Westminster Jazz Band selected to Perform in Missouri History Museum’s “History to Our Ears” Recital

Town & Country – The Westminster Christian Academy Jazz Band recently applied for and was accepted to perform in the Missouri History Museum’s “History To Our Ears” recital.

On March 13, 2013, the six young musicians – Michael Becker, Danny Dwyer, Patrick Farmer, Justin Henry, Dongbin Lee, and Christian McGhee – will take the stage at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. From classical to jazz, the evening’s performances will reflect the diversity of Missouri and the strength of its young musicians.



As part of the application process, musicians were required to identify a connection between history and their musical selection. The Westminster ensemble will perform “Pass the Peas” by Maceo Parker of James Brown’s band, which had a significant impact on the 1960s civil rights movement through performances that were designed to ease tensions and address race issues.



Because the event celebrates the power of community, musicians also needed to provide a brief statement of their collaborative process in working together to prepare their performance, demonstrating their reflection on the challenges and opportunities of teamwork. Westminster’s musicians noted that listening is the most essential skill in performing with a musical group. They say in their statement: “In order for the group to play well, [each musician must] execute [his] individual part while listening closely to the other parts to see if [all parts are] completely in sync and blending well. When you listen in this way while playing music it’s like all the instruments come together to form one large instrument.”

All ensembles will also participate in coaching on March 11 and 12 in preparation for the recital.