With a combination of nervousness and excitement the orchestra began to play. A huge audience was seated before the orchestra members, lining the cushioned seats of the auditorium. The musicians were almost through with their piece when all of a sudden; disaster struck. The director forgot to cue their bass player in. But the audience would never know. The smooth sound of the bass came in anyway, perfectly on time.
The Winter Concert was Benji McGinnis’ first concert at BHS and was filled with the biggest audience they had ever played for. Sophomore Benji McGinnis has been playing bass since fourth grade and is in the Advanced Chamber Orchestra, Music Collective and String Orchestra.
McGinnis said they decided to play bass because of their favorite band at the time, “Lake Street Dive.” Inspired by the band’s double bassist Bridget Kearney, the sound of the bass was particularly interesting to McGinnis.
“It was more of a groovy style than classical. So I always knew that I wanted to do jazz. [Bridget Kearney] was definitely a part of me becoming a jazz musician as well [as] a classical musician,” McGinnis said.
McGinnis discovered that they wanted to do more with bass in sixth grade when they had the opportunity to join a program called the Brookline Youth Orchestra. The Brookline Youth Orchestra, an audition-based orchestra for middle schoolers, put on a couple of performances throughout the year.
“The music was harder and it felt like a challenge, but I enjoyed it a lot more than what we were playing in class,” McGinnis said. “At that moment I was like ‘This is something that I want to seek out and keep in my life.’ ”
Band director Carolyn Castellano, who started working with McGinnis their freshman year, admires McGinnis for their talents and varied interests.
“Benji has really great, natural musical instincts and is very open to playing all different kinds of music that I wouldn’t think other students would know about,” Castellano said. “That’s impressive to me, not just the playing, but the musical knowledge of what they listen to.”
Orchestra director Nina Bishop worked with McGinnis their first year playing bass and now works with them again at the high school. According to Bishop, McGinnis is not only always prepared for class and has been since their freshman year, but is also prepared for the demands of such a large, difficult instrument.
“Bass strings are thicker, so it takes longer for the instrument to speak. You have to be preparing sooner to make the sound happen on time. And I think Benji does a good job with that,” Bishop said.
Still, anxiety before performing is a common experience for musicians. McGinnis handles nervousness before performances by grounding themself.
“It’s helpful to center myself and exist in my own separate space from the audience and in this music world. Usually once I start playing, it’s smooth sailing. I’m in the zone, I’m focused.” McGinnis said.
Despite feeling nervous before performances, McGinnis said that playing in front of an audience has only grown their passion for the bass.
“I really loved playing in front of an audience and I loved that I got to share music,” McGinnis said. “I just felt such a rush of joy after I was done and everybody was clapping.”
Although McGinnis sometimes finds it hard to balance their music with their schoolwork, they have found ways to stay motivated and disciplined.
“Managing schoolwork and practice is something I’ve worked hard on, and it was really difficult for me last year, but I try to do my music as soon as possible, because that is my priority,” McGinnis said. “I try to practice at least an hour, because once I start practicing, I really do enjoy it.”
McGinnis hopes their journey with music will continue to grow and would like to explore different musical routes that lay ahead.
“I definitely see music in my future,” McGinnis said. “It’s something I want to keep in my life, and I want to do as much as possible because I love it.”
