Margo Ellis, Opinion Editor–
Walking through the halls of the Eisner Center, fluorescent lights reflect off the polished floor while faint melodies drift through cracks in soundproofed doors. On your way down to the first floor, the deep twang of an acoustic guitar fills your ears.
Playing the guitar is Professor Adam Schlenker, who fell in love with the instrument after signing up for lessons at his local music store at age 8.
“It’s odd to be that young and feel so connected to something,” Schlenker said. “Like it’s something you had misplaced, and then you found it.”
Schlenker grew up in Beckley, West Virginia, and moved to Columbus in the ‘90s to pursue music. After two decades of touring, recording and producing, he became the director of the American Roots program at Denison in 2018.
The American Roots program, which was rebranded from a bluegrass-centric program after Schlenker took over, was originally launched in 2010 and currently includes an ensemble, a major, a minor and several courses. The ensemble features a variety of stringed instruments, including guitar, banjo, stand-up bass, and others. Students don’t have to be an American Roots major or minor to join, and Schlenker said he’s grown to appreciate how flexible the program is.
“If you want an environment where you can go to college, do what you intended to do, but still maintain music as an important part of your life,” Schlenker said. “We offer that.”
Not only is Schlenker appreciative of the program, he’s also impressed with the students involved. He believes that a major aspect of the group is “generational,” meaning that older students often pass down music to younger students without it being currently taught in class.
“[The music] may be something that we did three years ago, but it’s spilling over into new generations because it’s being handed to each other and talked [about] by the students,” Schlenker said. “Which I think is really awesome.”
One student, Maggie Malin ‘25, has been in the ensemble for three semesters. Malin came to Denison as a piano student, but “had a lot more fun” when she started playing the mandolin in the Roots ensemble. Malin said that Schlenker leads the ensemble very intentionally and that he makes sure students are learning about the music and its history, rather than just playing it and moving on.
“You can tell he cares a lot about the music and making sure the tradition lives on,” Malin said.
Aside from his time at Denison, Schlenker continues to record and produce his own music. He also runs his company, 5th Fret Productions, and teaches at multiple guitar camps across the country and abroad.
Schlenker’s most recent album, “All Roads Lead to Home,” was released in late September and features originals such as “A Safer Shore” and “Leave It Be.” Schlenker performed these songs and many more earlier that month at the Eisner Center, in a faculty recital presented by Denison’s Department of Music. The recital featured two distinct sets: the first a classic, acoustic trio of guitar, fiddle and stand-up bass; and the second a modernized, hybrid interpretation of the same style with the addition of a drum set, mandolin, and electric guitar. Both sets included Schlenker’s originals alongside covers of songs that “taught him something.”
Schlenker referred to guitar as “ a lifelong obsession.” The sound of a guitar was something he’d always been drawn to as a child, and finding that sound got him to where he is now. Six albums, 40 years, and countless shows later, Schlenker still talks about the guitar as if it’s brand new.
“I just absolutely love to play. I mean, I like playing shows. I like playing with other people,” Schlenker said. “But I also love to just pick up the guitar and sit there by myself and play it for countless hours.”
Photo: Professor Adam Schlenker, coordinator of the Denison Bluegrass Program.