Page 7 - Arts for Youth - Tragler and Hardin

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Magazine
December 20157
also something about being able to convey
powerful emotional feelings without a word
being said.”
Both of them say that THS teacher
Bandy Brownlee has been a vital musical
influence.
Bluegrass and Madrigals captivate Tragler and Hardin
Mothers are a powerful and universal
force, as Ashley Tragler and Caleb Hardin can
attest. Ashley and Caleb are the King and
Queen of the Tennessee High School Madrigals and members of the THS bluegrass band
Slim Pickins.
Ashley says her mom is her biggest
musical influence, “She has always encouraged me to chase my dream and never give
up.” Caleb says he wouldn’t have even been
involved in music but for his mom.
“Both of my parents have been in gospel quartets throughout the years, so I had
exposure to Southern music at a young age.
Growing up, every time I had shown interest
in choir or band, my friends would give me
a hard time about it. So I wasn’t involved in
music until freshman year when my mom
put me in choir without my knowledge, and
that’s where I really got started,” he says.
While Caleb needed a nudge from his
mom, Ashley jumped in. “When I was little,
I would stand up in my chair at a restaurant
and sing at the top of my lungs. Ever since
then I have been in my church choir and
once I got to high school I joined several
bands.”
Both of them play guitar, and Caleb also
plays banjo and drums. They were both part
of Slim Pickins when the group performed on
PBS’s Song of the Mountains. They also perform together for tips at Mad Greek, Bristol,
Tenn., on Saturday nights. Ashley has been
chosen for the Tennessee All-East and AllState choirs and was awarded “Most Talented
Girl” at her school. Caleb was chosen “Most
Talented Senior Male.”
Their latest honor was being chosen as
Madrigal King and Queen. “I was very honored to be chosen as Madrigal Queen,” Ashley
says. “The moment of voting had been
something that I was looking forward to ever
since the beginning of my freshman year. I
never dreamed that I would be chosen and
that is a very huge honor.”
Caleb was surprised as well, “Honestly,
I didn’t expect to win at all. There are many
other guys who I feel sing a lot better than
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myself and I voted for them as King. It’s a
huge honor to be chosen, though. I’m very
thankful for the support from the rest of my
classmates I’ve received,” he says.
Ashley says “Music means everything to
me. It is my heart and soul and makes everything better. Music speaks to me in a way
that is indescribable. Whenever I perform,
music is the only thing that makes me feel
confident in myself. I want to pursue music
and make it not only my hobby, but my life.”
She has been accepted to attend Belmont
University next fall. She plans to continue
to pursue her music and become a music
therapist.
Caleb has been accepted to the Honors
Audio Production course at Middle Tennessee State University and hopes to work for a
studio in Nashville.
Caleb says that music to him “is more
spiritual than anything else. There’s nothing
else that can describe the feeling of looking
out on a crowd who have become emotionally attached to me and my music. There’s
Ashley Tragler and Caleb Hardin
“Mr. Brownlee, our director, has influenced me more than anyone else,” Caleb
says. “He took an interest in me that nobody
else had and pushed me to pursue my musical dreams. He took me, terrible guitar
player who’d never played in front of anyone,
and worked with me on bettering myself until
I was ready to play in front of crowds of hundreds. I wouldn’t be who I am today without
him, and I’m endlessly grateful for that.”
Brownlee says of Ashley and Caleb,
“There’s no way to overstate the impact that
Ashley and Caleb have on our Choral Music
Department. These two live, eat and breathe
singing and playing instruments.”
Ashley is 17 and is the daughter of Julie
and John West. She attends Tennessee High
School. Her hobbies include singing, playing
guitar, participating in church activities, performing, volunteering and writing songs.
Caleb is 18 years old and attends Tennessee High. His parents are Travis Hardin
and Paige Williams. He enjoys recording and
playing music, hanging out with friends and
working.