Spring 2014 (Volume 2, Issue 2)

QUARTERLY NOTES
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 • SPRING NEWSLETTER 2014
MUSIC
NOTES
FROM
MARIE
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask
creative people how they
did something, they feel a
little guilty because they
didn’t really do it, they
just saw something. It
seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s
because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.
And the reason they were able to do that was
that they have had more experiences or they
have thought more about their experiences
than other people.”
—Steven Jobs, Founder of Apple, Inc.
At Music Doing Good, we are connecting the
notes. Musical experiences have a deep impact
on young people. Not only does music engage
the right and left sides of the brain simultaneously, but it creates an emotional connection. Once these connections are made, they
are hard to break—they even manifest physically as neuropathways in the brain. And the
more musical experiences we have, the more it
becomes a staple of our life experience.
Music creates connections between individuals, organizations, and even within ourselves,
in the same way that connections are made
between musicians who are creating music. I
believe that every child must have access to
music. Music is an essential part of a child’s
education, not a luxury. Help me ensure that
we continue to connect the notes that connect
us as human beings!
THE ART OF THE SONGWRITER
(left to right) Singer/songwriters Aaron Kaufman, Sarah Golden, Tricia Fox and Ray Younkin perform on
stage at the Ensemble Theater for The Art of the Songwriter.
On March 1st, young professionals, friends and music lovers united for a special evening of
storytelling and songwriting to benefit Houston Area Women’s Center. Music Doing Good
artists Tricia Fox, Aaron Kaufman and Ray Younkin were joined by special guests, guitarist
Wayne Wilkerson and former contestant on season 2 of “The Voice,” Sarah Golden.
The mission of Houston Area Women’s Center (HAWC) is to help individuals affected
by domestic and sexual violence in efforts to move their lives forward. The organization
provides shelter, counseling and advocacy to support them in building lives free from the
effects of violence. HAWC seeks social
change to end domestic and sexual violence through community awareness
and education. Their services are confidential and available to everyone.
Music Doing Good is proud to support
the great work of HAWC through music!
Making connections is often the cornerstone of recovery, as seen through our
outreach programs on a daily basis.
Houston Area Women’s Center President Rebecca
White with Music Doing Good Founder, Marie Bosarge,
and Tara Black, VP of Development for HAWC.
WHICH COMES FIRST?
THE MUSIC OR THE LYRICS?
Tricia Fox and Aaron Kaufman work with girls
at a juvenile detention center to write lyrics.
“The most important
idea to impart at the
beginning is that
there is no right or
wrong. Everyone who
writes a song does
so in his or her own
unique way.”
Have you ever wondered how a song gets written?
We asked our resident songwriter and program
director for Music Doing Good with Lyrics, Tricia
Fox, how she works with participants of the
program who are writing songs for the first time.
“The most important idea to impart at the beginning
is that there is no right or wrong. Everyone who
writes a song does so in his or her own unique way.
So it’s important that I hold a safe place for them
to create and that all options are open to them,”
explains Tricia. Since many of the children and
teens with whom Tricia works to write songs are in
crisis, she encourages them to use songwriting as a
mechanism for coping with these situations.
A teen boy at a juvenile detention center
The next step is to decide the subject matter of
practices his song prior to recording.
the song. Some participants know right away what
they want to write about—others require a bit of brainstorming. Tricia has a binder full of
tools to help in decision making. One of her favorite tools is asking the kids to write a love
letter to a mistake they made. The exercise is directed at removing any judgment of past
experiences and establishing compassion for oneself. Tricia also encourages participants
to write a letter to a family member or historical figure. She suggests writing from different
perspectives as well. When she sees something resonate with a child, she encourages
them to focus in that direction.
Then it is time to determine how the song will sound. Listening to familiar music and
previously recorded tracks helps participants to choose a style or genre of music. This is
a teachable moment as kids begin to understand the structure of
the music such as the bridge and the chorus. Once the structure is
determined, it’s time to create! Tricia works with the kids to practice
and polish their song until it’s time to record.
When anyone is creating, it must be safe for them to make mistakes. Participants are encouraged not to second guess themselves.
Mistakes are very valuable to the creative process.
At the end of the process, Tricia holds a listening party so the writers
are able to hear each others’ songs. When asked about their reactions,
Tricia says, “Often they are in disbelief that they actually wrote a
song. Most are proud of themselves, while others have broken down
into tears when their song deals with serious subject matter.”
