Born into a musical family, Phillip’s ears were filled with music right away. His father played jazz saxophone and the family had a piano. Phillip’s parents were shocked when one day after church, four-year-old Phillip walked right up to the piano and played a hymn. He soon started regular lessons and music classes, and by the age of 10, Phillip was playing for the church Sunday school. Two years later, he progressed to the church Junior Choir, and soon he was playing jazz with his father. After graduating at the top of his class from Long Island Performing Arts High School, Phillip attended Rice University in Houston as a business major. Working with the Rice University Chorale, the Houston Symphony Chorus, and the Rice Jazz Band, he started what would prove to be a lifelong connec- tion to the music of Fats Waller. On a whim, Phillip auditioned for Ain’t Misbehavin’ and got the part. While he had heard Waller’s music growing up, it wasn’t until he joined Ain’t Misbehavin’ that he really became an indelible addition to his life soundtrack . The more Phillip learned about Fats Waller and his music, the more apparent the parral- lels between them became. Much like Phillip, Waller had grown up in the church, but had been fascinated by jazz. They both endured late Saturday nights playing in jazz clubs followed by early Sunday mornings playing in church. Their similar life experiences only deepened Phillip’s connection to the music. After graduation, Phillip worked in the insurance industry, but it was not truly satisfying, so he decided to earn his teacher’s certification. While teaching high school, he turned his kids on to classical music, and even arranged a trip to see the Houston Grand Opera. After 11 years teaching, Phillip got the performance bug and started looking for new productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’. He found a gig in Nashville, was hired on the spot, quit his job, and moved to Tennessee. As the show toured the country, Phillip was brought in as the music director for each new production. Unfortunately, the struggling economy forced the show to scale back, so he went back to teaching in HISD. It was there that Phillip connected with fellow teacher and musician, Aisha Ussery. Aisha asked Phillip to be involved in a boutique production of Ain’t Misbehavin’, and through the show, Phillip was introduced to Music Doing Good’s founder, Marie Bosarge. Shortly thereafter, he was hired to work with Music Doing Good in Schools. Phillip utilizes his teaching and music expertise with Music Doing Good in Schools. Each year, the program focuses on a new genre or style of music, and he prepares the stu- dents to make long-term, meaningful connections to the subject matter. “Aisha and I make a concerted effort to omit mentioning the genre right away. We start with music activities, and then we talk to them about the musicians as people and give the students a context for the music.” For Phillip, it’s not just about the “who,” it’s also about the “how” and “why.” When someone finds a connection to an artist like Phillip’s “Saturday night, Sunday morning,” connection with Fats, suddenly their whole life is connected to a piece of music – it becomes the soundtrack of their life. SPOTLIGHT ON PHILLIP HALL Aaron Kaufman “Volcano” Damien Rice Aisha Ussery “Isn’t She Lovely” Stevie Wonder Anita Kruse “Putting It Together” Stephen Sondheim Helen McDonald “Small World” Johnny Mathis Jan Klein “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” Elton John Julie Lambert “American Pie” Don McLean Kenneth Gayle “Nessun Dorma” Giacomo Puccini Kirsten Johnson “No Rain” Blind Melon Lisa Elliot “Lazy Bones” Bing Crosby Marie Bosarge “I Will Always Love You” Whitney Houston Phillip Hall “Oh Happy Day” The Edwin Hawkins Singers Ray Younkin “Walking In Memphis” Marc Cohn Rodney Waters “Piano Concerto #1” Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky WHAT’S ON OUR PLAYLIST? Our staff compiled a list of the songs that make up their life soundtracks. These are the songs that document milestones, signif- icant others, the good times and the bad times. You can listen to the complete play- list for free on Spotify, an internet-based music streaming program or use the QR code below 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 2014 VOL. 2 PLAYLIST THE SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE
Transcript
Born into a musical family, Phillip’s ears were filled with music right away. His father played jazz saxophone and the family had a piano. Phillip’s parents were shocked when one day after church, four-year-old Phillip walked right up to the piano and played a hymn. He soon started regular lessons and music classes, and by the age of 10, Phillip was playing for the church Sunday school. Two years later, he progressed to the church Junior Choir, and soon he was playing jazz with his father.
