From football games at Cathedral to state-level piano competitions, junior Benjamin Parr has made music a defining part of his high school career. Now, through his St. Andre Project, “Playing for the Parks,” Parr is using that passion to raise money for national parks facing environmental and financial challenges.

From the moment he was born, music has been an inspiration and an importance in Parr’s life. Growing up in a family whose love for music brought them together, with parents with musical backgrounds and brothers who play many instruments, it was only natural that Parr would then have entered into that same world.

Parr said, “What made me dive deeper was just the simple joy of listening to music. As the player, I am also the first listener before the audience, and I love being able to tell stories through sounds that I can experience first hand.” 

At Cathedral, Parr is often found playing the drums in the band at football games, in the stands at pep rallies, and at other school events. In addition to playing the drums, he plays guitar in One House Village and is highly skilled in piano.

This year, he won a Gold rating on his Level One piano solo at the ISSMA and moved onto State. Cathedral’s Band Director, Ian Callen, said, “Ben Parr has played an important role in defining the culture of the Pride of the Irish through his dedication, passion, and humility. Ben is a prime example of a multi-instrumentalist. He is a phenomenal drummer, marimbist, pianist, and trombone player.” 

Though this piece was known to him already, performing it in front of a panel of judges brought a new challenge, as he had to focus on expressing emotion and interpretation rather than simply playing the notes correctly. Parr said, “There’s always something new to take out of it, often in the way one chooses to interpret different phrases and dynamic markings.”

As a junior at Cathedral, Parr has begun preparing for his St. Andre Bessette Project. Wanting his service project to reflect his love for music, he created “Playing for the Parks.” Through countless visits to state and national parks across the Midwest, his love for nature began from the feeling that arose when in that environment. 

Being surrounded by towering rock formations and expansive views, Parr was reminded of how vast the world truly is. He reflected on how nature can make a person feel small, and in having that feeling, where something is bigger than oneself and the life they live, reminded him of how little he actually is and how huge the world around him is. 

Parr said, “Music can have a personal feel, like talking to a best friend over lunch, but it can also be larger than life, like a full orchestra, in what I often describe as an ‘ascending’ feeling. God’s creation can be the same. It can be the details of the way a squirrel interacts with you in your backyard, but it can also be the millennia old formations of rock towering over you that can make you feel very, very small.”

Recognizing that many parks face environmental and financial challenges, Parr decided to focus his project on raising money to support them. By performing music at various locations, he hopes to fundraise money to go directly to the National Park Foundation, so that future generations can experience the same sense of wonder he felt. 

Like many musicians all over the world, Parr has been faced with challenges that test his motivation and inhibits his love for music. Knowing that lack of motivation is something all musicals experience and struggle with, he has learned how to step back when needed so that he can continue to grow and find solace in his music.

Parr said, “I’ve learned that it’s okay to step away from something, even for just a little bit, and take a different approach for a while. My piano teacher once told me, when I was obsessing over little details of a song, something I really liked: ‘we’re making music, not perfection.’”

Through his St. Andre project and as he continues to perform, Parr hopes music will remain a lifelong part of who he is. For him, music builds community no matter where he is in life. Parr said, “It’s a beautiful international language that offers so much to learn, and if someone else can learn something from my music, about me, themselves, or the world, then I have succeeded.”