Feedback from the participants, counselors and others who interact with these children has been overwhelmingly positive. Girls in a
juvenile detention center have Tricia’s photo on a wall that displays
their family tree. They also requested rhyming dictionaries so that
they could continue writing songs on their own. One of the participants in a recovery program said that he was able to process
his emotions through songwriting and his counselor conveyed that
songwriting has expanded his openness to communicate in therapy.
So the process for writing a song is different for everyone. But
the purpose, passion and the outcomes have many universal
commonalities…just as we do as people.
Tricia writes songs with children at Boys and Girls
Country, a facility for families in crisis.
MUSIC DOING GOOD IN
SCHOOLS FOSTERS TALENT!
On March 28th, 14 participants from Music Doing Good in Schools gathered at our
founder’s home and raised the roof with their talent and enthusiasm. The performers
consisted of current participants as well as alumni from past seasons. Friends and
supporters gathered to learn more about this powerful program through the voices of
the children who experience and benefit from it. At the end of the evening, attendees
donated $38,000 to continue giving these children the invaluable gift of music and an
experience they will always remember!
Program Director Aisha Ussery with the children from Music Doing Good in Schools.
Mushahid Khan and Founder, Marie Bosarge
Kimberly and Michael Cutchall
Ron Stone and Jane Vandiver
John Reger, Anna Arispe and Fred Schiller
Trish and Rock Morille
L to R: Former Mayor Bill White, Ron Woliver, board
members Ed Jensen, Joe Siff and Carrie Woliver
Selvin O’Keef Jarmin, Zoe Jackson-Jarra and
Rashad Sanders
MEET THE NEW ONES TO WATCH!
Let us introduce you to some of these talented young
musicians and the recipients of the Music Doing Good
through Scholarships outreach program!
AND THE WINNER IS….
First prize winner of the Conservatory Award
is Clear Lake High School senior and pianist,
Patrick Pan. You might also remember him as
our second place High School Piano recipient
from last year. In 2013 Patrick received the title
of “Houston Young Artist” in piano, won at the
Bösendorfer-Yamaha (Third Place), Dubois (First
Place, February 2013), and McKinney (Grand Prize,
April 2013) International Piano Competitions. He
performed a piano concerto with the Houston
Symphony at its Centennial Season Concert in
July 2013. NPR’s “From the Top” invited Patrick
to perform piano recitals at its concert in Ohio in
September 2013. He is also an avid violinist and
founder and first violin of the Clear Lake String
Quartet. Patrick certainly made the most of his
scholarship, time and talent last year, and we look
forward to following the career of this gifted and
ambitious young man.
CONSERVATORY AWARD
Charles Seo, graduating senior at High School
for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA)
and outstanding cellist, has won second place
Conservatory Award for 2014-2015. He was also
a Music Doing Good scholarship recipient from
last year. Born in Korea, he began playing cello
after his family immigrated to the US. Patrick’s
Korean name, Chanyoung, literally translates to,
“Praise the Lord with music!” This year, he has
already become a finalist for the National Young
Arts Foundation, a Presidential Scholars Program
Candidate and played as a Houston Symphony
League Gold Medalist with the Houston
Symphony at Jones Hall in April. He received a
first place award at Schmidbauer International
Young Artists Competition and performed with
the Dallas Symphony in 2013. Charles has both
devoted passion and outstanding skills to take his
career all the way to the top!
Our third place Conservatory Award for violin
goes to Puerto Rican-born, Gabriel Maffuz-Anker,
senior at HSPVA. He has participated in the Texas
Region and All-State Orchestras throughout
middle and high school and currently serves as
concertmaster for the HSPVA Symphony and
Chamber Orchestras. Winner of the Houston
Youth and Houston Civic Symphonies, Gabriel
recently performed solos with both orchestras at respective Concerto Competitions. In
the summer of 2013, he attended the Madeline
Island Chamber Music Festival in Minneapolis,
MN and Le Domaine Forget Academie in Quebec
City, Canada, and has been invited to the Aspen
Music Festival this summer. Gabriel is definitely a
young musician to watch!
A junior at HSPVA, bassoonist Haley Packer is the
First Prize recipient of the High School Woodwinds
scholarship award. Originally self-taught, she
expanded her skills at HSPVA as well as through
private lessons. Haley has performed with Houston
Youth Symphony Orchestra, at the American
Festival of the Arts, in HSPVA’s Orchestra and
Symphonic Band, in Woodwind Ensembles and
with Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra. She also
has competed very successfully for several years
in the UIL Solo and Ensemble competitions. Last
year, Haley performed with the Irish Tenors at the
Arena Theater in Houston. This summer she plans
to attend a conservatory program and wants to
pursue a career as a professional bassoonist.
