We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ryan Woodard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ryan below.

Alright, Ryan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I was diagnosed at three with Autism. My parents knew that I wasn’t playing appropriately with toys, I wasn’t pointing but the biggest thing they noticed is I wasn’t speaking. My parents took me to the pediatrician and we started the proceedings of getting diagnosed. After receiving my diagnosis my parents exposed me to everything that a typical kid would do. My parents would take me out to restaurants, theme parks, shopping, concerts etc… even if it meant we had to leave early because I was overstimulated and couldn’t regulate myself. My parents never gave up on me and I am so grateful. After I discovered my love for guitar, my parents supported my passion and I started taking guitar lessons. Shortly after, we found out that a School of Rock was opening and I started the day they opened up. My Dad really wanted to spend more time with me so he took on a new passion. Learning how to do sound! He has been doing sound for all School of Rock shows and for my own band. My Mom is my biggest fan. You will always catch her dancing and having a great time. My parents are my biggest supporters.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My love for music came at an early age. Both sides of my family are musical. My Grandfather plays guitar and so does my Uncle. My Uncle Chris would play with his bands and I would come watch him and I would try to get on stage with him. One day, my Aunt had a guitar and amplifier and dropped it off at my house and said, “have fun”. We bought a game called “Rocksmith”. Its a video game you plug your guitar into and you play along. I learned some songs and my parents noticed I had a gift. My father told me if I learned more songs and got better he would buy me a really nice guitar. Not long after he bought me a guitar! As time went on and I had guitar lessons and joined School of Rock I wanted to have my own band. I asked my buddy, Conor, who was a drummer in my band at SOR and my Uncle Chris to play with me. After being a trio for a year, I asked my friend, J, who was also a guitarist/vocalist from SOR and we have been a band ever since. We enjoy playing blues, funk, rock, surf and now we are playing originals. I feel the one thing that sets us apart from others is our wide range of song choices. We play something for everybody so nobody feels left out. We take pride in the music we play and I believe it shows in our playing as well as energy. We love putting on a show!

In my time as a guitarist I have had some fun opportunities. When I was eleven years old my Grandfather took me to a Buddy Guy concert here in Santa Rosa. Buddy saw me in the isle as he was walking around playing and stopped to ask if I knew how to play guitar. I excitedly told him yes! His people came and got me and we walked backstage to see if I actually could play guitar. After getting the okay I got to perform “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix. After playing a bit, Buddy asked if I sang. At the time I only sang backup vocals to which his reply was “No, you don’t”. He gave me the words to sing, handed me the mic and I belted out “Well, I stand up next to a mountain and I chop it down with the edge of my hand”. And that was the beginning of my doing vocals.

Another fun opportunity I had was at NAMM last year. There was a guy named Reggie (he also goes by the name Guitaro) who was playing guitar and he had a sign that said “Sing with me for free”. My Dad suggested I sing with him and so I did. After some conversation with him I sang Gravity by John Mayer. It was so much fun, but I had no idea how my time with Reggie would explode. My Mom tipped him through Venmo and put a note with it that explained about my autism and that the kindness he showed me meant so much to her. He then asked if he could feature me on his YouTube channel. We had a great interview and after a month or so he put the video out. It got a lot of views and a lot of comments but most of all it caught the eye of John. While on tour with School of Rock his manager found my Mom and asked if it was okay to send me something. Not long after a box with a guitar came but this guitar was his signature OMJM Martin. It was such an honor to receive it but the note he sent me was the best part. He wrote; Ryan, you sound GREAT! Here’s a little something to keep expressing yourself. Your friend, John. MY HEART WAS POUNDING! My parents took video of me opening it and thanking John for such a wonderful gift. To be able to call John a friend is so cool!

I am most proud of my EP that came out June 5th. I wrote all five songs with some help of my instructors at School of Rock. I sing all the vocals and I play all the guitar parts. Some songs came from inspiration from my English teacher at school, a club at school and one is dedicated to my friend, Jayden, who was tragically killed in a stabbing incident on campus. You can find my music on all streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple and Amazon.

Lastly, one thing I am really focused on is working with my autism community. I want to be an advocate and work with those on the spectrum. My community was so good to me and still is and so I want to give back as much as I can. I work with Common Ground Society and perform for their annual gala. My friend, Larkin O’leary is an amazing human and the Executive Director/cofounder. If anyone needs guidance with kids who have different disabilities she is someone everyone needs to know.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was younger I was considered non-verbal. I could repeat scenes from Sesame Street or sing some songs but I couldn’t converse. The term for this is echolalia. I gravitated a lot to Michael Jackson and The Beatles. I would play their albums over and over. I would even play them as I slept. As I played the songs some of the words started making sense to me. When I was around the age of nine I was able to carry on a conversation but I was limited on how far I could take my conversations. With the help of my parents, my teachers, my peers and my seven God-Sisters I learned how to communicate better. As time went on and through social classes at the Swain Center as well as School of Rock my vocabulary really picked up. So much so that I became the house band leader which meant I had to help my band with their parts and I had to communicate with them. Music has made me feel more verbal and more confident.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when I get messages or comments on my social media platforms about giving people hope. After the video with Reggie and I went viral I have received countless messages from parents who say I give them hope for their children and that they too, will hear their child speak. I also get messages from people who are autistic who say I give them hope to try sing, to play guitar or even to get in front of people. It takes courage to get up there and do what I do. I do it because I want to make people happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ryanwoodardprodutions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanwoodardrocks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryanwoodardrocks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanwoodard

Image Credits

Alex Walker