“Weird Al” Yankovic sits and talks with Mary Luehrsen, executive director of the NAMM Foundation during the first annual the Grand Rally for Music Education at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, California on January 23, 2016. (Top Photo)

“Weird Al”, the key speaker at the event, divulged numerous stories about his very awkward formative years and being one of the only kids around rockin’ an accordion. 

“Weird Al” also spoke about taking advantage of the musical equipment available at his high school and college to hone his craft and about how an early music education had a profound impact on his almost 40-year career.

From Wikipedia: “Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic, born October 23, 1959)is an American singer, songwriter, parodist, record producer, satirist, actor, music video director, film producer, and author. He is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts, original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, and polka medleys of several popular songs, featuring his favored instrument, the accordion.

Al’s first accordion lesson, which sparked his career in music, was on the day before his sixth birthday. A door-to-door salesman traveling through Lynwood offered the Yankovic parents a choice of accordion or guitar lessons at a local music school. Yankovic claims the reason his parents chose accordion over guitar was “they figured there should be at least one more accordion-playing Yankovic in the world”, referring to Frankie Yankovic, to whom he is not related.

Yankovic said that “his parents chose the accordion because they were convinced it would revolutionize rock.” He continued lessons at the school for three years before continuing to learn on his own.Yankovic’s early accordion role models included Frankie Yankovic and Myron Floren.” He feels that having an early music education greatly influenced his long career.

Grand Rally for Music Education also included performances from the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts and the CHAMPS Charter High School of Arts and Multimedia and Performing. Jamie Knight, the director of Music Media and Entertainment Technology at the high school said that Al is a great inspiration for his students. “….a tremendous role model for young people.”

Top Photo by Ed Crisostomo
Right photo by Kelly A. Swift