(gentle ambient music) - [Narrator] On this episode of "Postcards."

(serene music) - I've been doing this project for 26 years now, and I estimate we've made at least 26,000 of these one-stringed dulcimers.

- I don't know, I've just kind of always loved color and that type of vibe.

What can I do to make something prettier?

(serene music continues) - I feel like skating is just a way of life where you're constantly looking at the world.

I'll be driving and I'll like see something.

I'm like, "Oh!"

And I'll just like, "Oh, I gotta turn around "and go look at that."

(inquisitive music) (inquisitive music continues) (tranquil music) - [Narrator] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota, on the web at shalomhillfarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails, and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

A better future starts now.

West Central Initiative empowers communities with resources, funding, and support for a thriving region.

More at wcif.org.

(dulcimer strumming) - I'm Ross Sutter, and I make my living as an artist, a musician.

And about half my work is doing residencies in schools, teaching music, instrument building, and singing games.

And the other half is performing.

I've specialized in Irish and Scottish music for a lot of my career.

And for the last 15 years, I've specialized in Swedish music, which is the music of my heritage.

All my grandparents came from Sweden to America.

(dulcimer strumming continues) The dulcimer, when I first started playing it, I really came to it not so much as a Swedish instrument but just as more of an American instrument, really, from the southeastern part of the country.

There were some artists in the '60s that were touring around and playing the instrument, and there was a resurgence in interest in it.

And when I worked in a shop years later, that interest was still there.

I started playing it, and I had no idea that there was a connection to Sweden.

I just liked the instrument.

This is the Appalachian mountain dulcimer.

It's related to instruments in Norway and Sweden.

We have the hummel in Sweden.

And in Norway, we have the langeleik.

And the main thing that connects them is a diatonic scale.

(dulcimer plucking) Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, no sharps or flats.

This is an instrument I started playing when I was working in a shop in Minneapolis called Here Incorporated.

I really connected with this instrument.

And I was looking for an instrument I could build with kids, and so I started building one-stringed dulcimers.

(easygoing music) (students chattering) We're gonna start building, but before we do, let's see if we can name some of the parts of the instrument.

Traditional music has given me a very unique way to work in schools, something that I can bring to supplement what the regular music teachers and the classroom teachers are doing.

I love exploring the science of sound and music and math, and how that's connected to all this stuff.

Up in the air.

(dulcimer strumming) On your box.

You see why we put 'em with the boxes?

Went through a lot of different rough versions of this.

So even though it's an instrument for kids, it's quality materials that are used.

But now probably the most important part, the slivers like to live right on the corner.

So I want you (sandpapers rasping) to sand the corner and the back.

I've been doing this project for 26 years now, and I estimate we've made at least 26,000 of these one-stringed dulcimers.

Kids, look, look.

There's a little gap right along the top.

What you're going to do is take your pen, I'm gonna borrow your pencil there, sorry.

And you're gonna make a little up and down mark, go (vocalizes).

I do not get bored with repeating lessons.

I find it's exciting to see the small differences between schools, and that just adds to the depth of those lessons that I do.

And I just feel really lucky to be in Minnesota where there's great support for artists.

Two, one, two, ready, go.

(dulcimers strumming) (playful music) Great job, you learn so fast.

- Oh, the students love it so much.

It's like their own instrument, and they take ownership in it because they have made the project.

This is one of those timeless projects.

High school kids will wander through the building for things, and they'll stop and they'll say, "I still have my dulcimer.

"I still play my dulcimer sometimes."

I think it would be great if everybody could create their own music at some point in their lives.

(dulcimers plucking) - What's important to me is that as many students as possible in the classroom have success.

And what's important about this project is I found that it doesn't matter if you're from a rural area, a suburban area, or an urban area.

This project works, and kids learn how to play it.

- The one-stringed dulcimer they build here seems like such a simple instrument.

It's just one string.

You know, you just kinda think it wouldn't take much, but the skill that's needed to be able to press one finger and pluck the string or know where your finger goes and how to create the best sound, it's a really more complex instrument than it initially appears.

- Start.

Change.

(dulcimers plucking) - [Allysa] It's such a wonderful relationship we've fostered over the years, and he has really grown to be such a loved person in our community.

- I won't ask my teacher.

- [Students] I won't ask my teacher.

- Or Mr. Sutter.

- [Students] Or Mr. Sutter.

- Where does the gap go?

