York downtown music store offers lessons, more

For Joe Hardin, music has always been medicine. “If you’re having a bad day,” he said, “you play music.”

Hardin, 60, has been sharing his love of music by performing on the violin and other stringed instruments and teaching others to play for most of his life.

He recently opened his own York store, Downtown Music Lessons and More, at 23E N. Congress St. The shop sells stringed instruments and accessories, including guitars, mandolins, dobros and violins. Hardin also teaches the art of playing a stringed instrument to about 45 students, from age 3 to their 70s.

Hardin, who is retired from a 30-year career managing Bi-Lo grocery stores in Chester, Rock Hill and York, said he always taught music on the side. He taught for 18 years at Tillman Music in Rock Hill, and recently decided to open his own store closer to his York home.

“I’ve been playing since I was like 3 or 4,” said Hardin, a York native and a 1972 graduate of York High School. “Everybody in my family plays, so it was pretty much a given.”

Hardin said he taught himself to play the violin, his first instrument. He later took lessons on classical violin from David Johnson, a musician with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra who later played with Randy Travis.

“He inspired me to try different kinds of music,” said Hardin.

Hardin said he has performed at local venues including Possum Hollow, a now defunct York area nightclub, and at Hickory Grove square dances.

He enjoys performing, but he said teaching is his true love. “My heart has always been in teaching, trying to get young people started out,” he said.

Hardin said he picked up the art of playing a stringed instrument, and later learned how to read music and about music theory. He said his students learn music theory as they’re learning to play because he wants it to be fun.

“Everybody needs something that they can do well,” Hardin said. “Some of us aren’t good at sports. I have a lot of people who are very proud that they can do this.”

Hardin said his youngest student is 3; he believes children can begin learning to play as soon as they show an interest.

“As long as they can listen to you and pay attention, the earlier the better,” he said. “When they are young, nothing is hard for them. Kids are really smart.”

He also has many students in their 60s and 70, and said he doesn’t believe anyone is too old to begin learning an instrument.

“I have never stopped learning,” he said. “I’m always trying to do different things. The more you learn, the more you want to learn.”

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 3:12 PM with the headline "York downtown music store offers lessons, more."