Flutist Taylor Fontenot is the second prize High
School Woodwinds recipient who has accomplished much in her young career. She has consistently worked with a private instructor since
the third grade. Now attending HSPVA, Taylor has
participated in the Houston Independent School
District (HISD) All-City Elementary Honor Band,
serving as first chair flute among 45 other flutists. She recently performed “Image” by Eugene
Bozza from memory at the Houston Flute Fest
and received the top rating in her division. Taylor
also uses her musical talent to serve the community, playing at churches, assisted living facilities
and nursing homes. Music Doing Good is proud of
Taylor for using her music to “do good!”
At age six, Zachary Kee, who was awarded with
First Place High School Strings scholarship, was
introduced to the viola by his kindergarten music
teacher. By third grade, he was studying with a
private teacher. He developed excellent skills
and played with staunch diligence, but Zachary
also understood the importance of being in
service to the community through music. For the
last five years, he has actively played for local
churches, retirement communities and for “Life
Care Centers of America” in Houston. Zachary
enjoys classical music and studies very hard, but
his second favorite composer of music, behind
Beethoven, is legendary rock band, Led Zepplin.
He can play “Kashmir” for us any time!
Winner of the First Prize Jazz scholarship is
drummer Jerome Gillespie, a sophomore at
HSPVA. He recognized that music was his passion
at age four and began taking private lessons at
age five. Jerome has attended the Jazz Workshop
in Houston and is a member of Houston Young
Sounds Jazz Band. He was recently awarded first
chair for the All Region Jazz Band and second
chair for the All-State Band. Jerome is eager to
work with great Jazz musicians who are willing to
nurture young talent like his. It is his constant goal
to develop his skills and make a name for himself
in the world of Jazz.
We are so proud of all of our scholarship recipients.
You can learn more about the rest of the budding
musicians in the next issue of Quarterly Notes!
Music Doing Good through Scholarships
is proud to announce the winners of the
2014–2015 Scholarships!
First Prize, Patrick Pan (piano)
Second Prize, Charles Seo (cello)
Third Prize, Gabriel Maffuz-Anker (violin)
HIGH SCHOOL WOODWINDS
First Prize, Haley Packer (bassoon)
Second Prize, Taylor Fontenot (flute)
HIGH SCHOOL STRINGS
First Prize, Zachary Kee (viola)
JAZZ
First Prize, Jerome Gillespie (drums)
Second Prize, Alex Wheeler (drums)
VOCAL
First Prize, Sean Holshouser (baritone)
HIGH SCHOOL PIANO
First Prize, Sophia Wong
Second Prize, Nathaniel Zhang
MIDDLE SCHOOL
First Prize, Vi Nguyen (piano)
MUSIC DOING GOOD
SERVICE AWARD
Katerina Sawyer (saxophone)
MUSIC DOING GOOD
AMBASSADOR AWARDS
Chris Clark (trombone)
Noah Alden Hardaway (piano)
Adam Sadberry (flute)
Michelle Zhang (guzheng)
MUSIC DOING GOOD
PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Francis Ramas (viola)
MUSIC DOING GOOD
ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD
Alexandra Eckford (voice)
Maria Ramos (clarinet)
This year, Music Doing Good put a panel of
judges together from outside our organization. They include Wayne Brooks (Principal
Viola of The Houston Symphony), Judy Dines
(Second Flute of The Houston Symphony),
Alecia Lawyer (Artistic Director of River Oaks
Chamber Orchestra), Bobby Lyle (Jazz pianist
and organist) and Carrie Woliver (Music Doing
Good Board of Directors). Thanks to everyone
who applied and assisted in the process of
recognizing the next generation of talented
young artists!
WHAT’S ON OUR PLAYLIST?
In this newsletter, we explore the connectivity that we experience through music.
Rather than connecting dots, we are connecting notes and people. In preparation
for the Music Doing Good in Schools performance, “Mostly Blues,” our staff curated
this list of favorite blues tunes to get you in
the mood. To listen to the complete list, visit
http://tinyurl.com/mc77ok6 or use the QR
code below.
SPOTLIGHT ON KENNETH GAYLE
It is often the unexpected that resonates with us the
most. Experiences that take us outside our comfort
zone and allow us to see something from a different
perspective can often leave the most lasting impact.
Music Doing Good’s Kenneth Gayle experienced this
in college when his life took an unexpected turn
towards the world of music. And he has incorporated
it into his work, connecting with audiences through
shared musical experiences.