After graduating at the top of his class from Long Island Performing Arts High School, Phillip attended Rice University in Houston as a business major. Working with the Rice University Chorale, the Houston Symphony
Chorus, and the Rice Jazz Band, he started what would prove to be a lifelong connec-tion to the music of Fats Waller. On a whim, Phillip auditioned for Ain’t Misbehavin’ and got the part. While he had heard Waller’s music growing up, it wasn’t until he joined Ain’t Misbehavin’ that he really became an indelible addition to his life soundtrack .
The more Phillip learned about Fats Waller and his music, the more apparent the parral-lels between them became. Much like Phillip, Waller had grown up in the church, but had been fascinated by jazz. They both endured late Saturday nights playing in jazz clubs followed by early Sunday mornings playing in church. Their similar life experiences only deepened Phillip’s connection to the music.
After graduation, Phillip worked in the insurance industry, but it was not truly satisfying, so he decided to earn his teacher’s certification. While teaching high school, he turned his kids on to classical music, and even arranged a trip to see the Houston Grand Opera. After 11 years teaching, Phillip got the performance bug and started looking for new productions of Ain’t Misbehavin’. He found a gig in Nashville, was hired on the spot, quit his job, and moved to Tennessee. As the show toured the country, Phillip was brought in as the music director for each new production. Unfortunately, the struggling economy forced the show to scale back, so he went back to teaching in HISD.
It was there that Phillip connected with fellow teacher and musician, Aisha Ussery. Aisha asked Phillip to be involved in a boutique production of Ain’t Misbehavin’, and through the show, Phillip was introduced to Music Doing Good’s founder, Marie Bosarge. Shortly thereafter, he was hired to work with Music Doing Good in Schools.
Phillip utilizes his teaching and music expertise with Music Doing Good in Schools. Each year, the program focuses on a new genre or style of music, and he prepares the stu-dents to make long-term, meaningful connections to the subject matter. “Aisha and I make a concerted effort to omit mentioning the genre right away. We start with music activities, and then we talk to them about the musicians as people and give the students a context for the music.” For Phillip, it’s not just about the “who,” it’s also about the
“how” and “why.” When someone finds a connection to an artist like Phillip’s “Saturday night, Sunday morning,” connection with Fats, suddenly their whole life is connected to a piece of music – it becomes the soundtrack of their life.
SPOTLIGHT ON PHILLIP HALL
Aaron Kaufman “Volcano” Damien Rice
Aisha Ussery “Isn’t She Lovely” Stevie Wonder
Anita Kruse
“Putting It Together” Stephen Sondheim
Helen McDonald
“Small World” Johnny Mathis
Jan Klein “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” Elton John
WHAT’S ON OUR PLAYLIST?Our staff compiled a list of the songs that make up their life soundtracks. These are the songs that document milestones, signif-icant others, the good times and the bad times. You can listen to the complete play-list for free on Spotify, an internet-based music streaming program or use the QR code below
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:
Register for Kroger’s Community Rewards Plus Card Program and Donate to Music Doing Good!
Ask for a Plus Card at your local Kroger. Go to www.kroger.com/communityrewards
Enroll, enter card number on back, enter your contact info, and select Music Doing Good as your charity to support!
QUARTERLYNOTES
Right: Marie Bosarge, playing the role of Marilyn Monroe, carries her cake as the Music Doing Good artists sing “Happy Birthday!”
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 • SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2014
“The Inner Marilyn,” Music Doing Good’s fourth collaboration with The Jung Center of Houston, was a huge success, driving steady crowds to view the exhibit and culminating in a sold out, standing room only concert!
The concert featured classic songs from her movies, musical tributes and original songs by Music Doing Good artists. It was a one-of-a-kind musical birthday celebration for the legendary Hollywood icon, who would have turned 88 on June 1st.
