Roxanne Wehking
BIO
Growing up, for Roxanne it was normal to spend Friday nights in her parent’s living room dancing to The B52's or The Talking Heads. Pink Floyd was constantly playing during dinner, and David Bowie was no stranger. Named after her parents’ favorite band, Roxy Music, it only made sense she grew into her name. However, it took her a while to get there.
“Roxy” didn’t begin playing the guitar until 14, when Green Day rocked its way back into the top charts with “American Idiot.” She saved up, and bought her first guitar, “St. Jimmy,” and like anything else she sets her mind to, she put all of her focus and energy into teaching herself guitar. She relied on friends and books, until her parents fed her passion with private lessons.
Over the years, her passion continued to grow, and Roxanne began studying music in high school, where she quickly became involved in the International Baccalaureate (IB) advanced music program. Through the rigorous program, Roxy studied classical piano, music theory and composition. Her guitar lessons also continued, and Roxanne began to find her voice in different styles of music. As if she wasn’t busy enough, Roxanne started writing music with her band A Lesson Blair, joined the pit in her high school’s marching band and theater productions, and continued to write and record her own music on the side.When high school came to a close, Roxanne continued her music studies at Frederick Community College, where she focused on classical guitar, jazz guitar and piano performance. Her dedication and focus with the music program won her a scholarship which helped her pay for guitar and piano lessons.
After her two years at FCC, Roxy transferred to Towson University, to pursue a degree in jazz/commercial guitar performance. Just like at FCC, Roxanne soon became known for her relentless dedication, creativity, and reliability. By only her second semester, Roxanne became the guitarist in the university's jazz orchestra (the third guitarist to have ever done so). Roxy was also honored with the opportunities to perform with guest artists such as jazz legends: Bobby Shew, Mary Halvorson, Ellery Eskelin, Tony Malaby, and more.
Whenever Towson offered Roxanne an opportunity, she readily took advantage of it, including attending a workshop with legendary jazz educator Dave Liebman. She also enrolled in jazz and classical guitar lessons and jazz vocal lessons – to ensure her diversity as a musician. And once again, her dedication and talent was recognized with the music department talent award for jazz for her hard work during her junior year.
Although her musical education is very important to her, performing is where Roxanne’s heart truly lies. Her first true performance opportunity came with her second band: The Livin’ Loving Maids – a Led Zeppelin tribute band. Roxy became a “maid’ after being approached by coworkers of her long-time guitar instructor. Before she could even legally enter bars, she found herself performing steady gigs at local bars as the lead guitarist.
Since then, Roxanne has performed at wedding ceremonies, recorded freelance studio session work, performed for student degree recitals, and created countless jazz groups, including her jazz trio Rose Room. Roxanne also sings and plays guitar with her funk group Filthy McNasty, who perform around the Baltimore/Annapolis area.
Not only is Roxanne a performer, but she is also an educator. Every summer, she teaches a guitar summer camp at the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts. She is also an instructor at the The Music Space and the School of Rock in Baltimore, where she teaches weekly private lessons for aspiring, young guitarists, just like the lessons she took many years ago. Her background makes her well-rounded; drawing from her experience with all styles of music, her study of guitar pedagogy, and the Alexander Technique: a technique that advocates for efficiency of movement and control of the body, allowing a musician to play without pain or tension. She knows exactly how to make a student’s lesson fun and exciting, while still being informative. Her dedication as an instructor was soon recognized at the School of Rock, and after only a few months, she was promoted to Music Director. As director, Roxy oversees all aspects of music education at the school.
With her score at Towson University reaching its final notes, Roxanne looks forward to what the next song will be as she continues to pursue her career in music. Nothing is more important to her than keeping music alive and in the ears of her listeners. With how far she has come already, the only thing that her fans can do is wait to hear what she plays next.