As a boy, Kenneth gravitated toward music—he took
piano lessons and sang frequently, and despite a lack
of vocal training, he joined the Northwest Boychoir at
age 13. However, by the time he reached high school,
sports and other activities became priorities, and music took a back seat.
2014 VOL. 2 PLAYLIST
THE BLUES
Aaron Kaufman
“Time Makes Two”
Robert Cray
Kenneth Gayle
“The Thrill Is Gone”
BB King
Aisha Ussery
“Last Two Dollars”
Johnnie Taylor
Kirsten Johnson
“I Drink Alone”
George Thorogood
Anita Kruse
“I Can’t Make You
Love Me”
Bonnie Raitt
Marie Bosarge
“Fine and Mellow”
Billie Holiday
David LaDuca
“Blues For Mama”
Nina Simone
Helen McDonald
“Mercedes Benz”
Janis Joplin
Phillip Hall
“Down Home Blues”
ZZ Hill
Ray Younkin
“Crossroads”
Robert Johnson
Jan Klein
“At Last”
Etta James
Rodney Waters
“Got My Mojo
Workin’”
Muddy Waters
John Carr
“Little Wing”
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Tricia Fox
“Rather Go Blind”
Etta James
Julie Lambert
“Stormy Monday”
Eric Clapton
While attending the University of Washington, Kenneth was a pre-engineering major,
but auditioned for voice lessons anyway. After a semester, Kenneth’s teacher announced
he was moving to West Virginia University and suggested Kenneth come with him to
pursue opera. And he did.
After graduation, Kenneth moved back to Seattle where he joined the Seattle Opera
Chorus and studied under Julian Patrick after being awarded a scholarship from the
Seattle Opera Guild. He subsequently auditioned for and was accepted into the Lyric
Opera Center for American Artists, an apprenticeship and Artist Training Program for
Lyric Opera of Chicago. Kenneth honed his craft in Chicago with coaches, conductors
and the likes of composer Ricky Ian Gordon, eventually leading to an audition for Three
Mo’ Tenors.
Following the success of their PBS special, the Three Mo’ Tenors became a nationwide
hit. The show was looking for understudies and after an extensive audition process,
Kenneth was cast. The performance was a showcase for African American tenors, and
his first experience with a multi-genre presentation around a central theme.
Kenneth toured with the show for three years experiencing first hand how deeply music
can connect us, which has shaped how he conceptualizes shows as creative director for
Music Doing Good in Concerts.
With a diverse group of performers, from jazz and R&B to classical to singer/songwriter
to opera, Kenneth highlights the strength and style of each artist. In addition to weaving
together multiple genres and performers, Kenneth chooses specific quotes and writings
to guide audiences through the nuances and shades of a central theme. The connections
may often be new and unexpected while organically building up to an ensemble finale.
These explorations create learning moments for the artists and allow audiences to connect with a concept they may not have explored before, since music will always have a
way to connect with an audience where they are.
To see Kenneth’s connective ability in action, be sure to attend “The Inner Marilyn,” on
Friday, May 30th at the Jung Center of Houston. The concert is presented in conjunction
with “The Inner Marilyn” exhibit, and explores Marilyn Monroe’s story and legacy. Tickets
are available by calling 713.524.8253 or by visiting junghouston.org.
Do you have an instrument you are not using? What if you could
see that instrument in the hands of a child? Find out how you
can help those in need with your gently used instruments below:
musicdoinggood.org/instruments
[email protected]
281.768.4900
NONPROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PA I D
HOUSTON, TX
PERMIT NO 2454
4203 Yoakum Boulevard
Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77006
SAVE THE DATE
The Inner Marilyn Exhibit
Opening Event
May 3, 2014
Exhibit Runs
May 2 – June 10, 2014
The Inner Marilyn: A Musical Celebration
May 30, 7:30 pm
QUARTERLY NOTES
CALENDAR
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 • SPRING NEWSLETTER 2014
MOSTLY BLUES
THE INNER MARILYN
FRIDAY, MAY 16
FRIDAY, MAY 30
7:30 p.m.
The Hobby Center, Zilkha Hall
800 Bagby, 77002
7:30 pm
Music Doing Good in Schools Concert
Tickets are $20 for adults and
$10 for children under 12.
Purchase at thehobbycenter.org or
by calling the box office at 713.315.2525.
Concert and Exhibition benefiting The Jung Center of Houston
Exhibit Opening Reception: Saturday, May 3rd, 5–8 pm
The Jung Center of Houston
5200 Montrose, 77006
Tickets for the concert are $20 and can be purchased at
junghouston.org or by calling 713.524.8253.