Younger musicians get chance

High school music students Max Wassinger of Bensenville and Alex Harrison of Glen Ellyn got a view of the Taste of Chicago from the stage.

The Merit School of Music was founded in 1979 when the Chicago Public Schools eliminated music from the elementary school curriculum. The school provides opportunities for Chicago-area students to excel in music through a variety of programs, including private instruction, classes and ensemble performances.

Harrison's experience at the Taste of Chicago left him yearning for some of the tasty cuisine.

"I left home early in the morning and we didn't finish until 4:30 p.m. I remember feeling extremely hungry during our performance," he said.

But he particularly enjoyed the outdoor venue, as well as hearing immediate audience feedback.

"People were yelling and screaming, 'Yeah!' while we played. We got a lot of applause," he said.

When it was over, he finally had his chance for a taste, sampling ribs, chicken and Chinese food.

Wassinger thought the Taste was "the most stressful gig I've ever played. I couldn't find my music. I knew we were being videotaped and all I could think of was you could see me shuffling through my music while everyone else was playing."

On the plus side, Wassinger said, "There was a huge TV screen in back of us and bleachers set up around the stage. You could hear us from Lake Shore Drive to Congress."

Harrison is a recent graduate of Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn and Wassinger is a senior at Fenton High School in Bensenville, where he also plays in his school band and jazz ensemble.

Laura Wassinger was in the audience while her son was on stage.

"Many of the performances we've attended have been filled with parents and families of the musicians. It was nice to see people hear their music and walk toward it. People were listening for their own enjoyment," she said.

John Wassinger, Max's dad, said, "I'm the guy at every one of Max's practices working on my laptop in the back of room. I also take him to all his gigs. It was very nice to see the kids perform on a stage where they were the focal point, where there was nothing else going on. It was great to see how well received they were by people who don't know them."

Max Wassinger, who began playing the saxophone in grammar school, says his musical tastes include anything composed before the '70s.

"I don't think stuff now is as complex or as deep," he says.

But if you put on Benny Goodman or John Coltrane, you'll definitely have Wassinger's attention.

Harrison, on the other hand, favors jazz and funk.

"I can dig a little bit of everything, but I like jazz the most," he said.

Harrison will attend Harold Washington College in the fall, as well as continue working with the Merit School. In the future, he plans to compose and "just play everywhere -- bars, weddings, anywhere."

Wassinger plans to spend his senior year finding a music college that fits him. He hopes to study music education while continuing to perform.

Michael McLaughlin is the musical director of the Merit Honors Jazz Ensemble, as well as a Merit School instructor, and knows the importance of performances.

"One of reasons why the Honors Jazz Ensemble has done so well over the years is that we perform in public a lot -- 20 or 30 times a year," he said.

"This is a wonderful incentive for the students to work extra hard so they will sound good; no one wants to sound bad in public. These performances are real-life training, just like what professionals do. They have to get to the gig, set up, play, tear down and get back home. And they get paid. That's the biggest incentive of all. Some of the students, by the time they get to college, have done 70 or 80, which is a huge advantage."

When asked what the future holds for young musicians like Harrison and Wassinger, McLaughlin says, "You mean besides a life of poverty and obscurity? You have to really want to do it, because the material rewards just aren't there.

"Our purpose is not really to create future musicians, although that does happen. We really are just trying to turn kids into grown-ups."

For now, that's enough for Harrison and Wassinger.