- [Students] Where does the gap go?

- Because I know where the gap goes.

- [Students] Because I know where the gap goes.

- It goes in the goo.

♪ Doo doo ba doo doo doo ♪ - Now, you're getting it.

♪ Doo ba doo doo ♪ - They get to take it home at the end.

And a lot of 'em will say, even before Mr. Sutter came, like, "My sister, my brother has one at home," so they've been practicing on those.

And Mr. Sutter encourages them to bring in their sibling's dulcimers if they need a tuneup or anything, so that they could have a little family band at home.

(hammer rapping) (students chatting) (dulcimers strumming) ♪ La la la la la la la ♪ - On Friday, we will take our dulcimers in the morning and go down to our local care center and play for the residents there.

And then, in the afternoon, we'll perform for the elementary.

So they get up on stage in our auditorium, and they perform in front of the school, which is really exciting for them and scary for some of them too.

(dulcimers strumming) (relaxed music) - I love working with kids because this dulcimer project I do, I see them, every kid in the room succeeds.

And to see how excited they get about that music.

And I think that's the real core of what I'm trying to do when I'm in schools is I wanna connect with every kid if possible.

- In just one week, they go from not ever having touched this instrument to being able to play songs they know.

And that just increases their confidence in all different areas.

Music and art is an outlet for so many kids that otherwise wouldn't get to experience a way to express themselves.

You know, math and reading is not everybody's strong suit.

And so I think giving everybody a wide variety of choices, including the arts, is really, really essential.

- [Ross] Good, anybody have a particular story about the decoration on your box that you could tell?

- I have.

It's an album from Taylor Swift.

This says "Fearless."

- Lots of Taylor Swift going on in the classroom.

- Yeah, I had a football game today, so I did like big football.

- I'm still working on this side, but I kinda, I like the outdoors, so I was gonna put some coloring right here for a little outdoor scene.

- I think I would sit there for two hours and try and decide what I'm gonna put on the box.

Well, we better practice our "Bile 'em Cabbage Down."

Do you remember that one?

Ready, go?

♪ Dan dan dan dan deng deng ♪ (dulcimers plucking) 10 years into the project of making these dulcimers, someone said to me that, "Well, I'm not surprised "you're making one-stringed dulcimers "or an instrument like that.

"In Sweden, your great-grandfather played "a one-stringed instrument."

He played a particular instrument called the psalmodicon, which is a one-stringed instrument that was used in the churches before they had organs.

And when the fiddles had been basically banned from the churches, 'cause it was for dancing, he played the psalmodicon and used it to teach the hymns to people.

This is the instrument I was given when I was in Sweden this summer, and it is a psalmodicon.

And the people that gave it to me on Solleron that worked in the church there believed this might be the instrument that was played by my great-grandfather there.

The psalmodicon, instead of having a diatonic scale, it has a chromatic scale.

(psalmodicon plucking) You have all the sharps and flats.

So thereby, it's a more difficult instrument to play.

Now, to simplify it, they use what they call transition sticks.

And they put numbers on the stick.

These are very faint.

They're so faint, I can't even use them to play.

But you lay the stick on top and suddenly you have numbers that you can play.

(psalmodicon plucking) Now, this psalmodicon is very old.

We think it's probably at least 150 years old and needs a lot of repair, so I'm going to have some work done on it.

It has a beautiful old bow.

It doesn't have the horse hair on it right now, but to adjust it and tighten it, you don't have a screw system.

You just pull on the frog to tighten the horse hair, and then you hook it onto one of these little bumps here.

And that's how you keep the horse hair tight.

And then, you play the instrument like so.

You can also pluck it.

(soft music) When I think of my Swedish heritage and the music, I feel very authentic doing that music.

I like to think of it as it's a living tradition that even people who aren't of Swedish or Scandinavian heritage can enjoy.

(soft music continues) I'll play you a tune that's often played on psalmodicons.

I like to play it on the dulcimer because I can add a little bit of harmony at times too.

It's called "Day By Day."

(tender music) (tender music continues) (Ross humming) (tender music continues) (Ross humming continues) (tender music continues) ♪ Day by day and with each passing moment ♪ ♪ Strength I find to meet my trials here ♪ ♪ Trusting in my father's wise bestowment ♪ ♪ I've no cause for worry or for fear ♪ ♪ He whose heart is kind beyond all measure ♪ ♪ Gives unto each day what he deems best ♪ ♪ Lovingly, it's part of pain and pleasure ♪ ♪ Mingling toil with peace and rest ♪ (Ross humming) (leaves fluttering) (Ross humming continues) (tender music continues) (bright music) - I don't know that I ever really became an artist.

