The Power of Music

Making Music Helps Youths Grow: 17 young musicians perform in Bosque County Music Association’s Sixth Showcase for Young Musicians in the Bosque Arts Center's Frazier Performance Hall

CLIFTON – Calling music the unsung hero of education, The Edinburgh Academy music educator Vaughn Fleischfresser’s memes predicating the power of music and music education regularly go viral. His main message is that music has the ability to transform lives of young people.

“For the child who doesn’t like speaking in front of others, yet will sing their heart out. For the child who is misunderstood in the playground, yet embraced in a music ensemble. For the child who struggles in the classroom, yet flourishes on stage,” Fleischfresser said. “Music is for every child.”

Music helps a youth grow, because while making music, youth make friends, build their confidence, are included and valued. Making music also teaches the importance of patience and practice while striving for perfection, being more focused, how to translate emotion into music, and to be brave on a stage in front of an audience.

As part of their mission to provide opportunities for all citizens – students and adults – to experience performances of the musical arts, and encourage the appreciation, education, and development of individual and group talents, the Bosque County Music Association, founded in January of 2009, organized their sixth Showcase for Young Musicians, Thursday, March 21. Seventeen youth aged nine-17 years old showcased their musical talents on the Frazier Performance Hall stage at the Bosque Arts Center to an appreciative audience of family, friends and fellow music lovers.

Besides adding jokes before each student’s performance, event MC Bryan Davis gave some history of the Clifton Lutheran College campus of which the century-old, beautifully restored, acoustically exceptional Frazier Hall was a part. The third-floor auditorium has hosted world famous performers like the Gatlin Brothers, Crystal Gayle and the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

“But tonight, this stage plays host to the most special performers of all,” Davis said. “There’s nothing more important for this stage than to showcase the blossoming young talent. It’s what this place was built for 100 years ago, and it gives u great pride to see and hear this room filled once more with the sights and sounds and talents of young people. So, we thank each student for sharing their gifts with us tonight and thank you for your support.”

The students – all dressed in their best garb – gave it their best and made their performance a triumph of the culmination of all those hours of practice and overcoming their nerves. And with that, the BCMA succeeded in all facets of their mission.

Students participating in the event included Eli Lovell, violin; Colby Cummings, tenor saxophone; Leah Knapp, flute; Alexi Leger, alto saxophone; Rylee Hagan, clarinet; Keoni Dolida, piano; Bejamin Beaudin, tuba; Jackson Boganwright, baritone saxophone; Anna Lovell, violin; and Karina Tergerson, piano. The "Not So Jazz Band Jazz Band," was composed of Ellie Baker, Benjamin Beaudin, Caleb Cummings, Colby Cummings, Dawson Cummings, Hayden Cummings, Trent Pruitt, Jackson Boganwright, Maryn Roberson, and Noah Smith.

Nine-year-old Eli, a homeschooled fourth-grader accompanied by his mother Heather on the BAC’s Chickering grand piano, played Concerto No. 2 in G Major by Friedrich Seitz; all by heart. The German Romantic Era composer and violinist Seitz wrote chamber music and eight student concertos for the violin, including this piece from 1893. The concerto is laid out in the conventional three movements with lovely, memorable melodies achieves maximum impact with minimum technical demands – a solid command of the first position is sufficient for its performance, with good left- and right-hand coordination required in the fast passages.

Anna, Eli’s 14-year-old sister, showed her capabilities with an excerpt from Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26. Also laid out in three movements, it is one of the most popular violin concertos for solo violin. Also a German composer of the Romantic period, Bruch was a child prodigy who grew into a gifted composer of extraordinary taste and refinement who could always be relied on to turn out works in concert music and opera of professional finish and often of great beauty.

The 1868 piece is admired and enjoyed especially for its lyrical melodies, which span nearly the entire range of the instrument, which requires a high skill level. Anna also played the piece by heart, while her mother Heather accompanied.

Another homeschooled student Karina Tergerson on piano brought W.A. Mozart’s popular “Rondo Alla Turca” sonata from the classical period to the venue. Rapid passages, intricate ornamentation, and dynamic contrasts requiring mastery of finger dexterity, control, and musical expression places the difficulty of the Turkish march on piano at an intermediate to advanced level.

