriously, she said. She’s been working with Lano for an hour twice a month since January.

Gish wrote a song to accompany a children’s book she wrote. She credits Lano for finally being able to grasp scales and theory.

“Ryan has a laid-back style and the ability to treat me — and I am sure his other students — as individuals,” Gish said. “Maybe he is able to accomplish this by getting to know our eccentricities and learning style faster and more efficiently by coming into our homes.”

Lano said he integrates music theory and reading into his students’ lessons in a practical manner so they can become good musicians and communicate with other musicians. He could be likened to a band coach in the way he teaches bass students how to play along with drums and guitar and how two guitars play together successfully.

Some at-home lessons involve multiple students playing together, and the monthly student recitals have been known to evolve into all-out jam sessions.

But connecting local musicians isn’t just a benefit of the business. It’s also a long-term goal.

Lano would love to have more advanced players come in for collaboration and coaching because, he said, even



professionals like Kirk Hammett of Metallica have teachers.

Music, he noted, is a lifelong study — and joy. It helps people with life, from succeeding at school to communicating emotions. “If you’re happy, play guitar. If you’re sad, play guitar. If you’re mad, play guitar,” he advises students. “A lot of great songs come out of this.”

Having taught for the past decade, Lano finds a great deal of personal satisfaction knowing that some former students have attended the Minneapolis Institute of Production and Recording and play in bands around the area.

“I was at the What’s Up Lounge not long ago, and when I was there, one of the guitar players in one of the bands was one of my former students,” he said. “The next band that got up, the lead singer and the bass player and the guitar player were former students of mine ... and they thanked me personally that night.”