This specially-curated exhibit, on loan from the BabyDoll Museum, included original gowns and swimsuits from Marilyn’s movies, personal effects and furnishings from her Brentwood home and her psychiatrist, Dr. Greenson’s office. Also on display were rare photography, artwork, and correspondence with her most intimate companions.
Proceeds from Music Doing Good’s performance benefited The Carolyn Fay Building Improvement Project.
MEMORABILIA, MUSIC AND MARILYN!
On July 12th, Music Doing Good was invited by the Houston Symphony to participate in Day of Music, for the second year. Performances from all music genres included brass bands, polka music, percussion groups, jazz ensembles, choral groups, world music groups, country music, blues, zydeco and funk bands, in addition to orchestral and classical music. Food trucks on Jones Plaza, an instrument petting zoo, harmonica clinics, children’s activities and the Houston Chronicle Concert rounded out this day celebrating music in all of its forms! More than 8,000 people came out for this very successful event.
Music Doing Good in Schools participant and singer, Daniel Boyd, along with scholarship recipient and drummer, Jerome Gillespie, joined the Music Doing Good Jazz Ensemble for the performance. We love to give our budding young musicians the opportunity to play with professional musicians before a live audience to hone their performance skills. Music Doing Good artists Ray Younkin and Tricia Fox entertained the crowd again this year as well as the Conrad Johnson Orchestra on the main stage.
HOUSTON SYMPHONY’S SECOND ANNUALDAY OF MUSIC
Music Doing Good In Schools participant Daniel Boyd (vocals) and Scholarship recipient Jerome Gillespie (drums) perform with a jazz ensemble at the Houston Symphony’s Day Of Music.
MUSIC NOTESFROM MARIEDo you ever wonder why music has the ability to take you back to a distinct place and time in your life, no matter how far back? How is it that we remember lyrics to songs we have not heard in decades, but we cannot remember the preamble to the
Constitution of the United States? Well, if we had learned the preamble set to music, most of us would remember it…word for word. Music is the soundtrack of our lives. It prompts memories, marks our watershed moments, documents our love stories and comforts us like a warm blanket.
Many studies have shown that when sub-ject matter was introduced with music and lyrics together, participants had a stron-ger recall than with spoken word or even with spoken word with background music. Music is the only cognitive function that accesses multiple parts of the brain simul-taneously. Additionally, when you factor in the emotional or mood stimulation evoked by music, it makes for a very powerful and lasting experience. We want every child to benefit from this valuable cognitive development.
What songs would you include in your life soundtrack? Ready, set, go!
You may know of Dr. David Eagleman as The New York Times best-selling author of books like Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife and Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, but did you know that he is also a neuroscientist with joint appointments in the Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine?
Says Eagleman about this work, “Public understanding of science is a passion of mine, and to that end, I have written for The New York Times, Discover Magazine, Atlantic, The Week, Slate, Wired, New Scientist, and others. I speak often on
National Public Radio (NPR) and BBC to discuss what’s new and important in science.” He has also founded a prize for mathematics and physics through his Eagleman Foundation.
Eagleman’s areas of research include time perception, vision, synesthesia, social neuroscience, and the intersection of neuroscience with the legal system. He directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action, and is the founder and director of Baylor College of Medicine’s Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. Eagleman is the founder and Chief Scientific Officer for BrainCheck, a company which uses interactive testing on portable tablets to measure brain function. BrainCheck is currently being used in schools for rapid concussion assessment at the playing field sidelines.
MEET THE BOARD: DR. DAVID EAGLEMAN
Dr. David Eagleman
“Growing up in India, the ebony tree from which this clari-net was crafted, was probably forty to fifty years old. Its dense structure gives the clarinet a mellow tone. The B-flat clarinet has a range of almost four octaves and is a soprano instrument.
