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To some, that might sound strange or even boring, but Foley claims that’s because the average person in today’s world has very little connection with true stillness and attention.

“They don’t know how to get in touch with that deep connection with music,” he says.

And that deep connection is one thing Foley always has understood. Although Foley’s parents weren’t musically gifted themselves, they inspired him to learn piano because they were so moved by music. When he was a child, he remembers, his parents would lie on the floor and play a recording of classical music, such as Handel’s “Water Music,” and they would hold hands and cry.

“They were so moved by it. Even my mother, to this day when she talks about certain pieces, you can tell it’s like it’s in her body,” he says. “And I inherited that.”

Over the years, he has experimented with every type of music. He took lessons and learned how to read music, but he also began composing his own work at an early age, and some teachers would let him play his own compositions for recitals. In his early teens, he played in rock bands. Later, he received his degree in jazz studies from the University of North Texas, and he also studied in New York City with acclaimed jazz painist Kenny Werner and at Columbia University.

Foley has been a professional pianist, songwriter and composer for more than 30 years. He performs in Dallas and nationally with musicians as varied and talented as Bill Tillman, Marchel Ivery, Shelley Carrol, Drew Phelps and John Adams.

Musical connection

Music is more than just a series of notes for composer William Foley

East Dallas composer, songwriter and professional pianist William Foley doesn’t just play music or hear music; he feels music.

“When I teach students, I’ll say, ‘I’m going to play one note for you, and I want you to take some deep breaths and see how far that note can come into your body, like that note is sustaining you,’ ” Foley says.

“On a piano, when you hit one note, it eventually decays. I’ll say, ‘I want you to see if you can hear that little fine point where the note has finally dissipated.’ ”

His favorite thing is blending musical genres, mixing pop with jazz or classical with rock, in unexpected ways. He likes his pieces to “defy easy classification.”

“My music is this crossbreed of tunes,” he says. “Some people say, ‘You can’t do that,’ but I think, Why not? For me, it’s not even conscious. I don’t write from a conscious space. I write from an inner, soul space.” —Brittany

Nunn

On target

New center aims to make archery more accessible

The new Texas Archery Academy facility at Central and Walnut Hill opened in January, giving neighborhood residents a safe, convenient place to hone their archery skills. While there may not seem to be that many local bow-and-arrow enthusiasts right now, Clint Montgomery, one of the executive directors of both the TXAA and the Texans Archery Club, says it’s his mission to expose more people to the sport.

“I’ve never met anybody who didn’t want to shoot a bow,” he says.

The 13,000-square-foot space beneath Spec’s “had been dark for probably 15 years,” Montgomery says. But now the facility boasts several indoor ranges de- signed for everyone from young children to serious competitors. There are also party rooms for kids or corporate groups and a technical range where serious archers can record themselves and analyze their form. Even the parking garage will be put to use as an after-hours range for members.

Anyone can drop in for a 30- or 60-minute session, held every hour from about 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. No reservations, equipment or previous training are necessary. But it hasn’t always been that easy to get a start in archery.

“People have always wanted to shoot,” Montgomery says. “There’s just been nowhere to go.” While hunters and other enthusiasts have traditionally had private clubs and ranges, most people just didn’t have a convenient, affordable way to learn and practice archery, he says. “The community outreach has been missing.”

That’s why the TAC, which was started in the 1960s as a benefit for employees of Texas Instruments, sponsors the academy — to make archery more accessible to the public. A nonprofit that was formed in 2011, the TXAA provides instruction, hosts tournaments, and operates indoor training facilities in Plano and San Antonio in addition to the new Walnut Hill location. TXAA ranges are open to the public, but members of the TAC are given free access to the ranges and equipment and can enjoy extended hours. A TAC membership is $120 a year.

Montgomery hopes that more people in the area start picking up bows. “Archery is not just bowhunting,” he says. “We teach everybody.” Because it requires self-discipline, control and focus, he says, archery is a great activity for children. “Every kid can do it, whether they’re in a wheelchair or captain of the football team,” he says. Montgomery has even taught toddlers, who shoot at big foam monkey targets. “Even though they can’t tie their shoes, they’re obeying the range commands,” he says.

And while he’s in favor of team sports, Montgomery says archery provides something they don’t. “It’s like golf,” he says. “It teaches you about yourself.”

