BY MARY THACKER
CNHI
Rockwall County —
Sitting across the table from 18-year-old Emily Davis, it’s hard to believe that this pretty and petite young lady was the head drum major of the Rockwall-Heath High School 200-member band this past year.
Being born into a musical family, her mother, Tracy, introduced her to the violin at the tender age of 3. Starting with a tiny 12” instrument, Emily remembers receiving a gold star at her first recital when she was just 4 years old. As she grew bigger, so did her violins.
“My mom has all my violins displayed, from the smallest to the biggest,” laughs Emily.
When Emily was about 9 years old, she was performing as a member of the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra. During a rehearsal, her mom noticed that Emily’s violin bowings were different from those of her older colleagues. In other words, while everyone else’s bows were moving up and down in perfect unison, Emily was just “doing her own thing.” During the break, her mom asked her sternly, “What are you doing up there? Why are you not playing your part?” Emily’s response was, “I don’t like my part! I like the flute part better because it is prettier.” She was making it up and playing it by ear. Amazingly, the conductor didn’t notice.
She began playing the oboe when she was a sixth grader in the Midlothian School District. “My family had gone to dinner with a bunch of my dad’s band director friends. I knew I wanted to be in the band, but I didn’t know which instrument I wanted to play. Everyone was throwing out ideas. My dad suggested the oboe, because the notes are the same as the violin, and there aren’t a lot of people who play the oboe.”
The family moved to Rockwall when she started high school, because her father, Benny, was offered the position of band director at RHHS, and her mother began work as head of the RISD orchestra program. Emily continued to excel at both violin and oboe, making All-Region all four years she competed in oboe and all three years she competed in violin.
She also went to State all four years in violin. (Contestants are not allowed to audition for the State level with more than one instrument.) When asked which instrument she likes the best, Emily said,
“I love the oboe and don’t want to ever stop playing it, but if I had to pick just one, I’d choose the violin. I play the violin on a whole different level than I play the oboe.”
When talking about her experiences in the RHHS band Emily says, “It’s more than just music. The members of the band are people who want to do something with their lives. They’re disciplined and smart. The goal of the band is to improve you as a person.”
During summer freshman band camps, the drum majors try to instill a feeling of family, of belonging, in the new band students.
“We don’t want to intimidate them. We want them to know that we’re their friends, and we want to make them feel at home,” Emily earnestly adds.
One of her biggest “wow” moments during her time in the band occurred at one of the competitions this past fall.
“I had a 102 degree fever, and I had even passed out during the prelims,” Emily recalls. “Everyone gave me lots of water, and my dad said, ‘Honey, I can’t just let you out of this. You have to do this.’”
The directors let Emily sleep right up until it was time for the RHHS band to perform a piece by Aaron Copeland. During the performance Emily starts out conducting the group from the top of a six-foot ladder. Suddenly, she climbs down, grabs her violin and plays a section of music. Then she throws down her instrument and scales the ladder again to continue directing.
Thankfully, she managed the feat but has no memory of the event.
Being the daughter of the band director was difficult, because neither Emily nor Benny wanted anyone to think that she was receiving preferential treatment. In fact, her dad went out of his way to make sure that Emily was never favored. When Emily received the honor of the Sousa Award which is given to the outstanding drum major each year, Benny called her into his office and said, “I promise this has nothing to do with me being your dad.”
He told her that the other band directors had held a meeting about who had earned the Sousa Award, and they had worked hard to find someone besides Emily who deserved it. In the end it was decided that there was no one else but Emily who could receive it.
Emily has served the community of Rockwall by playing whenever she was asked. When approached by the RISD Administration, she played during their annual banquet, even though it was prom night.
“I came in my prom dress, played three or four songs, and then I left for the dance,” she remembers.
Last fall, she played her violin at the Rockwall Children’s Chorus winter concert, entertained folks during the RHHS Holiday Homes Tour fundraiser, played with a string ensemble during the Rockwall County Alliance for the Arts gala, and visited nursing homes with the RHHS Jazz Band. Emily plays in the New Conservatory Orchestra of Dallas, the New Life Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Contemporary Worship “Day One” Band, Chapel Orchestra, and Sanctuary Orchestra at First Baptist of Dallas. In addition, after winning a scholarship from Dallas Chamber Music Society, WRR requested that she play on their Classic Café Talk Show.
“Everyone there was so nice. I felt like I was playing for friends,” Emily recalls.
This summer she’s working as a waitress to supplement the scholarships she’s received from the Lakeside Civic Chorus and the Rockwall County Alliance for the Arts.
She is heading to the University of North Texas, her mother’s alma mater, in the fall to pursue a double major in Music Education and Violin Performance. When asked what her dream job would be after she graduates, Emily couldn’t decide.
“If I picked one now, I will probably change my mind by the time I graduate,” she said. “There are so many music-related jobs out there that I don’t even know about yet.”