The third movement of "Rondo alla Turca" or "Turkish March" is often heard on its own and regarded as one of Mozart's best-known piano pieces. The multi-talented junior has been playing piano since she was five. Karina hopes to have two associate college degrees from McLennan Community College and Tarrant County College by the time she finishes high school next year.

Meridian High School brought freshmen tenor saxophonist Colby Cummings, tuba player Benjamin Beaudin and baritone saxophonist Jackson Boganwright to the stage. Later the trio would join eight other musicians of the “Not So Jazz Band – Jazz Band” to close out the concert evening with some swing.

Accompanied by his brother Caleb on drums and MHS Band Director Daniel Yguerabide on piano, Colby captivated the audience with his contemporary choice, the beautiful and spiritual piece “Trust in God” from the band Elevation Worship. Elevation Worship is a church-led band that was created in 2007.

With bands Bethel Music and Hillsong, they make up the “big three” that has the biggest reach in modern Christian music. In 2022, the slow, somewhat jazzy song debuted at no. 16 on the United States Hot Christian Songs chart. Colby and “Mr. Y” also presented the National Anthem at the beginning of the musical evening.

Accompanied by MHS school pianist Jeanne Davis, Ben brought the popular tuba contest or recital solo for the early grade player to the evening. VanderCook was an American composer and conductor best known for his marches and brass solos. He founded VanderCook Cornet School (later VanderCook College of Music) in 1909. Among VanderCooks most famous marches are American Stride, Olevine, Pacific Fleet, Pageant of Columbia and S.S. Theodore Roosevelt.

Conjuring up expressive Cossacks with their twirling dances and knee-crunching squats, Jackson and his baritone sax presented Reinhold Glière’s “Russian Sailor’s Dance.” The piece is from the social-realist composer’s 1927 ballet “The Red Poppy.” Son of a musician and maker of wind instruments, Ukrainian composer of German and Polish descent Glière incorporated elements of eastern Soviet republics in his music and is considered “a convincing melodist and a superb technician, writing extremely attractive music.”

Clifton Middle School’s Leah Knapp on flute, Alexi Leger on alto saxophone and Rylee Hagan on clarinet performed a delightful “Calypso Morning” by Bruce Pearson. A world-renowned music educator, author, composer, and clinician, Pearson is also the author of the Standard of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method, widely regarded as the most important contribution to the band music field in the last three decades.

Also from CMS, Keoni Dolida impressed with his rendition of the British rock band Queen classic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which he played by heart. The song is highly unusual for a popular single in featuring no chorus, combining disparate musical styles, and containing lyrics which eschew conventional love-based narratives.

Although critical reaction to the 1975 operatic song was initially mixed, retrospective reviews have acclaimed "Bohemian Rhapsody" as one of the greatest songs of all time and is often regarded as Queen’s signature song. Remarkably, Keoni has only been studying the piano for seven months. He also plays the saxophone, the instrument he performed with in last year’s Showcase.

Showing they’re not your average timid high school musical performers, Merdian’s “Not So Jazz Band Jazz Band” got the audience clapping, tapping and singing along to a trio of songs – “Just the Two of Us,” from Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr., “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and “Faith” by Stevie Wonder -- as they had fun on stage, boogying along as they made swinging music magic.

Prior to the actual showcase, BCMA board secretary Paige Bizzell reached out to area band directors and music teachers by email, offering this excellent opportunity for their students to perform on a stage for an audience, and show off the fruits of their labors. Posters and Facebook posts and application forms to the schools followed. Unfortunately for the showcase, it competes with many other spring school activities like track meets, softball and baseball, livestock shows and One Act Play.

To commemorate their involvement in the concert each student was presented a patch by Bizzell and a reception with punch and cookies was hosted in their honor after the concert in the BAC Atrium. Other musical events coming up at the BAC are the BeeGees Now tribute band April 6, the Bosque Chorale Spring Concert “The Impossible Dream” April 11 and the BCMA Summer Camp July 22-25.