Joy of Music School

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Category Archives: Joy of Music School Kids

The young people who study music at the School have a lot going on!


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Summer in Beantown

Chloe and Caleb are twins, aged 17. She’s a drummer. He plays bass. They are the first JoMS kids to attend the Berklee College of Music’s Five-Week Summer Experience, an international gathering of young people to make music and develop talent in Boston. The pair auditioned via video, and were awarded tuition scholarships totaling $11,000. Room, board, and travel were covered jointly by the Youth Endowment Fund of the East Tennessee Foundation, and JoMS donors. Chloe texted, “I am in three rock ensembles where I learn songs over the five weeks for our final performances. I have become close friends with another drummer from California and we have been exploring Boston in our free time.”

She and her brother weren’t the only JoMS students trekking 925 miles from Knoxville to Boston this summer. Tevan, 18, a bass-trombonist, was accepted to the John Philip Sousa National High School Honors Band after a nationwide competitive audition. The band performed in Boston’s Faneuil Hall, and was conducted by Col. Jason Fettig, director of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band. “Colonel Fettig was amazing – the best experience with a conductor I’ve had,” reports Tevan. “Boston is a beautiful city and has so much historical importance. The acoustics in Faneuil Hall were amazing!” Again, the Youth Endowment Fund and JoMS donors picked up all fees, travel and lodging for Tevan.

We are so proud of everyone, including the East Tennessee Foundation, and our donors—but especially these kids.

 

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The Joy of Performing

Some say Bonnaroo is the pinnacle of musical excitement in these parts. For others it’s the Rossini Festival. Or Big Ears. Or the Pride of the Southland Marching Band.

For one group of kids and their loved ones, it’s hard to beat the thrill of our annual recital.

Come see (and hear) for yourself on Saturday, May 5 at the Scottish Rite Temple in Knoxville. It runs from 2-4 p.m. Pop in for a little or a lot!

Around 65 Joy of Music School students will get up and perform, says Director of Music Education Julie Carter. They’ll be singing and playing practically any instrument you can imagine: piano, guitar, ukulele, violin, cello, saxophone, and more.

This is their big moment to shine. And for attendees, it’s a perfect opportunity to see how much good our School is accomplishing.

Plus! There’s a reception immediately following the recital, with delicious BBQ generously donated (and lovingly prepared) by Renee Sunday and her brother, David Beard.

The Scottish Rite Temple is at 612 16th Street. There’s ample free parking behind it. Turn onto White Ave. and follow the signs to the UT parking garage.

 

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Band of Brothers

Joseph and Jacob

Joseph and Jacob are brothers who perform together, and they do all those things brothers do. “There’s a lot of arguing, a lot of sidetracking,” Joseph says with a laugh. “Whenever we have a deadline, it’s always last-minute. It’s a little crazy.”

But when show time comes, you’d never guess it. They’re poised and polished. This spring they helped kick off the celebrated Big Ears music festival by performing at the opening ceremony. You can see them firsthand at our recital on May 5 at the Scottish Rite Temple.

The Joy of Music School has been lucky to have them both as students for years. Joseph, now 17 and a senior at Bearden High School, started with piano lessons in second grade. Jacob, 16 and a home-schooled sophomore, began a year later with guitar lessons.

These days Joseph mainly sings. His mother, Dawn, remembers how Joseph tip-toed into his early voice lessons. “He was OK with it as long as he didn’t have to sing in public. It’s kind of ironic at this point. He lives for it now.”

When they’re playing together, Jacob typically sings backup and accompanies his brother on guitar. Or ukulele, or mandolin, or banjo. These days he’s comfortable on just about anything with strings. “Most parents use cell phones as leverage,” says Dawn, “but for me it’s guitars. He knows he’s not allowed to do his homework in his room, because he’ll just pick up one of his guitars…”

The brothers enjoy many musical styles, from show tunes to pop to Southern country gospel. Lately Jacob’s been writing some of his own songs. So what’ll they be playing together at this year’s recital? That’s a “government-security- level secret,” says Joseph.

Is that code for “we’re arguing over what to play”? No, no. They’re just planning it as a surprise for their JoMS instructor, Ashley Costerisan.

 

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A Grand Use for One of Our Pianos

“Excuse me, what did you say?” asked a wide-eyed Jane Tolhurst. She had approached our executive director to begin what she assumed would be a long and potentially expensive hunt for a piano to place in the lobby of Maryville’s non-profit Blount Memorial Hospital.

“I said, ‘Would you like a piano?’ ” responded Frank Graffeo. “I have one I need to store for an indefinite length of time.”

The answer was a resounding “Yes!” and now a piano belonging to the Joy of Music School has a happy home at Blount Memorial, where volunteer pianists regularly play to lighten the mood of patients and visitors.

The idea for the piano at the hospital dates to last summer, when Blount Memorial board member Carolyn Forster thought it up. She and Connie Huffman, assistant administrator and director of the Blount Memorial Hospital Foundation, approached Jane Tolhurst, who has been involved for many years with musical programming, planning and fundraising in the community. When Jane later found herself talking with Frank, the idea got legs.