I've just always been one.

(bright music continues) I definitely was one of those kids that was always digging for the crayons and the markers and stuff like that.

So I don't know, I've just kind of always loved color and that type of vibe.

What can I do to make something prettier?

(bright music continues) (pottery wheel humming) Hey, ha ha ha, look at that pull.

Love that.

(bright music continues) Sometimes, I do stuff and I'm just amazed.

(laughing) (bright music continues) My very first time doing pottery, I was in fifth grade.

And my teacher had, my art teacher, had selected me for this like small group of students that she was gonna take up to the Paramount in St.

Cloud.

And I remember doing three different activities that day.

I can't tell you what the first one was, but one of 'em was like construction paper something, and the third one was throwing on the wheel.

And that was the last thing I did that day.

And I just remember sitting there and like being completely mesmerized by the fact that I could take this ball of dirt (buoyant music) and make it into this cute little bowl.

So like that was, I think, that was my first real spark of like, I really like this, you know?

(buoyant music continues) (buoyant music continues) And then, of course, as I got older, I had the opportunity to work with an elderly couple that had a shop downtown where the brewery is now.

I got to work with them for a little bit, and I had the opportunity to work with Bill Gossman and Craig Edwards.

And they were really cool to learn from.

And then, I just, like high school, I kinda dipped my toe in a little bit, but really it was exploring more media and seeing what I could do with like random junk really.

And I ended up going to college and specifically choosing a college that had a ceramics program, so that I could experiment and really push that.

So it's been five, six years now that I've been doing pottery consistently.

Look at that cotton candy swirl.

Um, that looks great!

(laughing) (delicate music) I really like to do mugs, which is kind of an odd thing for a ceramist.

But I personally really love mugs because, I don't know, there's just nothing better than that cup of coffee in the morning with that perfect little mug.

When you pick something up and it just kind of clicks with who you are, why wouldn't you wanna use it every day?

I don't know.

(chuckles) (delicate music continues) A lot of my mugs, the designs and the ideas come from experimenting just kind of with textures and different glaze combinations, but also from my travels.

'Cause I am one of those people that will pack up my car and leave without a real destination.

It stresses my parents out to no end actually that I'll just be like, "Oh, tomorrow I'm gonna go "to Michigan," pack up the car and leave with no, I don't know where I'm gonna stay.

I don't know what I'm gonna do.

I'm just going.

So my favorite design that I have right now is my sunset mugs, and those are inspired by a trip that I took up the eastern side of Lake Superior into Michigan a couple years ago.

Just with like the pine trees and the rocky beaches and all kinds of stuff like that.

So I just love bright colors and trying to make functional fine art, you know?

(chuckles) (delicate music continues) I love being an artist in New London.

Especially now, like I've said, the town has changed a lot in the last 10 years.

But nowadays, it's so nice to just have so much support.

There's been a couple of different stores that they find out who I am and what I do, and they're like, "Oh my gosh, I wanna have your stuff "in my store and we wanna sell it."

And it's so flattering, you know?

(chuckles) (cheerful music) Anytime that I feel like I'm getting burnt out from pottery or I'm just kind of feeling like I'm running out of ideas or, you know, whatever the vibe is, I really enjoy moving onto a different kind of media.

I like to experiment with macro photography, (cozy music) and I love being able to do like the little embroidery cloths that I do.

Those are a big wintertime activity for me.

Just 'cause, again, I remember sitting on the couch with gran just picking away.

And she's sitting next to me going, "Ah, your stitches are too big."

(chuckling) So that's a big thing for me.

And of course my Grandma Ruthie was a painter, and she had lots of watercolor work and just all kinds of stuff that I really feel like I am hanging out with her when I've got a chance to do that, which, ironically, today is the four-year anniversary of her pass.

So it feels kind of kismet (chuckles) that, you know, the last thing I promised her was that I'd continue to do my artwork and here we are.

I like having conversations with some of the little old ladies that come up and look at my stuff and coo over it 'cause, "Oh, well, we used to do this "when I was a kid."

And art has gotten me through a lot of stuff.

I was never a popular kid.

I dealt with a lot of bullying and self-doubt and depression and all kinds of stuff from a very young age.

