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started
playing
the drums in seventh grade and currently drums for oneway worship. he credits music
with giving him confidence. nathan explains, ?it?s the only thing i feel like i actually excel at and has come natural to me.? his fellow band
mate, marshall bearry, 18, feels the same. ?it?s the one thing i?m good at. it?s a way to express myself. i?m not good with speaking or terribly good at sports. music is my way to contribute,? he says. garrett howell, guitarist for former brms band nice dog and current brms instructor, shares his relationship to music, ?i?m kind of a nervous person around big groups off of stage, but when i am on stage, it melts away. as long as you?re behind your instrument, it just feels like you?re at home.? for teenage musicians, performing is both their escape and their expression. expressing emotions in a healthy way is critical for young people during adolescence, and playing music with others creates an outlet for those feelings. doug gay, founder and owner of baton rouge music studios, understands the vulnerable act of expressing emotion. he believes that ?the value of being able to be comfortable in your own skin while exposing your inner being is a tough thing.? for both his students and the oneway worship band, music allows them that freedom of exposing their hearts while entertaining the crowds. kayla describes her passion, ?when i perform, i go to this whole different place...music causes some emotions you can?t get from words.? ?irteen-year-old caitlyn mcmorris, another brms student, finds solace in her music. she describes, ?i forget about everything else whenever i have my guitar in my hands or i?m sitting in front of the piano. i just forget about all the stress.? mason fry, another brms student and current guitarist of the band toast, feels similarly about the escape and the expression, ?music for me is almost like a meditative state. when i get in the groove, everything seems to dissipate when i?m on stage playing. it?s a very personal thing.? of course, all of these benefits from performing can only be enjoyed after the hard work of learning an instrument or polishing vocal skills. at a young age, kids can get discouraged with the monotony of practice, but if they can hang in there, they can bloom into live musicians. playing in a band and performing live can be an enriching and valuable aspect of life for young people. doug gay, the ?godfather? of brms, makes a brilliant comparison with another popular extracurricular activity: ?like sports, playing in a band has all the essential elements of being on a team, except in a band, everyone is first string.? ? playing together has taught me humility and that it?s not all about me. i am par t of a unit.? i n t h e b a n d : w h e r e e v e r y o n e i s f i r s t s t r i n g photography by: jenn ocken september 2016 | brparents.com 55
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