Page 104 - July ONLINE VERSION

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ZGP: Do you feel you have some conduit to
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this energetic musical force, as described by tions. Just like humanity, there is no one-size-fits-all.
Tom Petty? We connect best by tapping into each individual's
essence; it is how I teach and how I live. I would be
"It is kind of a dangerous business looking deeply into wasting my time with my students if I'm working
the germ that creates songs. I don't like to stare at that to make them all sound the same. Instead, I focus
DAVE
light very long. There is some kind of actual magic going on individual talents, and when brought together, a
on there. I feel that for some reason, I was born with beautiful harmony is created, connecting each per-
By Tammy Yosich some kind of conduit to this energetic force." son. The only way to bring out the best in a student
---Tom Petty, 2015 is by being patient, kind, and nurturing. For me,
it is easy to provide a sympathetic ear and attitude
David Michael Thomas would not refer to himself as a prodigy or a musical genius. Music was ingrained in his I know when I was younger, I was able to hear music in because I've been in their shoes.
soul before he was born. His parents – T. Donley Thomas and Margaret Lawless – were both classical musicians. my head almost as clear as you would hear a radio, but
However, generationally that is as far back as it goes as his grandparents were not musicians. After graduating there was nothing there. My parents realized I could ZGP: If you awoke tomorrow and there
high school with honors, his father was accepted into Eastman Conservatory of Music in Rochester, New York. play by ear when I was seven. My mom entered the was no music, how would you create it?
T. Donley, enlisted in the Army as a member of the armed services band corps, afterward became the first Amer- living room where I am playing the theme song to the
ican to renew a Fulbright Scholarship, continuing his studies in Vienna, Austria. Dave lost his father in 2014, but nighttime drama show, "Dallas." Curious, I just told It would start with that primal scream. It is really
his love of music and education lives on. Dave’s mother continues to play music today. her it was the song I heard from that show you and dad where keeping time began. The first caveman re-
watch. alized the pitch and how you could change it. It
Both T. Donley and Margaret played in the Paducah (Kentucky) Symphony Orchestra for years. His father was impacted members of their tribe in magical ways.
an assistant professor of music for over thirty years, and after retiring in 1999, the family moved to Jackson. Jack- I think it was a shock to my parents that I had…I don't Music has always taken on a larger-than-life per-
son, Tennessee, provided vital opportunities for musicians because of its sweet spot between two major music want to call it an advanced ability, and I don't like the spective if you think about how music began, such
cities: Nashville to the east and Memphis to the west. Thomas, while twelve when he moved to Jackson with his term prodigy, as I like to think I have worked for my as the Gregorian Chant or the 15th Century cathe-
family, considers Jackson his hometown. talents. I put in a lot of practice and effort. I believe dral music. I couldn't live without it. I know I would
you can have an aptitude for music, but you still must not be the only one attempting to create music if we
work that craft to sustain it. The muscle memory is not found ourselves without it.
Most local folks know Thomas as a stellar pianist; however, Thomas started his musical journey with the violin. going to happen with consistent effort. I was blessed
Thomas was two years and nine months old when enrolled in Suzuki Violin lessons. This violin training meth- with a piano teacher – Jean Hammonds- because she
od originated from Japanese violinist Shinichi Suzuki, who believed in applying the basic principles of language made me feel there wasn't anything I couldn't do if I
acquisition to music learning (TO LEARN MORE click here https://suzukiassociation.org/about/). put in the time and work. I studied with her for a year; David Michael
Jean gave me an amazing gift and confidence.” Now, Thomas can be
During a violin recital, Thomas and another musician on stage had a disharmonious exchange that ended with as a teacher, Thomas imparts this same wisdom to his seen playing his
Thomas utilizing his violin as a debate ender. Thomas's parents and the other child's parents decided Thomas students aged seven to thirteen. piano all over town.
would be better suited with a much heavier, less swing-worthy instrument. Thus, after being dragged off the I can certainly at-
stage by his ear, Thomas began piano lessons four months later. As far as a conduit as Petty describes, possibly I have test, once you have
that, but I also know that you could lose that connec- seen him play, you
ZGP: What other instruments do you play? tion without work. I think music is the closest to magic will never forget
I can do a little something with almost anything I pick up. I have been trained in the piano, cello, and trombone. that we have. Music crosses cultural and language the performance.
I have not played the trombone in such a long while, and the cello, I am reasonably proficient. I taught myself to boundaries. It is magical that people who may never Thomas has music
play the guitar from what I had already learned from the piano and cello. come to the United States adores the music that flows in his soul, and it
from the U.S. The Rolling Stones and the Beatles were shows on and off
ZGP: Who are some of your musical influences? Young Dave Thomas influenced by the blues coming out of this part of the the stage. I was fortunate to
Well, I have a tattoo of Beethoven on my leg, so we could certainly start there. At country. interview Thomas “off stage”
thirteen I watched the film, "Great Balls of Fire," for the first time. During the movie, and to experience firsthand
Dennis Quaid, as Jerry Lee Lewis, plays "Great Balls of Fire" and halfway through the ZGP: How can music connect humanity? his compassion for human-
performance takes a bottle of bourbon and pours it all over this magnificence black I know for me, music got through to me more than ity and for music; both just
piano and lights it up. I stood up, pointed at the screen, and told my buddy that is what anything else could. I have seen this work for oth- as authentic as when he
I want to do. I had no backup plan, but I knew that was what I wanted to do and perhaps er people as well. It is not lost on me that when I'm plays his beloved piano.
have the chance to set one on fire as well. teaching my students music, I'm also giving them

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