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Common Ground     One of the best things one can do to improve their skills is to be around others trying to do the same. Recently I had a chance to do just that. During the middle of July '97 , I spent two weeks in  a quaint town known as South Hampton Massachusetts. This is the sight of the Holyoke guitar summer workshop.  This program is lead by two master guitar players, Ben Verdery and Phil deFremery.  I have known Ben for over a year, Phil I met when I arrived.  It seemed a relaxed location to polish music I had been working on , and a great time to start some new compositions.        The first night I was there I met the rest of the students who were participating in the program. Ben and Phil had really picked a variety of students to participate, California,  Seattle and   Alabama were just a few of the places these players called home. Everyone seemed friendly and anguishes to get down to work. When we got back from dinner it was time to start.      Ben or Phil would pick four players a night, each player would play what he/she(yes their were two girls)had prepared for all to listen. After their performance Ben and Phil would spend an hour or more working with the student to improve their playing. This would go on from 7 PM to around 11:30pm for two tedious, but informative weeks. Watching Ben and Phil work together was so much fun.   Ben is a hyperactive cartoon character at times, spouting oodles of music knowledge from every pore of his body. The man sweats sixteenth -notes!!!! Phil on the other hand is the Clint Eastwood of guitar, slow and methodically he arrives at ideas which are so insightful, they will redefine how you listen and play!        After observing  fifty hours of guitar lessons  in two weeks,  my knowledge of the instrument had doubled, but  the learning did not end their. Spending all of this time with  these excellent guitar players improved my playing even more. Playing for your peers is such a great thing to do.  Although ones peers may not have all of the technical and aesthetic, insights of a master player, their reaction is the best place to start when refining a piece one will be performing. Each afternoon before some of us were scheduled to play, a small group of four would spend that afternoon playing for  and listening to each other. We would make general comments to let the player know if we liked what they were doing. It was in these hours that I had learned what was effective and what was musical banter. This gave me confidence before I had to play in front of the entire class.       Surrounding oneself with people of common interests is the best thing one can do to improve skills. Regardless of what the skill may be, mastering a musical instrument, sports, or academics in order to  excel one can not do it alone. Remember, nothing can grow in a vacuum!