#87 Dave Welsch, bassist, educator, producer

Dave Welsch says, "I don't remember a time when there wasn't music in my life." His mother played piano, his father played trumpet and had weekend gigs, and Dave's first performance in front of an audience was when he was nine years old; he was gigging with his father at about fourteen. He learned music mainly by ear and playing along with records. He met Victor Wooten in 1994 and helped create Vic's first website. Dave has played with Vic, served as his assistant and tour manager, and was with Vic when his first music camp was held in 1999. Dave says, "Vic is an idea person," and had wanted to start a music and nature camp; the camps are now in their 20th year. Of the camps, Dave says, "I think we've really been somehow successful in making the connection between music and life." He says that so many students have grown personally from music, with many life-changing experiences, and so many fine musicians are wonderful people." Dave says that Vic's book, The Music Lesson, is rooted in the idea that music is a language. The audiobook is really special, he says, because it was all produced in Vic's studio with the people who inspired the characters. "The more you think about music as a language, the better you are going to learn it." He also says a key facet of music is "to look at music as a living entity." Dave says, "It's amazing to me always to watch people enjoy music … music affects them in some way that they don't care [how they are dancing]!" He says, "One of my goals in life is to make people smile," and that certainly happens through music.  When people go to concerts, they don't care about who the other people are, what color, what religion, they are just enjoying the music. And, he says, if we can do that for two hours at a concert, we have to be able to do that in the world. The feeling of community through music is so important, he says, "you feel empathy and compassion, and love for the people around you."