Last year the Springbrook High School Music Department received the Grammy Signature Gibson Award for its outstanding piano program.
This year, Braxton Cook, a Springbrook senior, auditioned and was accepted into the 2009 Grammy Jazz Ensemble. Hundreds of talented youth in the United States and Canada sought entry.
Braxton, an Atlanta native, has been playing the alto saxophone since the fifth grade. His parents are his musical inspiration. His mother, a classically trained pianist, works for the Centers for Disease Control. His father, a professor at Georgetown Law School, played the trumpet in high school. One Christmas, his father was given a saxophone. He played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” for Braxton. It was then, that Braxton was captivated with that instrument.
As a freshman at Springbrook, Braxton auditioned for the jazz band, but did not make it at first. Being denied acceptance at that time, gave him the drive to practice more to master his craft. Braxton kept trying and was finally accepted. Since then, he has performed with the marching band, symphonic band, jazz ensemble, jazz combo, and the Springbrook Orchestra all of which are directed by Mr. Wyman Jones, who serves as one of his musical mentors.
Outside of school, he is a member of the Montgomery County Jazz Band, the Maryland All-State Jazz Band, Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy Orchestra, and when he finds time, he plays with his friends in their own band.
Braxton says, “Being awarded the honor of being selected to perform with the Grammy Jazz Ensemble has changed everything. There are scholarship possibilities that have opened doors. There are musical connections that will allow me to be amongst some of the finest student musicians in North America.”
In the near future, Braxton hopes to attend either Howard University, North Carolina Central University, or the Manhattan School of Music.
Info compiled by Sarah Kinard
