DECATUR -- There are some artists and musicians who possess natural abilities to rise above their peers and become outstanding leaders in the arts, whether it is line drawing, painting, playing a keyboard, or even reading a complex musical line from masters like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. For band director Jesse Wyatt Owens, one such student stands out for not only his ability to play multiple instruments but reading different parts and transposing them to any other instrument.
Andres Gonzalez, a sophomore and member of the Decatur High School band, possesses the natural ability to read, transpose, and play a multitude of reed and brass instruments. Gonzalez displayed this ability during a recent incident involving missing instruments, music, and a regional band evaluation competition.
With no saxophone and music, the success of the Decatur High School band performance was in jeopardy. Here is where Gonzalez's natural ability at transcribing came into play.
During the March 7 Arkansas Regional band evaluation and competition in Bentonville, Owens found that he had a real problem with Gonzalez's instruments and sheet music.
Sometime during the ride between Decatur and Bentonville, the cargo door on the underside of Activities Bus 19 came unlatched, and Gonzalez's instruments fell out. Just where is still unknown. Once in Bentonville, Gonzalez' instrument was gone, and his music, which was in the case, was gone as well
"So he had a tenor saxophone in front of him, tuba part on one side and a trombone part on the opposite side, and between all three of them, he had the parts he needed," Owens recalls. "So I would see him read the tuba part, then squinting to see his tenor sax part. He read back and forth the whole time, and he didn't miss a note. And this was a live concert."
The Decatur High School band performance was one of its best for the year, earning all of them a 1 rating (the best rating possible) and acclaim from band directors across the state of Arkansas.
Owens is quick to credit Gonzalez's uncanny ability for saving the concert for the Decatur Band.
"This kid can transpose from any instrument to any instrument because he can play clarinet, all types of saxophones, French horn, trumpet, and euphonium trombone and can transpose in real-time," said Owens.
Gonzalez has been under Owens's watchful eye since he was in the sixth-grade beginning band. The next year, Gonzalez moved up to the Middle School band, where he received more advanced training in reading music and playing different instruments. It is at this point that Owens recognized Gonzales's special ability.
I gave him a flute part in seventh grade. This part was a really complex piece of music I planned to use just for the high school band," Owens remembered. "He played the euphonium by reading the flute part."
You can see Andres Gonzalez, Jesse Wyatt Owens, and all three of the Decatur bands during their final concert of the school year on April 30 at 6:30 p.m. at Peterson-Owens Fieldhouse in Decatur. And it is all just getting started for the young music student with a natural ability few musicians possess.
"I have known adult musicians and professors who cannot do what Andres can do. I think this 16-year-old is the best transposer that I know," Owens concluded. "He is really good, and I think a lot of it comes from practice and dedication, but I think there are some things that are freak abilities that people have."
Mike Eckels/Special to the Eagle Observer
During a pre-concert rehearsal at Peterson-Owens Fieldhouse in Decatur May 9, 2023, freshman Andres Gonzalez (center) responds after being recognized by Decatur Middle School band director Jesse Wyatt Owens. Gonzalez lends his talent to the Decatur High School band as not only a saxophonist but also on the french horn, alto saxophone and other reed instruments.
Mike Eckels/Special to the Eagle Observer
Andres Gonzales performs an alto saxophone solo during one of the Decatur Middle School band's spring concert selections on May 9, 2023. Gonzalez also performs solos for the Decatur High School band, including one at the end of the National Anthem during sporting events.