{"id":1271,"date":"2019-08-19T09:33:30","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T09:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/?p=13"},"modified":"2019-08-19T09:33:30","modified_gmt":"2019-08-19T09:33:30","slug":"sherwin-williams-making-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/sherwin-williams-making-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Sherwin Williams: Making Beautiful Music is a Calling & a Duty Not a Job"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The performances of Sherwin Williams takes listeners on intricate musical passage by way of his favorite instrument \u2013 the saxophone. There really is no one who is not awakened when Sherwin commands his instrument with authority and grace and leaves his audience breathless with his musical delivery.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMusic was the only thing that brought me true joy,\u201d Williams says, speaking of finding his niche from the onset of his junior high years. Suggesting that society has not quite come to terms with areas such as music as being mainstream and marketable careers, Williams confirmed his determination to pursue a music degree from as early as high school. \u201cMy level of talent spoke for itself and so despite their initial feelings, most persons encouraged me and had their hopes set high for me to be successful,\u201dhe says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senior music major, who feels that music is a part of his destiny, seems to be living out his dream. Currently, he forms part of some of St. Thomas\u2019 most popular bands, including The “VI Jazz Collective” and “Milo\u2019s Kings,” and has played with almost all the bands on island at one point in time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, at the age of 20, Williams established himself as the founder and leader of “Shut Down Band,” which brought together a group of UVI students. His unwavering love for music surpasses all other interests and as such even his activism in the church is centered around music. Williams is the music director of music ministries in the Bovoni Baptist Church in St. Thomas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dion Parson, chair of UVI Music Department<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

His stage experience extends beyond the shores of the Virgin Islands. He has wowed crowds in New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C., Florida, Atlanta, Tennessee, Maine, Puerto Rico and Jamaica. \u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of great experiences performing, so I don\u2019t know if I could pick a favorite. However, one that stands out in my mind as a truly memorable experience, would be getting to sit in with the 21st<\/sup> Century Band at Dizzy\u2019s Club Coca-Cola in Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore so than money, music is spiritually and emotionally beneficial,\u201d says Williams. Performing is \u201cmore of a calling and a duty than a job.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>Sherwin Williams<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI strongly disagree with those who suggest that there is no money in the music business,\u201d says Dion Parson, chair of the University\u2019s Music Department. \u201cThere are a number of rare opportunities in music that many don\u2019t know exist; we just imagine that being a teacher is the only option. You can be a music therapist, producer, writer, director, engineer and so much more.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy inspiration comes from my family and my faith in God,\u201d he says. \u201cFamily can be extended even to friends and mentors. Seeing the interaction of life around me, whether it be positive or negative, beautiful or ugly, happy or sad, it all inspires the music and musician I am in some way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams credits the altruistic guidance of UVI professors Dion Parson, Calvin Jones and Dionne Donadelle for their exemplary careers that make his dreams appear attainable. He also credits his parents, Shermena and St. Laurence Williams, for their unrelenting support as he pursues a non-traditional major. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sherwin Williams performing at UVI’s Charter Day Ceremony<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUVI\u2019s Music Department has served not only the Virgin Islands, but the Caribbean region,\u201d says Parson. \u201cEighty-five percent of the music teachers in the Virgin Islands are products of UVI\u2019s Music Department.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many things that he is proud of, the department\u2019s chair said, \u201cI am elated by the progressive direction in which we are heading.\u201d The Music Department is expected to launch a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in music, theatre and dance in Fall 2019. Other offerings within the department includes a Music Industry Certification program and piano classes for senior citizens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department boasts of an all-inclusive music program, which caters to the musical interests of all students. Staunch believers that \u201cknowledge is of no use unless you put it into practice,\u201d music majors are provided endless opportunities to bring their talents to the stage. The Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band, Concert Choir and Steel Pan Ensemble are the gateways through which UVI majors make their way to stardom.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A member of  UVI\u2019s Jazz Ensemble, Concert Band and Sax Ensemble, Sherwin Williams is already a household name in the Virgin Islands who believes that, \u201cIf you take care of the music, the music will take care of you.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The performances of Sherwin Williams takes listeners on intricate musical passage by way of his favorite instrument \u2013 the saxophone. There really is no one who is not awakened when Sherwin commands his instrument with authority and grace and leaves his audience breathless with his musical delivery.   \u201cMusic was the only thing that brought me true joy,\u201d Williams says, speaking of finding his niche from the onset of his junior high years. Suggesting that society […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.uvi.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}