4 minute read
Jazz guitar takes Sioux Falls student to Carnegie Hall
It’s been a whirlwind year for Sioux Falls Washington High School junior Emmanuel Michael. This spring he was selected to tour with a small jazz combo of elite high school musicians as part of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz peer-to-peer outreach program. This summer he’ll spend two weeks rehearsing with the New York Orchestra Jazz band of 24 young musicians, play a concert with the group at Carnegie Hall and then travel for two weeks in Asia, playing jazz guitar and making new friends.
The NYO Jazz tour, led by trumpet legend Sean Jones and renowned jazz singer Kurt Elling, will travel to China, South Korea and Taiwan. The program, in its second year, gives outstanding young jazz musicians from across the country the opportunity to perform as cultural ambassadors, sharing a uniquely American musical genre with cultures around the world. It’s the chance to play with world-class musicians that has Michael excited about the summer opportunity.
Emmanuel Michael (left) teaching peer- to-peer at McLain High School in Tulsa, OK during the Herbie Hancock tour. Photo by Bart Marantz.
His NYO band mates will probably feel the same way about hearing Michael play, according to Washington High School director of bands Kiley Coyne. The Hancock Institute directors chose Michael to participate in their tour as soon as they heard him perform with his high school group when the 2018 Hancock combo played at Washington High School.
Normally, all Hancock Institute student musicians are recruited from one of 11 national performing arts high schools in major metropolitan areas. Because of his talent, Michael was immediately recognized as the kind of student the Hancock tour wanted—and he was added to the 2019 roster. Coyne said college music programs have also been keeping an eye on Michael since his freshman year, shortly after he taught himself to play guitar—just one of the instruments he’s mastered.
“If there’s a part that needs to be covered, we’ll ask Emmanuel,” Coyne said. “We needed a tuba in our concert band, so that’s what he plays. Recently, we asked him to fill in on drums and, four days later, he had the drums. The best part is his ear for it. The mechanical things are simple for him—he just thinks about how it should sound.”
Michael has always been surrounded by music. His parents are immigrants, and his father plays piano and sings in their church. Michael grew up setting the stage for church ensembles and he developed his ear for music from Sudanese hymnals. He took percussion lessons in fifth grade, learned tuba in seventh grade and picked up the saxophone in eighth grade, marching with a sax until he became the Washington marching band drum major. His method of learningto play different instruments is uniquely his own.
“I try not think about it,” he said. “If you want to sound good, imagine how it sounds to your ear. It’s better not to overcomplicate. If you think about each step in driving—how hard to step on the gas pedal, which mirror should I be looking at, all the individual details—you can’t do it. With music, you have to take a breath and use your ear.”
After hearing about the NYO Jazz program on Facebook, Michael applied to be part of the 2019 band. He wrote an essay and sent in a video interview and an audio audition recording. It wasn’t easy getting a spot in this touring big band, but the competitive nature of being one of 24 elite high school musicians playing on the Carnegie Hall stage isn’t the important thing to Michael.
“I like being in an environment where there’s a lot of love,” he said. “I don’t see the competition, just the talent level and the hard work by other students. I like making music and I like the kids—you make lifelong friends.”
Those musical contacts are as important to Michael at Washington High School as on the international stage.
“When I’m playing with other people, I push my ear toward them,” he said. “Music is interactive—you base what you can do off them. I feel like I can learn from other people’s playing, wherever I am.”
With his senior year still ahead of him, Michael isn’t making any plans for the future, besides knowing he will attend college somewhere—and knowing that he’ll keep making music.
“I love Sioux Falls,” he said, “but I want to see the world and become more well-rounded. I want to keep making relationships with other people and see what’s out there.”
Coyne believes that Michael’s future lies in performing and is helping him prepare for the musical challenges ahead.
“We’re doing what we can to help Emmanuel understand that he can do anything with his talent,” she said. “He’ll be able to choose a place to pursue his education with a full ride scholarship, and then I hope he will advance to a larger music scene, where his talent really lies.”
For now, making new friends and seeing a bit of the world with them is enough for Emmanuel Michael and his guitar.
“Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “I’m going to involve myself in music wherever I go—I just love making music with other people.”
The Herbie Hancock Institute National Performing Arts High School All-Star Peer-to-Peer Jazz Sextet, with Emmanuel Michael on guitar. Photo by Bart Marantz.