Donors often give us pianos, some of which we lend to families of our students when it’s practical. But this one, previously on loan to the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, was a grand piano. School policy dictates we can only use grand pianos in our building or in a public setting.

A generous donor from the Blount community stepped forward to start a fund to pay for the piano’s needs during its stay, so just like that, there was money to pay for the moving expenses, a lock for the keyboard, a cover to keep the piano dust-free, and stanchions with black velvet roping to keep the piano even safer. There was even enough money left over to have the piano tuned twice a year.

Everyone who walks by now sees a sign explaining that the lovely piano was lent by the Joy of Music School to help further community appreciation and enjoyment of music.

It’s our great pleasure to help out!

 

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Volunteer Teacher Spotlight: Sonya Eichler

Alyssa and her teacher, Sonya.

Sonya Eichler feels “very, very good” about her decision to volunteer as a piano teacher at the Joy of Music School, and we can assure her the feeling is mutual.

“I’m up there in years,” says Sonya, who is 85 and began teaching at the School about a decade ago. “It gives me something to do. It makes me feel like I have something to offer.”

Sonya taught a bit of piano at home when her children were young. But she notices a big difference between those days and now. “I was not in love with teaching back then,” she recalls. “It was somewhat fun, but not fun like the Joy of Music School. Now I feel I follow my own instincts as a teacher. I’m not working for money, I’m working for sheer joy of the activity. It’s very liberating!”

She cherishes the tight friendships she’s built with her Joy of Music School students—and none more than with Alyssa, her piano student for the past four years. “I’m so proud of her. She’s extremely bright and very musical. Just a wonderful person.”

Sonya and Alyssa’s family have become close friends, too. Sonya doesn’t drive any longer, so Alyssa’s family brings her to the School and back for lessons on Monday afternoons. They’ve been known to bring Sonya homemade vegetable soup for dinner, and when she returned from Boston recently, Alyssa was waiting for her at the airport with a bouquet of flowers.

“I adore all of them,” Sonya says of the family. “They’re simply warmhearted, kind, considerate, loving people.”

 

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Tevan to the Top

Tevan

Our student Tevan recently got some exciting news from the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra: He’d been admitted to the organization’s top-tier ensemble on bass trombone.

“We’re so proud,” says our Director of Music Education Julie Carter. “He’s made just extraordinary progress. He’s very dedicated to what he’s doing.”

Tevan, a senior at Powell High School, auditioned in late August. He played a solo from a Derek Bourgeois concerto, an excerpt from Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra and a sarabande from a Bach cello suite.

Though he was a little nervous in the audition room beforehand, Tevan says he felt confident about his playing. Not long after, he got an email from the KSYO saying he’d made the Youth Orchestra. “It’s been really fun so far,” he says. “We’ve been playing since the middle of September, once a week. We’re rehearsing for a fall concert in November.”

Tevan started trombone lessons as a sophomore. He gives a lot of the credit for his speedy improvement to Myron Percy, his volunteer teacher at the Joy of Music School. “He’s a very good teacher,” Tevan says. “He helped me a lot with all my prepared pieces and the solo I did at the audition.”

That may be, Tevan, but it was you alone in the KSYO audition room – and you nailed it. Congrats to you!

 

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Cello, I Must Be Going

Autumn performs at the spring recital

The past two summers, our student Autumn has packed up her cello and headed to Ohio, where she’s been part of the Cincinnati Young Artists Summer Workshop.

The Joy of Music School was pleased to pay her tuition.

The program is basically all cello, all the time for six days straight. Classes run from 9 to 4. Some are master classes and “mini master classes,” where the kids observe other students being critiqued. Others are specific classes on topics such as improving vibrato, or warmup exercises and being better prepared to play physically.

Sounds like hard work. But if you love the cello, as Autumn does, it’s also a lot of fun.

This summer, the program was organized so that she traveled from class to class with a small group of fellow students. They all got to know each other well, and Autumn feels like she made some new friends.

“I really enjoyed it,” the homeschooling 10th grader says of the workshop experience, adding: “I think I did grow as cellist quite a bit.”

 

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Alex’s “Amazing Musical Experience”

Alex performs at the spring recital

People are recognizing JoMS violinist Alex for his talent and work ethic, and not just around our School. This summer Alex attended the Governor’s School for the Arts in Murfreesboro on a full scholarship, which he won in a competitive audition. The Governor’s School is a four-week session with musicians from all across the state training and performing with distinguished faculty. Of his time there, Alex is over the moon. “It was the most amazing musical experience of my life,” he says. “After the Governor’s School I feel much better prepared for higher education and a career in music.”

This school year Alex is eyeing some changes. He’ll have a new volunteer teacher, UT violin professor Miroslav Hristov. The challenges will pile up too, as the Karns High School senior aims to earn a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. We are proud to provide opportunities, mentoring, instruments, and music to kids like Alex.

We have those things in good supply. The rest of it, the hard work? That’s up to Alex.

 

 

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Back to School, Back to JoMS

Sure, summer has its share of students and activity around our School, but things really swirl up in September. Julie Carter, our director of music education, is ready. “Enrolling returning kids, meeting new families, connecting mentors and mentees—I love helping build the energy this time of year,” she says. It’s also a time when a lot of new teachers join the scene.