I think I was probably 10, 11 when I remember that stuff.

And so diving into art and finding different ways to express myself was a huge part of growing up.

I don't know, I just, I didn't really go out and hang out with people.

I just kind of made pretty things.

And that was the world I lived in to the point where like my senior year, I set up my schedule, so that I had study hall, study hall, art, art.

So it was literally just four hours that I would go sit in the art room in the morning for days on end.

And that was where I stayed.

(optimistic music) Now, I've realized that even if I don't do anything fantastic or major in my life, I've still made something pretty that changed somebody else's life.

'Cause I've got a mug or two upstairs that were made for me by a couple of really important people, and I hold those and they make me just lighter inside.

And they remind me of the heart and soul of the person that made it.

And just the little ways that you can make other people's lives better.

(optimistic music continues) (exalted music) - I have quite this collection of shoes.

I go through a lot of shoes, so Adidas hooks it up pretty well with shoes, which is nice.

(skateboard rasping) (intense music) (skateboard clattering) (skateboard clattering) (footsteps thudding) (intense music continues) (skateboard clanking and thudding) (crowd cheering and applauding) Rails are probably my favorite thing to skate 'cause it's just so fun.

Like you have to wax it a lot of times, you know?

But then, once you wax it, it grinds so good and you're just like, I mean, sometimes you almost go faster once you get on the rail.

Like you gain speed.

Because when your tracks are on the rails, it's like (vocalizes), it makes that noise.

Just feels good, you know?

Like this thing's little, but it's long, so it's fun.

I'm like, look how fun this is.

(skateboard rasping) (skateboard clanging and thudding) ♪ Ooh ooh, baby, you're the one ♪ (Alec crashing and grunting) - Oh!

You good, bro?

- You good?

(footsteps plodding) - [Person] You all right?

- I've been hurt a lot.

(peculiar music) I've had four really bad concussions, two knee surgeries, four ankle surgeries.

I've broken my wrist three times, this one twice.

I've broken my foot many times.

I just get hurt all the time.

(peculiar music continues) Yeah, as a little kid, it doesn't hurt as much, you know?

As you get older, you weigh more and you have all this arthritis and breaking bones and stuff hurts a little more.

This is kinda like my little workout zone, I guess.

This thing, Power Plate, this thing's awesome.

(Power Plate vibrating) It like loosens everything all up, you know?

So I like do stretches on it and stuff when I'm really sore, and you can just like feel it making your blood flow.

(Power Plate vibrating continues) That's the good stuff.

(laid-back music) Kind of a little recovery zone.

(footsteps scraping) I made this ice bath just with a chest freezer.

Just siliconed the edges, fill it up with water.

(laid-back music continues) (finger tapping) But I like to get really cold.

And then, the sauna.

(freezer slams) This is a great recovery tool.

I use this thing every single day.

Loosen up the muscles, sweat a bunch, good for the body.

(laid-back music continues) I feel like skating is just a way of life where you're constantly looking at the world.

I'll be driving and I'll like see something.

I'm like, "Oh!"

And I'll just like, "Oh, I gotta turn around "and go look at that," you know?

And so I'll whip around real quick and go look at it.

And then, maybe there's like a big crack and I'm like, "Ah, this spot sucks."

You can't skate it, you know?

But at least I looked, you know?

And sometimes, you'll find a spot where you're like, "Oh, this is awesome."

And then, you hit up a filmer and a photographer and go back next weekend.

(laid-back music continues) As a pro skater, we have to film these video parts.

It's like a video to show you're skating, you know?

It's usually about three minutes long.

It's usually you pick a song, it's like your favorite song, you know?

And you want the video to last as long as the song and to have some good B-roll in there to show some personality and just all your favorite tricks that you like to do.

(laid-back music continues) (enthralling music) (enthralling music continues) - [Narrator] "Postcards" is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Citizens of Minnesota.

Additional support provided by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

Mark and Margaret Yackel-Juleen on behalf of Shalom Hill Farms, a retreat and conference center in a prairie setting near Windom, Minnesota, on the web at shalomhillfarm.org.

Alexandria, Minnesota, a year-round destination with hundreds of lakes, trails, and attractions for memorable vacations and events.

More information at explorealex.com.

A better future starts now.

West Central Initiative empowers communities with resources, funding, and support for a thriving region, more at wcif.org.

(calm ambient music)