MUSIC
A Musical Inheritance, Trumpeter Builds Band Program by Torsheta Jackson
Kimble Funchess often plays in the metro as a member of the Jackson Horns when he is not instructing young musicians at Yazoo City High.
as a student at Jackson State University. The musician took a hiatus from JSU to tour with blues legend Johnny Taylor. Playing with the Taylormade Orchestra opened numerous professional doors for Funchess, including opportunities to perform on studio recordings for local music companies with artists like Willie Clayton and Denise LaSalle. Funchess was also often hired
to help complete the tour band when groups such as The Temptations performed in the area. However, the dream of teaching music lingered, so he returned to Jackson State University and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education. He served as band director at Yazoo City High, Peeples Middle School in Jackson and McComb High School before landing at Yazoo County High. The 12-year educator, who also holds a master’s degree in school counseling, has created a program called “Mindfulness Through Music.” The program combines music and counseling techniques to improve classroom behaviors. It offers professional development for teachers on how to use music to increase skills such as focus, relaxation and following directions for students. Funchess, who continues to play professionally with the Jackson Horns in the metro area, hopes that his students will see the diverse possibilities that music offers. “We want our students the opportunities to be in the education side of music in the classroom or to know that they can perform at churches (or) professionally,” Funchess says. “There are tons of jobs out there where people had their initial start in music.” To learn more about Kimble Funchess, visit kimblefunchessmusic.wixsite.com/mysite-1 or follow him on Facebook or Instagram.
Looking for something great to do in Jackson? Visit JFPEVENTS.COM for more.
COMMUNITY Summer Legal Clinic Series June 12, noon, Online. The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project hosts the series of workshops to explain and answer any questions from the general public regarding the following legal matters: irreconcilable differences (no fault) divorce, uncontested guardianships, simple wills, advance healthcare directive, power of attorney, and felony and misdemeanor expungement matters. Participants can join the workshops online or by phone at 872-240-3412 (access code: 214-158-133). Free admission; call 601-882-5001; email rkennebrew@mvlp.org; mvlp.org.
KIDS 10th Annual I Got Bank National Youth Essay & Art Contest June 10-June 24, all day, Online. OneUnited Bank sponsors the 10th-annual financial literacy contest for youth between the ages of 8-12 years old. Participants either write and submit a 250-word essay or create and submit an art project about what they learned from the book “I Got Bank!,” or from another financial literacy book available in their library or home, and how they can use what they learned in their lives or the lives of their families. Free admission; email suzan@circleofonemarketing. com; oneunited.com.
FOOD & DRINK Free Drive-Through Lunch June 18, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., at Hinds Behavioral Health Services
(3450 Hwy 80 West ). Hinds Behavioral Health Services offers free drive-through lunch with a goody bag and drug prevention resources. Free admission; call 601-321-2400; email outreach@ hbhs9.com; hbhs9.com.
SPORTS & WELLNESS Soul Synergy Virtual Yoga June 10-11, June 15-18, June 22-25, 10 a.m., Online. Soul Synergy offers a virtual yoga class. $7 individual class rate; call 601-992-7721; email soulsynergycenter@gmail.com; soulsynergycenter.com.
LITERARY Welty at Home | A Virtual Book ClubJune 10, noon-1 p.m., via Zoom. Eudora Welty House & Garden and Mississippi Department of Archives & History host Virtual Book Club to explore Eudora Welty’s novel- “Losing Battles” over a period of 10 weeks, an average of 45 pages per week with live book club discussion on Zoom led by Welty’s friend and biographer Dr. Suzanne Marrs. Those unable to make the Zoom video call can follow on Facebook and Instagram. For more information email info@eudoraweltyhouse. com. Free to the public. Free admission; call 601353-7762; email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com; find it on Facebook. “The Hour of Fate” Reading June 12, noon, Online. Author Susan Berfield reads from her book. RSVP required at hillary@lemuriabooks. com. Link and password provided upon reservation. Free admission, reservation required; call 601-366-7619; lemuriabooks.com.
CREATIVE CLASSES Virtual smART Spaces Classes June 10, June 12, June 15, June 17, June 19, June 22, June 24, 9 a.m., via Facebook Live (Online ). Hattiesburg Parks & Recreation holds creative class covering various art styles and topics online. Free admission; call 601-545-6682; find it on Facebook.
PROFESSIONAL & BIZ The Board Assessment: Taking the Pulse of Governance in Action June 11, 2-3 p.m., Online. The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy hosts the webinar on board assessments, processes and governance. Registration required. . Admission TBA; call 601-968-0061; email connect@alliancems.org; thedatabank.com. Fifty-Three Ways For Board Members To Raise $1,000 June 17, noon-1 p.m., Online. The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy hosts the webinar on the ways that board members can strategically raise $1,000 for their nonprofit organization. Registration required. Admission TBA; call 601-968-0061; email connect@alliancems.org; thedatabank.com. CEO Space Virtual Gathering: Southeast June 17, 1-2:30 p.m., Online. CEO Space hosts a virtual gathering of business leaders so that they may network. Registration required. Free general admission; Eventbrite. The Executive Director Performance Review: A Nonprofit’s Commitment June 18, 2-3 p.m., Online. The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits
and Philanthropy hosts the webinar on executive leadership performance planning and review to provide a framework for board members and executives’ decisions and processes. Registration required. $20 members, $40 non-members; call 601-968-0061; email connect@alliancems.org; thedatabank.com. Your Board and Crisis: How to Handle Adversity June 23, 9 a.m.-noon, Online. The Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy hosts the webinar on identifying and thinking through components of successful crisis response strategies. Registration required. $69 members, $109 non-members; call 601-968-0061; email connect@alliancems.org; thedatabank.com.
RELIGIOUS Thursday Morning Live June 11, June 18, 7-8 p.m., via Facebook Live. The Highland Colony Men’s Roundtable hosts the Christian worship event on Facebook Live. Free admission; find it on Facebook. Aldersgate Jxn Virtual Worship June 14, June 21, 11 a.m.-noon, Online. Aldersgate United Methodist Church holds worship services via Facebook Live. Free admission; call 601-3668071; email aldersgateumcoffice@gmail.com; find it on Facebook. Country Woods Sunday Worship June 14, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., via Facebook Live. Country Woods Baptist Church in Byram hosts online worship services every Sunday morning. Free admission; call 601-371-7955; find it on Facebook.
June 10 - 23, 2020 • jfp.ms
EVENTS
Valerie Crancer
K
imble Funchess lifts his arms and young musicians, seated side-by-side in arched rows, position their instruments. With the drop of his hands, the band begins playing. The Yazoo County High School’s band director smiles as the melodies reverberate through the room. Funchess, a member of the Jackson Horns, began the school’s music program in 2014 with a group of sixth graders who had never before held an instrument. Within three years, he had established a competition-ready program, an accomplishment befitting a man who has spent much of his life engulfed in music. Discovering music in elementary school, the fifth grader, inspired by Louis Armstrong, convinced his parents to allow him to join the band program. “I remember seeing (him) on a television show, and he was playing his trumpet. After he played his last note, he opened his arms, threw his head back and (did) that laugh that everybody knows him for,” Funchess said. “When I saw how they responded to him, I knew that was something that I wanted to do. Whatever he was sharing with the world and whatever he was getting back, I wanted that.” The Crystal Springs native mastered the same horn as Armstrong, the trumpet. He played in his school band throughout middle and high school and continue to do so
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