Alice Chauvin SWAMPQUEEN
2006-03-20 15:26:10 UTC
Instrument fulfills a purpose in man's life
By Kristen Bird
Correspondent
Published March 20, 2006
LEAGUE CITY =97 Professional bagpiper Stanley Fontenot remembers the
moment he knew he wanted to play: Feb. 13, 1997.
Fontenot, who lives in League City, was attending the annual Dickens on
The Strand Festival in Galveston. Watching a pipe band perform, he knew
this was a pivotal point in his life.
"(Bagpipes) have the ability to alter people's emotions," he said.
"They're unique in the sound they produce."
Fontenot recalls that during his early days as a bagpiper, those sounds
were not always pleasant.
"When I first started playing, (I would) just quack, and it went all
over the place," he said. "It's really because you've got this octopus
of an instrument that you don't know what to do with."
But two hours of daily practice =97 a habit he still maintains =97
allowed him to begin playing in public within 10 months.
Today it's not unusual for Fontenot to perform at 100 events a year. He
plays at weddings and funerals, parties and Celtic festivals.
Every few months, he takes the bagpipes on mission trips to other
countries.
"My desire is to serve the Lord using my bagpipes and to touch people's
lives," he said. "It's a tool to help open that door."
Fontenot initially planned to be a firefighter. But a simple thought
became a passion.
"The pipes are a part of me and are used to fulfill a greater purpose in
my life," he said.
Fontenot teaches a dozen students at his home. One is Eddie Selden of
Seabrook, who became interested in the pipes after hearing them during a
business trip to England and Scotland.
"It's an absolutely extraordinary instrument to play," he said.
"(Bagpipes) are addictive. Playing them is a physical sensation unlike
any other instrument."
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Swampqueen - Reine des Bayous!
LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULLER!
CHER YOU GOT'A DANCE LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHIN' & LOVE LIKE IT AIN'T EVER
GONNA HURT WIT' MOJO & The Bayou Gypsies
http://www.redhotmojo.com/
By Kristen Bird
Correspondent
Published March 20, 2006
LEAGUE CITY =97 Professional bagpiper Stanley Fontenot remembers the
moment he knew he wanted to play: Feb. 13, 1997.
Fontenot, who lives in League City, was attending the annual Dickens on
The Strand Festival in Galveston. Watching a pipe band perform, he knew
this was a pivotal point in his life.
"(Bagpipes) have the ability to alter people's emotions," he said.
"They're unique in the sound they produce."
Fontenot recalls that during his early days as a bagpiper, those sounds
were not always pleasant.
"When I first started playing, (I would) just quack, and it went all
over the place," he said. "It's really because you've got this octopus
of an instrument that you don't know what to do with."
But two hours of daily practice =97 a habit he still maintains =97
allowed him to begin playing in public within 10 months.
Today it's not unusual for Fontenot to perform at 100 events a year. He
plays at weddings and funerals, parties and Celtic festivals.
Every few months, he takes the bagpipes on mission trips to other
countries.
"My desire is to serve the Lord using my bagpipes and to touch people's
lives," he said. "It's a tool to help open that door."
Fontenot initially planned to be a firefighter. But a simple thought
became a passion.
"The pipes are a part of me and are used to fulfill a greater purpose in
my life," he said.
Fontenot teaches a dozen students at his home. One is Eddie Selden of
Seabrook, who became interested in the pipes after hearing them during a
business trip to England and Scotland.
"It's an absolutely extraordinary instrument to play," he said.
"(Bagpipes) are addictive. Playing them is a physical sensation unlike
any other instrument."
Save Mail Print Comment
=A0
=A0
Swampqueen - Reine des Bayous!
LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULLER!
CHER YOU GOT'A DANCE LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHIN' & LOVE LIKE IT AIN'T EVER
GONNA HURT WIT' MOJO & The Bayou Gypsies
http://www.redhotmojo.com/