THE MIKE PHILLIPS EXPERIENCE
Vol. 1 Issue 8 | A PUBLICATION OF THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S UNIVERSITY
CHRISTOPHER DAVIS
COMING FULL CIRCLE
YMU
GMG Academy of the Arts is now
The Young Musician's University Music Education Reimagined
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IN THIS
ISSUE
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
We are so happy to be celebrating our 18th year of "Giving the Gift of Music!" Thank you for reading our eighth issue of The YMU Collective as we transition away from an email newsletter format into a digital magazine format! This publication highlights YMU Students, Staff, and other subjects of interest with contributions from our staff as well as YMU student writers. If you are a YMU student interested in contributing and being a part of the YMU Collective Team, please send me a message through the YMU Portal. I would love to speak with you and get your insight. Please know that you do not have to be a local student to participate, we will have virtual connect meetings to discuss upcoming events and content. I hope that you enjoy this publication of the YMU Collective!
4 Christopher Davis YMU Student Spotlight
8 The Mike Phillips Expereince Devin Jenkins, YMU Instructor
6 Coming Full Circle Kierra Gray, YMU Instructor
Mrs. Gray Director, The Young Musician's University 3
THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S UNIVERSITY
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Christopher Davis CONGRATS!!
Our student spotlights recognize students who are exceptionally demonstrating growth and musically excelling. We are so grateful to be associated with these fantastic students and their supportive parents! Again, congratulations Christopher! Keep up the great work!
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER Christopher is a fun-loving, inquisitive, 7-year-old who loves attending his school in Richland School District Two. As early as 5 years old, Christopher has shared that he wants to learn how to play the piano. We thought it was a fad, but he did not stop asking for piano lessons. Over time we realized that he has an ear for beats and a unique ability to memorize patterns. So, we supported his desire to learn piano by enrolling him into The Young Musician's University, where he is flourishing. Christopher also enjoys drawing and painting, telling jokes, video games, trampoline jumping, and science projects. We are so very proud of Christopher and look forward to seeing him grow into the wonderful young man he's destined to be.
This month, I nominate Christopher Davis for our YMU Student Spotlight. Christopher hasn’t been with us for very long, but he’s grown so quickly in playing the piano. He has so much determination to be so young, and his genuine excitement to learn more about the piano is inspiring. Christopher has a very strong work ethic and holds himself to a high standard. I think it’s wonderful that he has such a strong love for music, and I look forward to teaching him and seeing continued growth. Kierra Gray, YMU Instructor
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In-Person or Online Instruction
ENROLL IN OUR DRUM PROGRAM NOW AND RECEIVE A COMPLEMENTARY DRUM PAD STARTER KIT FOR STUDENTS AGES 7-18!
1-844-YMU-NOW-1 803-728-3399 www.ymunow.com
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CONGRATS, YOU
LEVELEDUP
CAELAN KING-MCNEIL - YMU PIANO ESSENTIALS 2A CHRISTOPHER DAVIS - YMU INTRO TO PIANO 1A KASEY LLOYD - LME PIANO 1B KYLIE GRAY - LME PIANO 1B NIXEN ROFF - LME PIANO 1A
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Gabrielle Lloyd - October 3rd Kylee Otto - October 26th *IF YOUR CHILD'S BIRTHDAY IS NOT LISTED, PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE SO THAT WE CAN ADD THEIR DOB TO THEIR PROFILE.
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BY DEVEN JENKINS, YMU INSTRUCTOR
I recently had the pleasure of working with one of the greatest musicians of our time, Mike Phillips. Mike is a multi-talented instrumentalist whose specialty is saxophone, vocoder, and emceeing. Mike was born and raised in Mt. Vernon, New York, and while you can hear the influence of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Grover Washington, you can also hear the influence of hip-hop in his shows. Mike’s résumé is quite impressive. Here’s the list:
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Babyface, Rachelle Farrell, Bryan McKnight, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley & Blackstreet, Kenny Lattimore, Will Smith, Mariah Carey, and Notorious B.I.G.......Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Chaka Khan, Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson!
