Community Corner
Extraordinary Rockwood Student Earns Top Spot in Guitar Competition
Neil Shukla, 16, placed third in Mid-America Guitar competition and plays simply for the love of music.
When a letter to Santa didn’t produce a guitar for Christmas, 6-year-old Neil Shukla went over Santa’s head.
He complained heartily to his parents, Harry and Connie Shukla. They soon realized Santa had made a huge mistake. The bearded-one promptly called with an apology and the promise of a guitar. Soon after, a guitar arrived.
“Neil started playing and never looked back,” his mother said.
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Fast forward 10 years and Shukla’s passion for the guitar hasn't waned.
The Marquette High School junior recently garnered third place in the Mid-America Guitar Competition. The event was held in New Haven, MO, and is part of an annual guitar camp drawing guitarists nationwide.
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“I wasn’t too nervous at the competition and it was a good experience,” Shukla, 16, said. It was his second appearance at the weeklong event.
Public performances are commonplace now for Shukla. He is a soloist with St. Louis Academy for Guitar and plays with St. Louis Bella Corda, a guitar ensemble group.
As a sophomore, he competed in Marquette’s Battle of the Bands playing jazz classic Take Five by Dave Brubeck. He is a member of his school’s jazz band and plays the tuba and baritone in the symphonic band.
For the past four years, Shukla has used his musical talent at Bethesda Nursing Home, volunteering twice a week.
“I help the patients to religious services and after services, I play. They seem to enjoy it,” Sukla said.
He said he likes helping others and is most proud of raising $1,000 in the MS-150—a fund-raising event held in Columbia, MO for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“My dad had entered the event but couldn’t finish so I filled in for him,” Shukla said. He was 11 years old and rode his bicycle nearly 100 miles raising money for each mile completed.
The teen said he was beginning to think about his future and colleges in the St. Louis area, including Saint Louis University and Washington University.
“It would be great to go into music as a career,” he said. “But it is a difficult field, and hard to earn a good living, so I’m considering careers in finance or general medicine. I’d like to be a family doctor.
"If I don’t make money as a guitarist, I won’t care. I’ll still play for the music,” Shukla said.