As a fifth grader, on the afternoon of June 5, 1953, I was practicing my clarinet. We were knocked to the floor of my home by the Alco Fireworks warehouse explosion, about two miles away. We watched the mushroom cloud form over Houston, wondering if we were under attack. Mrs. Webb, my teacher and Woodrow Wilson Elementary School music director, arranged for me to study under her husband, Howard F. Webb, who was also the founder and conductor of the Houston Youth Symphony. My clarinet and I went on to join the Lanier Junior High School band, where I studied for three years and played in most of the evening programs.
At Lamar High School, my clarinet and I played in the orchestra as well as a woodwind quintet. We often played in musicals with the drama depart-ment under renowned drama coach, Ruth Denny, who was mentor to Tommy Sands, Tommy Tune, and other greats in the performing arts. My woodwind quintet performed at Poe Elementary School for their blind students. We first played our instruments so they could hear the sound and then passed the instruments around the group, so they could touch and feel them. This clarinet was honored to be there for them! The Lamar High School Band, of which I was also a member, was patterned after the Texas Aggies Band. So it seemed fitting that upon graduation, my clarinet and I then joined the famous Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. We enjoyed four years at Texas A & M under the direction of legendary Colonel E. V. Adams, before my clarinet and I retired. It has waited for years to be loved by another student.” We are so grateful to Tom Wright for donating his clarinet. We loved that he conveyed the story of the clarinet that provided him with the soundtrack of his life. Soon, it will provide a young musician with theirs!
AN INSTRUMENT’S LIFE: A CLARINET STORY
Drops of Jupiter (Train)
This was playing on my truck’s radio
while I watched a meteor shower in the desert outside of San Diego, CA, during
my postdoctoral fellowship.
42 (Coldplay)
I bolted up when I first listened to the lyrics, because it resonated so
powerfully with a story I’d written in my book SUM - a story called “The Cast”, in which you populate other people’s dreams in your afterlife. Coldplay’s
opening lyrics are: “Those who are dead are not, they’re just living in my head...”
DAVID EAGLEMAN’S SOUNDTRACK
We are not sure who had more fun – the audience or the performers!
Once again, the participants of Music Doing Good in Schools put on such a powerful performance of “Mostly Blues”, we were sure we would have to repaint the ceiling of Zilkha Hall after they blew the roof off! Students from Cummings Elementary, Stevenson Middle School and Wheatley High School took the audience on a musical journey that encompassed slavery, real-life blues, Houston’s blues pioneers, blues influenced rock ‘n’ roll and more.
These students worked for an entire school year to learn the backstory of the blues, learn to play the harmonica, memorize their lines and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Their hard work paid off as the crowd of nearly 500 people gathered to hear their own special brand of blues. Congratulations to a very special group of children!
Adults and children alike enjoyed the red carpet photo-ops.
Students from Cummings Elementary MarQuise Thompson and Dayla Suber
Soul Men, Davion Horton and Kevin Anderson
Dayla Suber, Mary Meehleder, MarQuise Thompson, Alexys Allen
Arthur and Philamena Baird enjoyed the red carpet photo booth.
The opening number with Stevenson Middle School students
MUSIC DOING GOOD IN SCHOOLS PERFORMANCE INTRODUCED A NEW BRAND OF “BOOGIE WOOGIE!”
Music Doing Good loves community part-ners and we are thrilled to announce a true partnership with The Greensheet! They will be providing advertising for Music Doing Good with Instruments in all areas of Houston to convert instrument sellers into instrument donors. In the coming months, The Greensheet will also expand this arrangement in Dallas, Ft. Worth and Austin. They will use their distribution centers to collect instruments and their trucks to transport instruments back to Music Doing Good. With their help, we can get instruments into the hands of bright young music students and under-funded schools who would not ordinarily have access to them! Both Music Doing Good and The Greensheet are dedicated to serving the children in our commu-nities, and this collaboration enables us to reach more students in many ways.
