Making a Difference: Local musician gives harmonicas to area elementary kids

Jan. 11—The pandemic impacted the mojo of musicians all around, including budding ones in elementary school.

Nate Boots, a writer and a local musician, saw it firsthand.

"I myself was unable to gather with my bandmates and the audiences that attended my gigs during that time."

The inability to gather with fellow musicians and fans negatively impacted his groove. He watched as it also affected the groove of one of his sons who, at the time, had just taken a liking to the trumpet.

"Not being able to practice playing with the whole band really left him feeling isolated and uninspired," Boots said.

Similar to his son, other young area students began to feel the same. Boots wanted to remedy that by doing something that would once again spark inspiration and excitement within kids about music.

He decided to raise money to buy harmonicas for students at Monroe Elementary in North Mankato.

When asked why harmonicas and why Monroe, Boots answer stemmed from a love for both.

"The harmonica is a party-starter, and it's a very baggage-free instrument," he said. "You can take it anywhere you go, it's very playable on a basic level, and it's affordable. The cheapest playable models cost less than 10 bucks."

Boots first learned to play the harmonica as a kid himself when he stole his dad's out of a dresser drawer and spent a few afternoons alone in the woods with it.

Within a short period of time, he learned to play "Oh! Susannah" just like he'd heard his own dad play.

"Abe Lincoln played it. An American astronaut played one in space in 1965," Boots said. "It's probably the most smile-inducing instrument ever for a first beginner. It's practically the American dream."

As for Monroe, all three of his kids went through the school, and all three were fond of their music teacher, Sarah Payne.

"She was great to work with," Boots said.

Last school year, the two paired up and decided to distribute the harmonicas to fifth graders for a couple of reasons.

Payne believed the fifth graders in particular lost out on musical experiences due to the pandemic. Boots believed fifth graders to be at the perfect age to learn harmonica because kids of that age are capable of playing it well.

The two then coordinated a time during the spring for Boots to come in for a week and personally give each fifth grader a Hohner harmonica and teach a lesson on the instrument.

Boots went into each individual music class and offered one-on-one instruction with the students rather than hosting one big lesson in the school's auditorium, which Payne said was gracious and generous of him.

He taught a one-hour lesson and, by the end of it, the students were able to play little chunks of "Oh! Susannah."

"He's incredible and has such a heart for the community here in North Mankato and the kids here at Monroe," Payne said. "His kids all went through Monroe, so having that chance to come back and give back to these kids in our community, I think was really important to him and such a special thing that these kids got to be a part of."

Deegan Danberry was one of the fifth graders who received a harmonica and a lesson from Boots.

While the instrument wasn't new to Danberry, he said Boots was the first one to teach him about it. So far, he said he's enjoying the instrument and wishes to learn more about it.

"I think it's a good idea to give kids harmonicas because it gives them something new and easy to learn and try out," he said. "Nate offered an instrument that can be incredibly fun and easy to learn."

Boots couldn't agree more.

"Any person who picks up a harmonica and blows a note is making music and is thereby connected to the much larger collective of musicians out there in the world also making music."

The collective of musicians is what made it possible for Boots to raise enough money to buy the lowest-level harmonica the Hohner company sells for about 100 students for two years.

Boots gathered up some of his fellow local musicians for the Petty Cash Bash — the fundraiser held at The Circle Inn to raise money to buy harmonicas for Monroe students.

"I've always been a Johnny Cash fan, but I love Tom Petty, too. And really, who doesn't love at least a song or two from both of those artists?" he asked. "When you put together the idea that folks might donate their petty cash to hear some Petty and Cash, and then pay the proceeds forward to the next generation, how could that not work?"

Mal Murphy, a local singer and guitarist, participated in the fundraiser and said the energy around the event was amazing. She attributes most of it to Boots' efforts.

"He's a person who's always putting his foot forward with what he can do to help other people. I think that just comes naturally for him," she said. "But he went above and beyond for the fundraiser. He went to the venue early for setup, he was working on it weeks prior to get people to be there, and I think he chose really good musicians."