Teen Pianist Charms Crowd at Ragtime Festival
WEAU, Wisconsin
Lindsay VeremisMost teenage boys spend their time playing video games or hitting the basketball court. But 14-year-old Adam Swanson spends his hitting the keys.
"I play all the time, hours every day I just enjoy it," Swanson said.
It all began when he heard a ragtime song on line. The sound sparked his interest and his drive to play music some may call a challenge.
"I've been told it is, it's a lot of fun for me most of it's not that hard," he said.
With a little natural skill and a lot of hard work, he's become a ragtime star, performing alongside musicians double his age. Musicians like Jeff Barnhart, a festival headliner who's happy to share his love of rag.
"It is a crowd pleaser, you can't help but have your toe tapping and a happy smile on your face," Barnhart said.
He performs at rag festivals across the county, but says he always looks forward to playing in Eau Claire.
"The festival has been a week long event, it actually started earlier in the week when we were going to all the schools in Eau Claire from elementary school to high school," Barnhart said.
Sharing their talent and our nation's rich musical heritage.
"Ragtime was the first American music," he said.
"Almost all popular music today as long as it's syncopated, it's based on ragtime," Swanson said.
And in Eau Claire, that music does more than entertain, it gives back to the community.
"It's a beneficiary for charities every year," Swanson said.
This year's funds go to the Habitat for Humanity. And as the festival continues, those funds grow each year. Since the first event, more than 50 thousand dollars have gone to local charities.
"It keeps growing every year," Barnhart said.
And with talented preforms like Barnhart and Swanson that's no surprise. The due helped end this year's show on a good note, while keeping scores of fun for next year.