He’s worked with all-time greats, so he expects the same greatness when working with other musicians performing his shows. In my first encounter with Mike, I was with the band rehearsing the theme song from Golden Girls. I knew the song, but I didn't know this particular arrangement. So I’m in there “faking it until I’m making it” and I’m doing “good". My bandmates don’t really notice that I don’t know it. Unbeknownst to all of us, Mike is in the corner. He’s been there for about 5 minutes listening. He walks towards the stage, and the music director cuts us off. Mike doesn’t know me, so at that point, I begin to explain that I'm the only member of the band that hasn’t played with him yet and that I’m filling in for a friend. Mike says hello to the rest of the band and in what seems like slow motion, he turns around and calls me out for not knowing the arrangement. He offers corrections on how to do it the way he wants, I make the adjustments, and we make it through the arrangement. I must admit though, I was disappointed in myself. However, I know that I intentionally didn’t put as much effort into that particular arrangement because there were others that were way harder and required much more of my time (load management). Then, Mike says “Let’s play something with a little more stuff in it...Let’s play the ‘Prince, Stevie, Michael’ Tribute.” In my mind, I’m excited because I know that I can play this one in my sleep. It’s a medley comprised of Chaka Khan’s “I Feel For You” written by Prince, “Contusion” by Stevie Wonder, and “Lady of My Life” by Michael Jackson. We start with the Chaka Khan tune and I’m doing “my thang”. We cut the music, but this time he’s like an angry coach. “What are you doing? Why are you playing all of
those ghosts notes?... This is funk...This is BOOM! BAP!” Then he told me something that I will never forget. He said very calmly....”Never insert your stuff in places where it’s not supposed to be.” He went on to explain to me that he could hear that I was a good drummer and that he could tell that I played with artists that allowed me to bring my own stylings to the music. Sometimes when you play like that, you can take away from the nuanced things that make the song great. Again, he offered corrections. I took the instructions, made the adjustments, and everything was fine. Then we played "Contusion". This song has time signatures of 4/4, 5/4, and 6/4, which is more of my lane. “Ahh yeah, you’re in your bag now!” Mike exclaims. After that, we play a Chic Corea soli inside of another arrangement, and his response was so gratifying. “We’re going to have fun tonight.” Showtime. The first song we played was an arrangement of “We Are One” by Maze. We played with stems, which are a kind of backing track with certain auxiliary instruments used to make the songs sound bigger. Once the stems were done, we still had the groove going and he brought the band down so he could talk to the audience. He told them that he “is the product of hiphop, funk, jazz, and everything that comes from the negro-spiritual.” Then we did something that I know I won’t ever do again (unless it’s with Mike). We played a straight -ahead jazz feel over the chord changes, and then he turned around and started rapping! And he actually had BARS! He was amazing to perform with. I told him after the
show that playing with him was like playing basketball with Michael Jordan. Once you understand how good he is, you want to do your part and then get out of his way. I found out later that he is the only musician signed to the Jordan brand. Mike is hands down one of the best musicians I’ve ever played with. One of the things that impressed me the most is his ability to play in a way that average listeners can enjoy without it being too far over their heads. At the same time, he earns the respect of fellow musicians by not being cheesy on the instrument and on stage. Another thing is the amount of gratitude he shows the audience. He really played and entertained that small room at Chayz Lounge like it was Madison Square Gardens. He gave it all he had in every note, from start to finish. The thing that I’ll never forget about Mike, is his willingness to share his experiences and his knowledge of being in the music industry with us. It would’ve been so easy for him to fire us on the spot when we were messing up or didn’t give him what he was looking for. But instead, he offered correction and told us why it wasn’t cool to do what we were doing. He could’ve easily plugged up his phone with backing tracks and told us to go home. He was hard on us during the rehearsals and gave us all the credit during the show, and not everyone does that. I wish everyone could be like that.
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LITTLE music
Essentials
In-Person Piano Class with an Award-Winning Curriculum designed for ages 4-6 Imaginative Live Instruction Custom Interactive Games
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LITTLE music
Essentials
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Coming Full Circle By Kierra Gray, YMU Instructor 12
I recently had the opportunity to sit on the singer-songwriter information panel for YoungArts, The National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists. It was an honor to speak alongside Grace Weber, a 2006 YoungArts Finalist and Grammy Awardwinning songwriter (Chance the Rapper, Westside Boogie) and Chris Sampson, the National Selection Panelist for Voice and the Founding Director of USC Thornton's Popular Music Program. To be invited to speak to young singer-songwriters about my experience with YoungArts was nostalgic. I saw the enthusiasm and uncertainty in their eyes, and I remembered those feelings. Wondering if
you're good enough and hoping that someone will think you're talented. I especially remembered wanting permission to take myself seriously as a songwriter. And for me, YoungArts gave me that "yes." At that moment, I realized that I was now helping these new songwriters gain that same permission and confidence I now have. I was helping them realize that they didn't need to be "discovered" by anyone. They needed to discover themselves. I'd come full circle. To anyone waiting for someone to tell you that you're talented, you're talented! Don't wait any longer to do the thing you love!
Kierra Gray
Grace Weber
Chris Sampson 13
"MUSIC TOUCHES US EMOTIONALLY, WHERE WORDS ALONE CAN’T."
J O H N N Y
D E P P
Annual YMU Christmas Recital SAVE THE DATE
December 11, 2021 at 2pm AN IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL RECITAL! 14
We will see you there! 15
C O M M U N I T Y
E V E N T
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YMU
The Young Musician's University
2003
2021