Ed Sublett, our manager of volunteer resources, has his sights set on a new record. “We are shooting to engage the highest number of volunteer teachers in our history,” Ed says. “That’s because we have so many kids wanting and needing lessons.”

Organizing the building for upwards of 200 kids a week is no small task. But the staff and volunteers can hardly wait. So, bring it, autumn! This music won’t play itself!

 

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Hey, Let’s Put On A Show!

Jessie Anne Compton

Jessie Anne with Tellico kids

Our fast-expanding outreach program reached a new stage this summer. Actually, it reached a few new stages.

Outreach teacher Jessie Compton directed productions of Disney: The Movies, the Music at Lenoir City Boys & Girls Club, Loudon Elementary School and here at the Joy of Music School.

She had kids singing, dancing and playing instruments in “The Mickey Mouse March,” “You Can Fly” (from Peter Pan), “The Bear Necessities” (from Jungle Book) and many more. For the big finale: “Circle of Life” from The Lion King.

The shows were a blast, and not just for the kids. The Loudon Elementary show had around 200 attendees, including an enthusiastic bunch from the Tellico Village Baptist Church, who had been volunteering in rehearsals.

Jessie first came to the School while an undergrad at UT. She got her Master’s in music education last December. This fall, she began a new job as music teacher at Knox County’s Northshore Elementary. She’ll also continue to help with our outreach programs.

Bravo, Jessie! You’re … “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”!

 

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The Joy of Performing

It’s fun and there’s food! The annual Joy of Music School Spring Recital takes place Saturday, May 6, at 2 p.m. All are welcome at the Scottish Rite Temple, located at 612 16th Street in Knoxville. Be charmed by the talent and dedication of our kids, all 65 of whom have earned a spot on the recital lineup via audition.

Enjoy solo and ensemble performances on instruments ranging from piano to voice, from trombone to flute. Plus, we’ll play original song mixes produced and recorded by students.

When the music ends, there’s still more in store. Join us in the dining hall for a picnic style dinner. Bring your ears for listening, your hands for clapping and your appetite for celebrating! Admission is free!

 

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Keeping the Beat Alive

Fidelis at the drums

“No, it’s not super loud,” says Ruth Felix. “It’s in the garage.”

She’s talking about the drum set her son Fidelis, a sixth grader at Northwest Middle School, is happily pounding away on.

Fidelis is a student at the Joy of Music School and found out late last year that he’d get to bring a drum set home with him. Until then, as a beginner, he’d been using sticks and a practice pad to work on drumming hand exercises.

“He was doing really well in lessons and it was time for him to get a set,” says Mike Allen, his volunteer teacher at the School.

The Joy of Music School makes drum sets and other instruments available to our students much like libraries lend out books. Students promise to take care of them while getting lessons at the School and return them when they’re done.

Fidelis says he was excited about getting to take a set to his home. His favorite types of music are gospel and hip hop.

Fidelis has already made great strides since setting up the drums in his garage, says his teacher. “He’s gone from ‘I don’t know how to do this’ to sitting down and playing some very nice rhythmic patterns and exercises incorporating not just his hands but his feet.”

Mike imagines a happy future for Fidelis in drumming. “Every time I show him something he can’t do,” he says, “he can do it by the end of the lesson.”

 

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Our Star-Spangled Students

Tevan, Michael and their teacher, Myron Percy, on the ice.

It all started when the Knoxville Ice Bears asked the School if we’d like to perform the national anthem at an upcoming hockey game at the Knoxville Coliseum. We turned to Myron Percy, a volunteer trombone teacher, who composed an arrangement of the “Star-Spangled Banner” for three trombones. Michael, a ninth grader at Heritage High School in his first year at JoMS, and Tevan, a Powell High School 11th grader, worked hard with their teacher, knowing they would be appearing before thousands of sports fans. When the day arrived, the trio carefully trod to center ice, took their place in the glaring spotlight and delivered a rousing rendition of the anthem followed by enthusiastic applause. Fortunately, none of our sliphorn soloists slipped on the ice—or on any notes!

Well done, gentlemen!

 

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School’s In for the Summer

Alex and his Violin

We’ve always known JoMS student Alex had a special talent for violin—and now the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts is confirming it.

Alex recently found out he’d passed the Governor’s School’s super-competitive audition and will attend the four-week residency program this June at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Alex, 16, is a junior at Karns High School and has been a student at JoMS since 2011. He studies with volunteer teacher Stan Smith. He performs with the Karns High School Orchestra and in the Chamber Orchestra of the Knoxville Youth Orchestra Program.

Gov. Lamar Alexander founded the School for the Arts in 1984, creating a program for gifted high school students that would rival the nation’s best summer arts schools. Students in the instrumental music program participate in orchestra or piano ensemble and take classes in theory, conducting, improvisation, and world music.

He is very much looking forward to his summer. Says Alex: “I heard a lot of good things about Governor’s School from other kids who attended, so I was very excited when I got the acceptance letter with the full scholarship and everything!”

 

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