Eythan Carter, 11, a sixth-grader at Kitty Stone Elementary School, has his future mapped out and is well on his way toward those goals. Despite the fact that he just started to play the trumpet this year, he is determined that he will become one of the greats. Those who know him best, have no doubt that Eythan can and will achieve this distinction.“I have heard him up in his room practicing,” said Sherry Carter, Eythan’s mother, “and he will be playing parts of songs that are well above his current level. I ask him if that is something he learned at school and he tells me that it is just something he picked up here or there.
“Having only played for a short time, he is already learning to play songs and melodies by ear. I think that is just amazing.”
In all fairness, however, while Eythan only picked up a trumpet recently, he has been immersed in the musical world for most of his life and was introduced to the trumpet years ago.
Eythan’s uncle, Kevin Meads, is an accomplished trumpet player. He has spent countless hours honing his skills in front of the watchful and attentive audience that was Eythan. He has spent numerous evenings working one-on-one with his nephew helping him to develop a deeper love and understanding for the instrument.
“My uncle Kevin started playing the trumpet when he was in the fifth grade,” explained Eythan, “and that is just what I wanted to do. Only, Kitty Stone did not start offering classes until this year. So, I had to wait a year before I could actually start playing and learning, but that did not keep me from working with Kevin.”
After getting a jump start along the early leg of his journey, Eythan got an even greater boost to his trumpet skills when he was afforded a luxury that few young students ever experience. Recently, thanks to some connections that his uncle has made in the music industry, Eythan got to sit in, one-on-one, with legendary trumpet player Maynard Ferguson.
“It was an awesome experience,” said Eythan. “He put on a concert at Homewood High School, which was great, and then we got to go backstage and meet him. We got to take photos with Maynard and he showed me a thing or two.
“Maynard told me to keep playing and never stop, no matter what. He said he believed I could make it in the business.”
While many may not recognize the name, few have not been introduced to Maynard Ferguson’s music. An internationally renowned big band leader, he is considered as one of the world’s greatest trumpet and brass instrument players.
Ferguson has recorded numerous film soundtracks throughout his career, including the score for The Ten Commandments. Perhaps his most famous work, however, was the recording of a song entitled, “Gonna Fly Now,” on Columbia, which became the theme for the movie Rocky and rocketed him into pop fame. The song earned him a top-10 single, a gold album (Conquistador) and a Grammy nomination in 1978.
Along with his band, Big Bop Nouveau, he has recorded numerous albums over the years, the most famous of which was entitled, “The Cats Can Swing.”
For Eythan, meeting Ferguson was a dream come true. It further cemented his desire to strive for greatness in the music and entertainment business and added fuel to the fire that burns within him.
Already jamming to tunes like, Jingle Bells, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Mary Had A Little Lamb and others, Eythan has vowed to never give up or give in until he reaches his goal of stardom.
“I am working on learning to play Rocky,” explained Eythan. “That is my immediate goal. I think I am well on my way to learning it. I listen to it and try to sound like Maynard.
Eythan’s parents, Sherry and Darren Carter, admit they are very proud of their son.
“We support him in every way possible,” explained Sherry, who played saxophone in high school and marched with The Southerners as part of the color guard from 88-91. “It excites me to see him getting such enjoyment out of music. I am going to back him no matter what road it takes him down.
“There is a world out there for this kind of music that most people are not even away of. This goes so far beyond high school.”
Eythan hopes that one day his siblings, Taylor and Tyler, twin sister and brother, will follow in his footsteps and they can all play together.
