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(continued)
While teaching, McDowell located some former band mates and music comrades and was quickly reunited at the local hot spots and Broadway shows. One jazzy evening, an up and coming young star, Doc Severinsen, asked Ed. for career advice, “Should I go to Los Angeles or New York?” “ Doc”, McDowell said, “You’re real good! You’re gonna make it all the way. Go to New York!” The rest, as they say, is history.
Playing his trumpet in downtown Portland one night McDowell began to feel a little tired and weak and sparked a fever. He fell ill to the ravages of Polio, which caused Ed to retire from teaching and performing and spend the next five years recovering.
As Ed began to feel better, but not yet physically strong enough to endure the grueling schedule of Broadway, McDowell opened his own music store and gave music lessons to the kids in the neighborhood. Starting out in the basement of a friend’s house Ed rented musical instruments and did such a booming business that he quickly had to look for a larger location. He found a storefront in the Hollywood District and says “I had people lined up around the corner to rent musical instruments. We went great guns”.
Even though Mr. McDowell still suffers with bouts of post Polio symptoms and he says “It slows me down a tad”, he won’t quit.
One day in early winter, McDowell contacted Parkrose Middle School Band Director, Tawnya Garcia, to offer his help. As he lives in the area, and new at least one student at the school, Ed chose to share his knowledge and expertise there. That call out of the blue has resulted in a classroom helper Garcia dubs a “Super Volunteer”. “He’s been with us for almost a year now and he’s repaired our entire inventory of musical instruments.”
Garcia says the key has been McDowell’s knowledge of instruments. By making repairs on the bands’ inventory, he has freed up funds for other needs of the program. He has also expanded her knowledge of the care and treatment of musical instruments.
But one on one with the students is where this volunteer really shines. The kids are accustomed to him and feel comfortable seeking his help. He can provide one on one tutoring for the trumpet player working on a solo, the flutist seeking to improve before the big concert, or the student who has decided to make a change in instruments and needs to catch up to the rest of the band. This factor, Garcia says, is major, as the individual help will get a student up to speed much more quickly and with much less frustration than attempting to do so in the full band setting. When the kids are afforded the opportunity to succeed, they do.
McDowell lovingly volunteers his time, expertise and humor approximately two days a week with the kids. He told me that music is such an important part of being alive and says that people just feel better when they have music. McDowell is concerned that the music will go away if the school budgets aren’t worked out. He say’s he’ll protest.
McDowell says he still loves to play and does sometimes for the kids. In the spring of this year band director Garcia and McDowell played a trumpet duet with the kids during a school performance. “They get a big kick out of that, but you need to keep up with it”, he stresses.
McDowell says “I see excellent talent here and I hope I can instill a love of music in these kids.”
McDowell still drives himself around town and at 89 is going strong. Ms. Garcia says that Ed is an inspiration and gives the community a sense of what it’s all about.
Garcia is grateful to have another adult in the classroom. It comes as no surprise then, that volunteers with a music background will be welcomed with open arms. With characteristic humor, McDowell adds, “Tell them to be a bit younger than me!”
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