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Ravenwood High School marching band director Chris Janowiak got an unexpected phone call on Saturday.
It was from Tiffany Kerns, executive director with the Country Music Association Foundation.
There were four days before the 52nd annual CMA Awards when Kerns asked Janowiak if the marching band from the Nashville suburb of Brentwood could learn a brand new song to play with Thomas Rhett during the awards, which are broadcast to millions of viewers nationwide.
His answer? Absolutely.
“We had to scramble to put this thing together really quick,” Janowiak said. “It’s been a whirlwind.”
The marching band’s woodwinds, brass and percussion sections performed with Rhett as he sang his song “Life Changes,” from his third studio album released last year with the same title.
Janowiak had previously connected with the CMA Foundation through his tenure as marching band director at Antioch High School in Nashville, so he was the natural person to call when the need arose for a band.
By Sunday afternoon, Janowiak and the band had their sheet music. The rest was on the students to learn their parts for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I said, ‘Go home and learn this.’ We met before school started on Monday to piece everything together, and the kids were champs,” Janowiak said. “They took that music, did their due diligence and learned all those parts. It just speaks to their level of commitment for their program.”
The band spent all day Monday rehearsing with Rhett at Bridgestone, then watched the video of their rehearsal on Tuesday to tie up any loose ends. Janowiak said it’s remarkable that the students were able to learn a new song so quickly.
“That time table is ridiculous. That’s a professional musician timeline,” he said. “Their ability to tackle that head on is really impressive, (and) I’m really proud of them.”
The CMA Foundation is the nonprofit arm to the Country Music Association that works to enrich music programs across the country. To date, the CMA Foundation has invested over $25 million into music education, with money raised each year at CMA Fest.
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Reach Elaina Sauber at esauber@tennessean.com, 615-571-1172 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.
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