By Peter Leggett, Walker West Music Academy

On Saturday, September 15^th, Walker West Music Academy welcomed more than 75 students, family members, faculty, friends and supporters for “A Taste of Music” Open House.

The event began with a performance outside of the building from the American History Band Project led by Walker West faculty member Tom Zosel.  The group is a ten member ensemble that performs classical American band music in the style of New Orleans brass bands and is a true inter-generational group with the age of performers ranging from junior high school to adult. Fellow performers, friends and family were treated to a 30 minute performance from the group before moving indoors to the parlor.

Contrasting the upbeat swing of the American History Band Project, the string ensemble performance led by Earl Ross, created a reflective tone for listeners, bringing some in the audience to tears. One listener noted afterward how remarkable the intonation of the group was given their age and experience level while another commented on how beautiful it was to see young people play such delicate music.

Next up, listeners were treated to a performance from the Saturday Youth Jazz Ensemble led by Solomon Parham followed by the Monday Youth Jazz Ensemble led by Felix James. The Academy’s youth jazz ensembles feature some of our most talented young improvisors and this performance showcased the soloing skills of these excellent young musicians. Through their performance, listeners got a glimpse of the growth process that students develop through their experience of jazz education at the Academy. Many Academy staff and faculty commented on how remarkable it was that so many students had grown so much in their musical skills over the years.

Following the high level performances of these groups came a special impromptu performance from Academy co-founders Reverend Carl Walker and Grant West who performed an extended version of “Happy Day” with Academy drum faculty member Kevin Washington on drums. People joined in by clapping and singing along with many audience members getting up to dance. When they were finished, Academy student services coordinator Marie Chante Flowers announced that Reverend Walker’s birthday had just passed and accordingly asked the whole room to join her in singing “Happy Birthday” to him.  It was a fitting tribute to the Academy’s co-founder.

To round out the afternoon, the Academy faculty ensemble performed several uptempo bebop tunes featuring great solos from Felix James, Solomon Parham, William Duncan and special guest alto saxophonist, Cassius Richmond.  The group even welcomed executive director Peter Leggett and vocal faculty member Aja Pridgen to perform several ballads.

Following the set, Mr. Leggett shared with the audience the great success the Academy had had in the past several years. He invited everyone to share Walker West’s story with their families, colleagues, friends and members of the community so that the Academy could continue to cultivate support for accessible community music education.

Visit the Academy’s Facebook page for more photos.