Dawson Kids Make The Most Of Their Talents As Members Of The White Mountain Symphony

By Linda Kor
   Analisa and Robert Dawson of Holbrook are typical kids in many ways. Robert plays football at Hol-brook High School and participates in Show Choir, and Analisa is an avid reader who enjoys playing soc-cer, baking sweets and sewing cross-stitch. They are bright students who are home-schooled along with four other siblings by their mother, Vicki Dawson, while their father, Robert Dawson Sr., works as a physician’s assistant at a local health clinic.
   One thing that isn’t so typical about these kids is their attitude about what they are able to accomplish. Analisa, who is 13, and Robert, who is 14, tend not to hesitate when taking their abilities to a higher level of accomplishment. As evidence of that, both Analisa and Robert have been accepted to play violin with the White Mountain Symphony Orchestra. While there are other teenaged students from the area who per-form with the orchestra, these kids are among the youngest, and Analisa is the youngest performer in the 29-year history of the orchestra.
   The orchestra consists of 40 musicians who perform throughout the White Mountains with a repertoire that includes full orchestral works, chamber music, concertos, and collaborative performances with choirs and dance troupes under the direction of Maestro Theresa Bailey.
   The assumption would be that these kids must have been playing for years in order to qualify for the caliber of performance required for the orchestra. In reality, though, the Dawsons had been playing for less than two years when they moved to Holbrook. Then they went 15 months without playing as they waited for their new instruments to arrive.
   “I was really nervous,” explained Vicki. “I had signed them up for auditions before they even had their instruments, and when they came, they were the wrong ones and had to be sent back.” As it was, the new instruments arrived late, leaving the Dawsons only a week to practice for the audition after more than a year of not playing at all.
   When asked how often they practice, Analisa immediately piped up, “An hour a day.” Robert just smiled and didn’t comment, but later explained that his schedule is pretty full and he fits it in when he can. “I play football at Holbrook High School and it’s elk hunting season...,” his voice trailed off.
   Typical kids, right? Well, maybe. But Robert is also working on his Eagle Scout rank while pursuing an interest in photography, a talent that brought him the Best of Show award at the Navajo County Fair. Analisa also took home the first place award in the fair’s talent show for her skill with a violin and was the champion of the Navajo County Spelling Bee earlier this year.
   It’s clear that both Analisa and Robert have many gifts and that they are encouraged to use them. Dur-ing our interview, Analisa performed a rowdy hoedown piece while Robert played a slower, more spiritual piece. Each of them displayed distinctly different styles that let you know they play from the heart. “Analisa likes the hoedown music, but it’s not my thing. I like more classical music and spiritual pieces,” Robert said. Analisa gave a sideways glance at her brother, then added that she likes to play all types of music and enjoys versatility.
   They began playing while living in St. George, Utah, and would attend an early morning class for an hour before school began each day. When the Dawsons moved to Holbrook, Vicki immediately began looking into possibilities for her kids to use their talents.
   “When I signed them up for the orchestra I had no idea that it was through the college. I just wanted them to try out so they could have an opportunity to perform,” she recalled.
   When Analisa was accepted to the orchestra and her parents were asked to sign a release form due to her age, she realized what it was about.
   “Honestly, I don’t know that I would have pursued it if I knew it was through the college, I wouldn’t have thought of it as something they could be a part of,” she said.
   When asked how it felt to perform in the orchestra in front of an audience, Robert just shrugged and said, “When you practice, you just kind of work through it, but once you’re performing the adrenaline kicks in and then, well, you know it and it comes out better than you expected.”
   The Dawsons’ musical talents are not just limited to the violin. Both have played the piano for many years, and Analisa plays the flute, while Robert is pursuing an interest in guitar.
   You might expect that with all this artistic talent these bright kids would be planning to pursue a career in the arts, but that’s not the case. Robert anticipates joining the military in order to eventually pursue a career in politics, while Analisa plans to attend Brigham Young University to study marine biology and continue in her musical endeavors.
   “Sometimes I’ll hear people say that the kids are really good at the things they do, but they have to really apply themselves,” explained Vicki. The Dawson kids are typical kids in many ways, but making the most of their abilities makes them, like it would any of us, exceptional members of our community.