JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – March’s Positively JAX award honored Beaches Fine Arts Series, an organization that continues to inspire and enlighten the community through its arts programs.
For over 50 years, the organization has brought the arts to people for free — it’s a cultural gift to everyone.
According to its website, BFAS was founded by Jim Johnson, who discovered that the beaches had very few classical music offerings. He was determined to change that and wanted to affect others positively. This led to the founding of Beaches Fine Arts Series.
Since 1972, BFAS has offered people in North Florida the chance to “enjoy world class music and dance in an annual season of performances.”
Music is a universal language, and when it’s played or sung, it can be a magical experience for anyone, including students at Kernan Middle School.
“I saw things that I never knew existed in the musical world, and as a musical person myself it was kind of interesting for me,” one student said.
The Kings Return, an all-male quartet, went to the school to perform a free concert through the Beaches Fine Art Series. They also spent one-on-one time with students in the classroom.
“They were so excited. You can see they were standing up and I mean, they were getting papers from everywhere,” Trina Fisher, a gifted teacher at Kernan Middle School, said.
Students asked the quartet members, “Can you sign my autograph?”
The members were happy to oblige.
“It was so nice of them to stand there and take the time to sign autographs,” Fisher stated.
Tracy Morris, director of educational programming at BFAS, works closely with Fisher because when there’s a free community concert, those same artists leave the stage to interact with Duval County students.
Morris and Fisher believe that experiential teaching makes a big difference.
“The kids are able to grasp onto something and say, hey, I can do this. I can play the piano, I can sing, I can do a voiceover,” Morris said.
Thousands of students have unfiltered access to the program a year.
When a student asked Grammy-nominated pianist Aaron Diehl to play a different instrument, Diehl actually fulfilled the request.
Fisher said one student asked if Diehl could play the organ. He then went to the instrument and played it.
The series includes free concerts and educational sessions aimed at enriching the community with the arts.
BFAS pays the artists and transports students to free concerts at St. Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church and downtown St. John’s Cathedral.
“Removing the barrier of having to purchase a $50 to $100 ticket is huge for our students and the community. If they’re able to come and interact with world class artists, that’s an amazing thing,” Morris said.
Morris plays the saxophone, and he recalled what motivated him to try something new.
“I had exposure at a very young age. I had a fantastic music teacher, Ms. Jenkins, back in the day. She introduced me to music and the rest is history,” Morris said.
He said his teacher was the one person who really motivated him.
He’s happy to give back to the community and says that it’s a “full circle” moment.
Sometimes, all it takes is a simple question, an organization with heart, or someone who shows others that the sky’s the limit.
BFAS creates an enriching and priceless experience for these kids when it comes to the arts, and that is Positively JAX.
