Bugle Boy Songwriting Workshop Concert Held
On Thursday, June 9, eight remarkable young women aged 15-23 graced the stage of the Bugle Boy listening room in La Grange, for an evening of songs accompanied by award-winning Texas artists Terri Hendrix and Lloyd Maines. The concert was the culmination of an unforgettable week of songwriting and fun organized and presented by the Bugle Boy Foundation in collaboration with the Schulenburg-based non-profit organization “And Then A New Day,” founded by Erin Wotipka, which works to help young adults with learning challenges find a meaningful purpose in life.
It all started that Monday and Tuesday, when Hendrix and Maines led a two-day songwriting workshop with the And Then A New Day crew at Jack & Mary’s in Schulenburg. The young participants each had the opportunity to work one-onone with the professional artists, who helped them write and choose their own songs to sing relating to their personal interests, ranging from mythological mermaids and griffins to faith, family, and friendship. Hendrix, a member of the prestigious Texas Commission of the Arts Touring Roster, who has released 20 albums and been recognized by Acoustic Guitar magazine as one of Texas’ essential contemporary singersongwriters, is no stranger to working with kids of all ages and special needs and abilities, Hendrix successfully ran her own Hays County-based arts non-profit, the OYOU (“Own Your Own Universe”), for the last decade. Hendrix’s longtime studio and stage collaborator, Maines, a widely renowned Grammy-winning music producer and Austin City Limits Hall of Fame inductee was very much at home teaching and creating with the gifted young women, too.
After writing and working with Hendrix and Maines on Monday and Tuesday, with the supervision of And Then staff members Amber Treybig and Emalee Fey, the And Then A New Day girls went home to practice their songs to perfection in preparation for Thursday night’s big show in La Grange. After two sets, in which each young woman performed their song either solo or with accompaniment from Hendrix and Maines, the night ended with everyone onstage together to sing the Bruno Mars hit, “Just the Way You Are.” The Bugle Boy was packed with delighted family and friends, and the whole concert was live webcast for loved ones who were not able to attend the show in person.
The program was part of the Bugle Boy Foundation’s music-based outreach programming in Fayette County and was funded with grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts, Second Chance Emporium and Texas Women’s League.
More information about the Bugle Boy’s programs can be found at www.thebugleboy.org. The Bugle Boy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.