Local students give back, host concert to benefit Montgomery County Youth Services

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Local high school students faced insurmountable tragedies this year as they mourned several deaths of their fellow classmates, including some suicides. Providing counseling support to the students was Montgomery County Youth Services (MCYS). This is why the organizers of Sound by the Shore chose the non-profit as the beneficiary for their second annual fundraising concert series to be held Monday, May 30 at Town Green Park from 5 to 9 p.m.

After raising over $5,000 in the concert’s first year for the daughter of a McCullough Junior High teacher, the group knew they had created something special. Jason Frantz, one of the original organizers of Sound by the Shore, said MCYS provided so much support to the community through this year’s tragedies, and they wanted to give back in a big way with a goal of raising $10,000 for the organization.

“The Woodlands is such a nice, well-off place,” Frantz said. “Underneath you don’t realize all of the stress and depression. It’s stuff you really don’t hear about. We’re able to bring out what they’ve been doing. [MCYS] does grief counseling, crisis intervention for teens and youth and especially suicide prevention.”

The event will showcase several local student performers and songwriters, including Clair Brockway, who will be singing three of her original songs at Sound by the Shore. Brockway was introduced to performance at a very young age by her step-father and has been writing her own songs for nearly two years.

“I have usually done my music for my own enjoyment and for fun, but this seemed like a great cause,” Brockway said. “I wanted to use my music to help someone else, and it’s really great.”

In conjunction with this year’s Sound by the Shore concert was an extra feature to supplement the cause, called The Genesis Project. A science teacher at The Woodlands High School was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and the team of performers put together an album of the songs they’ll perform at Friday’s event.

Brian Timtiman, a student at Lone Star College - Montgomery and aspiring music producer, used his own recording equipment and spent eight or more hours working on each song track. A project like this normally takes several months, but Timtiman was able to complete it in four weeks. Despite several hours of lost sleep, Timtiman said the project was worth the stress.

“I knew as a musician I’ve always looked for something that was more than notes on a page,” Timtiman said. “If you’re given a gift, I feel like you should use it to give to others. What I have isn’t something normal, so I want to use it and help someone out. I want to help and raise money, and I think this was the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Pulling together a group of talented students for the benefit of those in need is what the students’ passion to continue the event. Currently, they have raised about $8,000 from sponsorships alone.

“I think the beautiful thing about charity concerts is you’re able to pull together everybody’s individual talents and specialties,” Frantz said. “Music is awesome; everybody listens to music. There’s always something you can connect with, and it transcends all barriers.”