OMAHA, Neb. —
North Omaha Music and Arts aims to bring the joy and value of music to the community. Executive Director Dana Murray organized NOMA’s first master class with successful musicians ready to share what they know.
Whether it’s the strings, horn or percussion, music has the ability to make people stop and listen.
Saxophone player J.D. Allen says music is “a vehicle for expression, makes me feel special. You know I don’t feel invisible when I have my horn.”
Allen was one of the musicians who performed and took questions at the master class.
“Raising the awareness of music, culture and arts to the community. That’s our mission,” Murray said.
Murray is a jazz musician who’s known Allen for years.
“(We) played in all sorts of bands, toured all around the world together and it has been a friendship that has been very special and that has endured all these years,” Murray said.
As a drummer, Kendall Wooden values being able to learn firsthand from professional musicians like Allen.
“It helps me mature as a musician and honestly, as a person too because I think a lot of things they talk about.. go over into real life, like life outside of music,” Wooden said.
Allen said he loves that he also learns a lot from events like this.
“Any opportunity you have to sit, listen to someone or speak to a community is making things better for everyone,” he said.
You can find out about future events and NOMA’s website.