Quency Doenges is a 2nd year student at Baylor University currently working on his master's degree in Percussion Performance. He started playing piano at 8 years old and practiced for 5 years. He eventually got into playing percussion instruments and was intrigued because you must audition to become a percussionist. Quincy enjoyed the longevity that went into the development of a complete percussion performance. Unlike a lot of other music artists who could perform on the fly or with little to no preparation, the pieces that a percussionist must formulate could take months to create and perfect before ever showcasing it to an audience. He is the type of percussionist who meditates to combat daily stresses as well as any anxiety that may come from such
grand high stakes performances where everything must be conducted perfectly as a whole. One thing that Quincy thinks will come as a surprise is the fact that auditioning can be very challenging and competitive. At times, there could be up to 500 percussionists auditioning for just one available spot. Many people don’t know that a lot of auditions are screened to help tackle the diversity problem that exists in the percussion world. Quincy says that the audience may or may not like the way he plays music, but what keeps him going is the opportunity to present a different style of music to the community that most people may not have heard before. This talented artist mentioned how stressful some musical works could be but urges aspiring artists to find that relation period while performing.
Quincy says the unique thing about percussionist performances is that there is a strong motivation and appreciation for the music to be played perfectly. He also feels like collaborating with other artists can produce better artists as well as more powerful performances. He personally would refer to himself as a chamber musician because he performs with other percussionists in a group. Jazz music is one genre that Quincy feels is phenomenal since the musicians can communicate with each other solely through the music as opposed to words. He says that at the end of the day, his collaborations consist of the artist expressing specifically what the composer intended for the audience to see or feel. MAP Digital Magazine was excited to find out that Quincy
Doenges has a solo recital on March 31, 2023, to display his skills, talents, and overall evolution as a person and artist during his time at Baylor University as he acquires his master's degree. He will be playing old and new music spanning from compositions created within his own group, The Waveform Collective, as well as music from the 1700’s to showcase a wide variety of sounds. Quincy is also set to travel to Europe this summer to attend 2 festivals, one in Germany and the other in Italy.
Make sure to visit www.QuincyDoenges. com to connect, follow, and support!
Doreen Ravencroft is the Festival Director at Waco Cultural Arts Fest. This is a nonprofit corporation that was created to advertise multicultural events for Waco as well as all Central Texas areas. The goal is to encourage the celebration of diversity and foster a stronger understanding of cultural differences through art. The motivation for the fest is to honor art education and community in a powerful way. Each year she puts together a K-12 kid's summer camp for all the kids in the community. She also has projects in place that work with students with disabilities. They are starting a program at the Yellow Cottage Kitchen, which will act as a culinary training vocational center that will cater to kids that have or need to acquire a certain level of adaptability.
The Waco Cultural Arts Fest is currently planning to do its annual “Art on Elm” event on Mother’s Day weekend. This used to be put on by NeighborWorks in the past but has been their project for close to 6 years now. Following that event would be a 7-week summer camp for kids with autism which should start
mid-June and go into the later part of July. Children will be able to spend 2 to 3 days a week learning and expressing themselves through the creation of artwork and projects. Several kids in the community need a place to be productive, creative, artistic, and safe. The Waco Cultural Arts Fest strives to provide those things, including accommodations for certain kids with autism who require feeding tubes and things of that nature. There will be well-designed activities that will involve the manipulation of clay with the hands for finger and thumb strengthening and neuromuscular control building and collage creation for hand eye coordination. By the end of the 7-week camp, the children would have created approximately 500 pieces of art in total. Make sure you sign up, inquire, and get involved with The Waco Cultural Arts Fest locally or through their website www.wacoartsfest.org
Wrecking Ball Pythons is a business by Richard Telfer who breeds Ball pythons. He is very knowledgeable in the living art of pythons. When these animals first hatch, they have an egg-skin that will last for about 2 weeks. At that point, the pythons will have shed that egg-skin and gain their actual permanent color. Ricky has been in the snake business for nearly 2 years and has a strong passion and appreciation for them. One of his favorite things to do is to hang out with his pythons, let them lounge on or next to him and relax. Ball pythons are nonaggressive and usually shy and defensive around humans. They are more likely to hide than attack someone. Another fun fact about these artistic creatures aside from them having several different colors and patterns on their skin, they are called Ball pythons because of their tendency to curl up in a ball and hide their heads. Ricky says, “People fear what they don’t understand.” So, it was interesting to find out that even if you were to get bitten by a ball python, the bite feels like the tough side of Velcro, and it's described as the opposite of a dog bite regarding intensity or pain. The snakes that have recently hatched are the ones that are the most defensive simply because they are the most helpless and naturally feel like every animal around them is likely to attack or eat them.
Ricky says that the key to cohabitating with python is for the pythons to be properly socialized. There is an artistic approach to handling Ball pythons, and the benefits can be experienced by individuals as well as families. Ricky used to tell his daughter stories of a 7-foot Burmese Python that he used to have. Eventually his daughter wanted to get a python. So, after she discovered a pretty, Caramel Albino python with a similar appearance to Ultramel and Monarch, they purchased the python and named it Karma. This motivated him to start breeding pythons since he had knowledge of their genetics. As a result, he began taking his daughter to reptile expos and searching Morph Markets to find new and unique Ball pythons to add to their collection. At the current moment they own approximately 40 snakes and are in the process of increasing that number soon. Email WreckingBall.Pythons@gmail.com or call 254-652-7801 for questions about pythons or purchasing them.
Shway Designs was started by Julian Rosas, who was strongly influenced by his family’s longstanding history of artistic talent. Both of Julian’s parents are involved in the art of music and music production. His grandmother absolutely loved to paint, and she was his main motivation for him to pursue an artistic path. With this level of motivation, Julian took it with him to school at Texas Tech from 2016 to 2020 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in studio art. After graduation, he honed his skills to become an artist outside of a school setting. His focus was metalsmithing but expanded his skillset to a point where he became an artistic jack of all trades. His favorite form of art to create would be pen drawing. Not so much of people, but instead, more along the lines of perspective, location, and still life focused art. Julian says that he wants
his art to capture the charms of life and express himself. He strongly believes that art can be positive and therapeutic. For him, the ideal time of day and location for his creative process to take place is late in the day and outside if the weather permits. In the city of Waco, Austin Avenue is one of his go-to spots. One of Julian’s long-term goals is to open a store front or gallery but for the time being, he would like to focus on connecting with the community and just doing art. Shway Designs was a name Julian and a close friend of his came up with around 2014. In the Urban dictionary, “Shway” means cool, so the name kind of fit perfectly. Two of the most influential people that impacted Julian’s approach to getting a degree were art teachers from high school. Originally, he wanted to become an art teacher, but it was suggested that he take the studio art path because he could learn
more and further develop his skills as an artist. A third influence was a sculpting professor at Baylor who was a vital mentor to him as well. To avoid burning himself out on artwork, Julian goes with the flow and may often leave and come back to his creations as ideas and feelings come to him. Collaborating is something that Julian feels is important for the art community, and he agrees that you can do great and unique things together rather than apart. The ideal collaborator
is someone who compliments your energy. Julian believes art could help the city in several different ways, and he boldly says, “The miracle isn’t surviving, but instead the miracle is to properly heal.” Julian hosts a weekly event called Plein Air Day, inspired by impressionist artists who would paint a finished piece in one sitting outdoors, and bring people together! Everyone, follow Shway Designs on Facebook or TikTok!