If you’re not looking to do any self-exploration, that’s OK with Montgomery. “We don’t want to burden [beginners] with too much,” he says. “Just walk in and have fun.” —Larra Keel

FOR MORE INFORMATION, go to texasarcheryacademy.org

Organic. It’s a good word to describe East Dallas; not just because of the Dallas Arboretum, or White Rock Lake, or the area’s soaring trees and rolling hills. Organic fits because these neighborhoods were built using real people’s lives as their blueprint. Sound like a place you’d like to call home? Call 214.526.5626 or visit www.davidgriffin.com. No one gets East Dallas quite like we do.

PAWS & CLAWS

GOT

Little bea r

What gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Go shopping… at Second Chance Treasures, to benefit homeless pets. The store is owned and operated by East Lake Pet Orphanage, a nokill, non-profit organization that houses dozens of dogs and cats. If shopping isn’t your thing, you can also donate or volunteer at the shelter. Visit secondchancetreasures.org for more or call 214.660.9696

Knit some booties… at Lakewood Branch Library with the Knit Wit’s club, which meets every Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. They are best known for the thousands of baby hats they knit each year for Parkland Hospital, the annual afghan they make to help raise funds for the library, and the booties they knit for the Gendercide Awareness Project. Call the Lakewood Branch Library at 214.670.1376 to learn more, or just grab your needles and go to 6121 Worth.

Cultivate your crayon skills… and become a playroom volunteer at Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center at 5351 Samuell Blvd. in Dallas. Be a positive adult presence in the life of at-risk children by spending the day engaging them with fun activities such as coloring, toys, and games while they wait to talk with experts at DCAC. With a little sensitivity training, you’ll be ready to play. You can also help by donating school supplies, backpacks and uniforms for children whose homes are deemed unsafe. For more information, call the front desk at 214.818.2600 and ask for the volunteer coordinator.

Know Of Ways

that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.

Hot stuff

East Dallas students win the chance to learn about solar energy first-hand

Two East Dallas educational programs received an energy boost in December, and the forecast for 2014 is sunny with a chance of savings.

Since 2002, Austin-based Green Mountain Energy Sun Club has helped install more than 600 kilowatts of solar power for various nonprofits in the United States, particularly in Texas. This year, Stonewall Gardens and Dallas Academy will benefit from its services.

The Sun Club awarded Stonewall Gardens a $20,000 grant to install solar pan- els in their garden, and the club awarded Dallas Academy $30,000 toward the cost of solar-paneling the school’s roof.

More than 200 nonprofits applied for the grants, but only eight have been awarded grants so far in 2014, says program manager Tony Napolillo. He figures the Sun Club will probably award a couple more grants to deserving nonprofits this year, but the others will have to wait for the 2015 cycle.

Both schools have big plans for what they hope to do with the grants.

Stonewall Gardens, an “outdoor classroom” housed in the backyard of Stonewall Jackson Elementary School off Mockingbird, has been helping kids get their hands dirty while learning about gardening and food production for about 15 years, so solar panels are a natural fit for their learning curriculums, says Stonewall Gardens president Laura McCavit.

“The Sun Club will install a monitor, which will give us all kinds of data, like how much energy was collected and how much sun time there was that day, so there are so many learning opportunities,” McCavit says. “Like what happens if you cover half of them with reflective materials? Or about how the days shorten throughout the year with the changing seasons?”

And of course, the solar panel system will also produce power, which Stonewall hopes to use to power a water collection system. They plan to collect rainwater off the portable roofs, and then they’ll use the power from the solar panels to distribute the water over the crops.

Dallas Academy — a private school near White Rock Lake with a mission to “restore the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences” in first through 12th grade — plans to use the $30,000 grant from Green Mountain Energy as a starting place, but the school is not stopping there, says spokeswoman Sarah Jayroe. Dallas Academy wants to raise enough funds to panel the school’s entire roof, in hopes of becoming almost completely energy efficient.

“We have some really motivated parents and staff, so we want to go beyond what the grant has kicked off for us,” Jayroe says.

Once the school’s contract is up with its current energy provider, it’ll partner with Green Mountain Energy. Green Mountain will supplement any additional energy it needs, or pay the school for any leftover energy it produces.

“That money that we save from energy bills as well as any additional funds could be used toward scholarship funds or technology on campus,” Jayroe says. “So our goal is to produce as much energy as possible so we can put those funds toward helping our students.”

Napolillo says the Sun Club accepts applications for grants at all times of the year. The grants are funded by Green Mountain customers who opt in, in order to donate to the program. Sun Club also recently launched a new portal where non-customers can donate to the program. All the funds collected go toward installing solar projects.

You can find anything you want to know about the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club at gmsunclub.com, including how to apply for a grant and how to donate to the program.

—Brittany Nunn