In return, Music Doing Good will also pro-vide The Greensheet with an original score and voice-over for an industrial film pro-moting tours of their printing facility. The program is targeted at teens and tweens for field trips or as an afterschool desti-nation for organizations like Boys and Girl Scouts of America. Children will be able to learn about the printing process, the business and even have the opportunity to submit articles to The Greensheet about their experience there. Likewise, there are editorial opportunities for the children who participate in all Music Doing Good outreach programs to submit articles to be published.
The launch of the film and the redesign of The Greensheet will take place in the fall, which will provide another opportunity for Music Doing Good artists to perform. As the details are set, you will be the first to get an invitation to the celebration. We are so grateful for this exchange of cre-ativity, ideas and services, all benefitting the youth of our great city. Cheers to The Greensheet, we are proud to call you a community partner!
Alex Wheeler, recipient of the Second Prize jazz scholarship for drums, is currently a senior at HSPVA. He was born into a family of classical musi-cians and began studying cello at the age of six. At 14, however, Alex discovered drums, which would change his musical direc-tion forever into the world of Jazz. He made Region bands, all four years of high
school, and participates in the Texas All State Jazz Band 1, during his senior year. Alex is also ranked first in the state of Texas. He received an outstanding soloist award from the Moores School of Music Jazz Festival, and has been recognized as a YoungArts winner in Jazz Percussion. He plans to continue his musical career by attending a music school, where he will study Jazz Performance. This summer he will attend the Stanford Jazz Workshop.
First Prize and only scholarship awarded for vocals, Post Oak High School freshman, Sean Holshouser has been per-forming since 2009. He has performed with the Houston Symphony, the Houston Grand Opera and at the Moores Schools of Music at University of Houston. Sean enjoys study-ing opera as well as musical theater and has been influenced
by the likes of Josh Groban, Cecilia Bartoli, Luciano Pavarotti and Simon and Garfunkel. In addition to making a living singing, he also shares a goal with Music Doing Good in that he wishes to use music to raise money for charities, especially those that protect our environment and further the progression of medical research.
Sophia Wong, First Prize high school Piano winner, was born in Sydney, Australia and began study-ing music at the age of six after she moved to Houston with her family. Now a sophomore at Westside High School, she has accumulated numerous awards in her young career, including
Outstanding Musician at her school for two con-secutive years, a top prize in the American Protégé Piano and Strings Competition, the Director’s Award in the American Festival of the Arts piano program, first place in the Houston Music Teachers Association (HMTA) Piano Contest in her age divi-sion, and she has played New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.
For the second year in a row, Nathaniel Zhang is a scholarship recipient, this year in the High School Piano category. A freshman at Clements High School, he began studying piano when he was six years of age and added violin to his repertoire more than three years ago. His accolades in music competi-tions throughout
Texas are numerous and include first place des-ignations in the competitions such as 2013 Clear Lake Symphony Youth Concert Competition, 2013 Baylor/Waco University Piano Competition, 2013 Texas State University Young Artists Piano Competition, Houston Forum Young Artists Competition, and Houston Forum Auditions for six years running. Nathaniel wishes to become a musi-cian so he can “become a faithful vessel to spread the beauty and passion of music.”
Vi Nguyen received the First Prize middle school piano schol-arship and by the age of nine, achieved one of her dreams to perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Now 12, she has performed there a total of four times! She currently attends St. John’s School and has won competi-tions across the state. She won the Houston
Music Teacher Association Concerto Competition, won Gold Medals in the Sixth & Seventh International Chopin Youth Competitions, and won both solo and duet categories at American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. Vi is also a member of the St. John’s Classical Music group who performed their debut concert at MD Anderson Cancer Center last summer. They also performed Thanksgiving and Christmas concerts there. She had a piano solo in the AFA concert on the main stage at Jones Hall at the Houston Symphony’s Day of Music on July 12, 2014.
MEET THE NEW ONES TO WATCH! A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN... MUSIC DOING GOOD AND THE GREENSHEET!
We would like to introduce you to more of our 2014 Music Doing Good Scholarship recipients. These children are all curating the soundtrack of their lives!
