The Kindly and Creative Flames of Certain Sparks Music

It’s difficult to define Certain Sparks Music because it’s an ongoing creation, not an end result. Housed in the historic Rudolph building on South H Street in Old Town Lompoc, it is a music store, recording studio, learning center, and performance space. I happened to wander in one afternoon near the end of a long day — the exhausting kind of news day that happens too often lately — intrigued by a rack of vintage clothes, a sign for vinyl records, a pink guitar, and painted drums in the window. Inside, there were guitars and accessories hanging on the walls, tambourines and cymbals waiting in silence, music books and microphones, bright-orange chairs, and a sense of surprise and promise everywhere. A fledgling guitarist was practicing in an upstairs room, and fragments of a tune drifted toward me. This place is magic, I thought. 

“When you walk in here,” says owner Randall Sena, “I want it to feel like you’ve walked into a healthy living room.” And that’s the vibe. It’s a communal space, but kids are allowed to have their own individual experiences here too. Many adults have been drawn in as well, discovering that musical expression had been missing from their lives, surprised by the joy they find in filling that gap.

Randall is a self-taught musician whose own musical awakening occurred in middle school, when he first heard the music of Nirvana and became obsessed with learning to play guitar. He pursued his own independent path, recognizing early on that many creative people don’t thrive in a conventional school framework. He enjoyed going to the library to read, practicing his music, writing songs, and playing together with a friend through high school and into young adulthood. His friend had an amplifier and a drum set, which gave them a little boost, and after a period of performing in local gigs, he gradually became more interested in the recording and engineering of sound for others. And that’s how Certain Sparks began, as a recording studio. 

But it evolved. A natural teacher, Randall began offering music lessons, and bolstered by the vision and expertise of his childhood friend and business partner, Brandon Bridge, a unique kind of school was born. There’s a staff of music instructors with competence on guitar, bass, drums, vocals, ukulele, keyboards, and group ensemble. Music classes include Lil Sparks for kids as young as 3; Junior Sparks and One-on-One lessons for ages 7 and up; Group Band; and adult lessons. Kids have opportunities to perform at recitals and open mic sessions. There are also impromptu activities such as chess and crafts, but the activities just happen, unscheduled, and that’s what works around here. The store is managed by Avery Lange, who started as a student at Certain Sparks when she was 10 years old. Now in her twenties, she keeps things running smoothly, serves on the board of Certain Sparks Music Foundation, and teaches guitar, ukulele and piano. 

Certain Sparks receives funding from the Santa Barbara Foundation and other generous grant partners; approximately one-fifth of the students are on scholarship. The Santa Barbara Bowl offers a ticket subsidy program that enables kids to go to concerts sometimes at the Bowl, an unforgettable experience for them. I talked with a young father whose two daughters have been taking weekly lessons at Certain Sparks, and he pointed out that it is a crucial hangout for teens, keeping young people focused and on track at an especially vulnerable age. “I think this is what is most needed in the world today,” this dad said earnestly, a conclusion based on his own work as manager of a local park and playing field. I think it’s fair to say that Certain Sparks changes lives.

I asked Sena if he had any thoughts to share with young people as they set out into the world, but he was reluctant to give advice. “As a culture, we are in the Wild West,” he says. “I think it’s hard for people to even understand where we’re at or how to think about the future. Each person is living in their own kind of fantasy, which is supported by new media and technology, so whatever you want to believe, you can have the proof of it, but it’s really your own isolated reality…. We literally cannot imagine what is coming at us and how it will impact us.”

But I am convinced that he has found an antidote. Community, creativity, and kindness — isn’t this exactly what we need? A real place, not a screen. The sparks are palpable. Music is born and encouraged here, and from such starts, who knows what dreams might follow? 

And I think it’s true that unimaginable things are yet to come, but some of them will be wonderful. 

For more information about the school, visit the website at certainsparks.com, and go to csmusicfoundation.org to learn about Certain Sparks Music Foundation. There are many ways to contribute, if you wish, including donations of vinyl records and vintage thrift-store clothes.