Attractions
It’s Big Band Swing Time in Texas
By Jessica Crabtree
For the fifth year in a row, North Central Texas College and school director Dave Alexander will be welcoming in 25- 30 kids for the annual Dave Alexander’s Big Texas Swing School July 14-18. When registration closes July 1, kids ages 12-17 from all over the great state of Texas and Oklahoma will be stepping into a camp unlike any other.
The idea behind the big swing band camp is to promote the art of western swing and teach young musicians to perform in a western swing big band. The cost per student is $750, but scholarships are available to lessen the cost. Besides meeting the age qualifications, the only other requirement is that each student brings his own instrument.
One may wonder what instruments make up a Big Texas Swing Band; those include the piano, base, drums, fiddle, guitar, saxophone, trombone, clarinet and trumpet. There is also a vocal section within the camp. For five days and four nights, the students go through a series of daily classes. Those sections include theory class for understanding the basics of music, group study, individual study, improvisation and vocal class. To read more pick up the July 2015 issue of NTFR.
It’s already March and the smell of springtime parties and special events is in the air.
Everybody knows in order to have a great party, you’ve got to have the right music.
Well, that’s where my friend Katie Dieter comes to the rescue.
Katie, aka DJ KD “The Spinner,” has been spinning the right mix for parties and special events throughout North Texas for years now. Her passion for music helps to make your special event one your friends will never forget. Whether you’re planning a wedding, banquet, school event or just a backyard get-together with friends, DJ KD “The Spinner” is the right call for you.
To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Seems lately these days Texas is becoming the envy of musicians from around the world.
With the overwhelming response to “Yellowstone,” the television series, Texas once again finds itself under the microscope of the world, much like the late 1980’s TV series know to all around the globe as “Dallas.”
With that said, the musician population in Texas is beginning to grow as many aspiring performers turn their sights on Texas instead of Nashville. Meet my newly-found friend and fellow musician Grace Partridge. This youthful 19 year old has recently made Texas her new home. She began fiddling at age four in Rigby, Idaho. Grace worked her way through the National Fiddle championships in Weiser, Idaho, becoming a five-time national champion. She’s even played on the Grand Ole Opry. Still yet, her desire to become a true Texas Fiddler has brought her to the Lone Star State. I’m pretty sure we can thank Bob Wills for that.
To read more, pick up a copy of the January 2024 issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
On Nov. 4, 2023, the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra will present an evening of Texas Cowboy, Country and Western Swing with yours truly, Dave Alexander and the fabulous Quebe Sisters.
Enjoy the music of Bob Wills, Willie Nelson, Gene Autry and many more of your Texas Music favorites performed with a full symphony orchestra. We also will feature music from my latest CD, “From The Saddle To Symphony Hall,” along with some of my own compositions. It is guaranteed to be a night to remember.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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