By Debbie Adams
If you think the music of the Native American flute is one of the most beautiful sounds on earth
and you would love to learn to play it yourself, it’s your lucky day.
Steve “Cheveyo” Garay is teaching a class in Native American style flute playing all five
Mondays in November at the Vinton Community Center. Classes run from 6 to 7 p.m. on
November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30. The cost is $125, which includes a flute, a workbook, five classes
with a great teacher, visits from local flute players, and the camaraderie of taking the class with
those who share your enthusiasm for the music. The class is limited to 25 members. Registration
is due by October 1, along with a deposit of half the tuition to reserve your spot.
flute in Vinton in November. (photo by Debbie Adams)
The Native American flute is considered one of the easier instruments to learn, as it produces
beautiful sounds even for beginners. The sound has been described as peaceful, soulful,
enchanting, meditative, and calming. Some say those sounds can be relaxing and stress-relieving,
as well, and even improve your health.
The Native American style flute is made simply with five or six holes generally and played
vertically, not to the side like band flutes. The fingerings are not complex. All ages can learn to
play the instrument. Garay says anyone of any age, even with no musical aptitude, can derive
instant pleasure from picking up a Native American style flute and playing.
Garay is well-known in the Vinton area and at the Community Center where he also teaches Tai
Chi and Tai Chi Cane Defense. He is celebrating 25 years as the pastor at Oakview Church of
God. He is now retired from Keltech, which has given him time to explore his many other
interests—one of which is making and playing the Native American style flute. He also is, or has
been, a storyteller, a columnist, and co-director (with this wife Audrey) of the Roanoke Valley
Christian Writers group. She has written and published two books. Together they published a
Christian anthology last year.
In addition, he is a leather craftsman and founder of Cheveyo LeatherWorks and spends many
weekends at craft shows, fairs, and festivals selling his creations. He draws the crowd in by
playing his flute, which tends to resonate and echo through the venue and sends them searching
for the source.
He has played his flutes in many different locations for delighted, and even mesmerized
audiences, including at the Bristol Caverns (you can hear him on Facebook). Garay loves the
music so much himself that he plays virtually anywhere on demand, any place people are
gathered. He carries a small flute with him most of the time. He especially enjoys just sitting on
his porch playing his favorite tunes, “Amazing Grace” and “Heartsong.”
He has a busy September planned, appearing at the Draper Mercantile, the Floyd County Fair,
the Bedford Center Fair, and the Honey Festival. He was invited to a festival in Ohio which he
had to decline because he was already booked. He has set up shop at the Peaks of Otter Artisans
Gallery and the Floyd Living Traditions Festival.
Hearing the oral history of his Native American ancestry throughout his childhood, Garay was
able to confirm it through DNA documentation. Both his maternal and paternal ancestors were
Native Americans. In a tribal naming ceremony, Garay was given the name of “Cheveyo,” the
Hopi word for “Spirit Warrior.” He plays the Native American style flute to honor his roots.
He is accumulating a collection of flutes including those made from wood, epoxy, PVC pipe,
bamboo, and 3D printer-created drone flutes. For Christmas, his requested gift from his wife was
a Walking Staff flute, 55 inches in length.
wood, epoxy, PVC pipe, and one from a 3D printer.
Christmas (photos courtesy of Steve Garay)
The next venture he has in mind—after numerous requests—is producing CD’s of his flute
music.
He also dreams of establishing a flute circle in Vinton.
Garay has added a new craft to his sales tables. After a lifelong interest in pyrography—he is
now creating wood-burnings (on wood and linen paper) of local iconic sights, including covered
bridges, old barns, an antique truck, and various animals and scenes from nature. He was riding
on a motorcycle one day and stopped to take a photo of an old barn and turned it into a
woodburning, much in demand.
To register for the class, visit https://cheveyoleatherworks.net/events, call Garay at 540-797-
1256 or email him at [email protected].
