Beyond the Notes: One Man’s Journey

This is the story of a young man’s immigration and musical journey from high school to young adulthood and the adults who supported him along the way. Beyond the Notes is a story of becoming. If there is a lesson here, it’s that we are our past, present, and future in every waking moment. Each moment offers a choice and carries a responsibility for our future.

I met Farzin Dehgan Manshadi in Nashville in 2011 at age 15. He was a newly arrived immigrant from Iran, attending Overton High School in Nashville. I was then serving as Director of Visual & Performing Arts/Music Makes Us for the school district, a public/private partnership designed to enhance music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS).

Meeting Students Where They Are

Farzin immigrated from Iran to America, a county whose language and customs are vastly different from his home country. Farzin recalls the language barrier as the most difficult obstacle. He describes hearing a jumble of sounds that made little sense as he walked through the school hallways. With a laugh, he also describes his shock (and delight) at seeing students kissing in school, a behavior unthinkable in his home country.

To address the diversity and growing immigrant population in the district (and to put a stamp on music education in Music City), Music Makes Us expanded the music offerings from chorus, band, and orchestra to include mariachi, hip hop, sound recording, song writing, country bluegrass, and world percussion.

I recall visiting the world percussion class at Farzin’s high school, a newcomer’s class for immigrants who were finding their way into a new language and culture. Their intense concentration was rewarded with shy smiles in achieving a stated rhythm, a testament to the power of music and the instructor’s skill in communicating through demonstration, repetition, and encouragement. This high school, with its expanded music curriculum and welcoming environment, proved to be the perfect place for Farzin. Farzin had studied some music in Iran. His primary instrument is the kamancheh, a Persian type of fiddle.

Farzin’s Backstory

Farzin’s family fled Iran because of religious persecution. As practicing members of the Baha’i Faith, Farzin’s family and others faced intense persecution in Iran. Baha’i is considered a heretical religion by some Muslim clerics.

Farzin is the youngest of five brothers. His eldest brother had settled in Nashville earlier, and the family soon followed. Farzin attended John Overton High School, one of the most diverse schools in Nashville, serving immigrant students from over 55 countries who speak over 35 languages.

When I asked about his early days in public school in Nashville, he said “I would put my head down in class. It was so confusing, not understanding the language. My English teacher was a singer-songwriter [as is often the case in Nashville]. The teacher started playing country music in class. The music pulled me in. The lyrics gave me a reason to learn. I learned English through music.”  

Courage, Curiosity, and Commitment

It takes great courage for a teenager to seek out guidance from a teacher. On the teacher’s side, it takes great commitment to meet the student’s needs with unfailing support. Jason Walsh, Farzin’s percussion teacher, describes his student by saying, “I walked into the advanced world percussion class—and there was Farzin, all smiles and full of questions. So many questions. It was almost impossible to keep the class from becoming all about him and his endless curiosity about music… I made a deal with him: we’d work together after school as often as he wanted.”

In the decade since Farzin’s graduation, he recalls his high school teachers with genuine appreciation. Farzin describes his percussion teacher as “professional, kind, loving, and patient”. His piano teacher and band director also went above and beyond, opening doors and providing opportunities. In a pinnacle moment, Farzin was asked to prepare a speech and be recognized at the Superintendent’s State of the Schools address before the entire community.

Musical Immersion

In his senior year of high school, Farzin determined he would attend Berklee School of Music in Boston. The fact that the school did not offer anything in kamancheh did not deter him. Jason Walsh says, “It’s hard to be around Farzin and not believe in big dreams. His presence alone makes you feel like anything is possible.” Despite an ice storm the day of the audition and the fact that his instrument was not taught at the school, Farzin was accepted.

Farzin graduated from Berklee with a bachelor’s in music, majoring in strings performance. Later he earned a master’s with a focus on contemporary music from the New England Conservatory (NEC), another prestigious music school. The rigorous program at Berklee required that he master his instrument much as a violinist would, by playing scales and etudes as well as different genres of music, from Western classical to more traditional. At the New England Conservatory, he participated in over 100 curated performances, concerts, and residencies. Farzin performed in three touring shows and became well-known in the Persian music community.

When Sounds Collide

Farzin was well on his way to a solid performing career. The timing, however, wasn’t great. He graduated from NEC in 2021 at the height of the pandemic. As we can all recall, live music making was difficult. Performance opportunities disappeared, especially for lesser-known art forms such as Persian music. Farzin’s career might have been derailed a bit, but not his spirit.

Listening to Farzin perform an original composition on the kamancheh is a bit like hearing a Steve Reich piece for the first time. As a non-musician, my initial thought is there’s not much going on. For Westerners who are used to a distinct melody, rhythm, and key signature, contemporary Persian music can seem unknowable. When I sink more deeply into the sound, however, I experience a rich texture of inner thought, like hearing through a kaleidoscope. In describing his music, Farzin says, “It’s very minimal, but the main idea is the relationship of sounds to each other and what they produce when combined. It can be a bit jarring, but I did it to convey the sounds that are produced when two sounds collide.”

Artist’s Responsibility

Farzin emphasizes that an artist’s character is developed through awareness of all that is around him, which in turn leads to greater artistry, which in turn leads to greater understanding and a more advanced society. He believes that artists have a responsibility to their communities. “We are more than individuals sitting in our rooms painting or practicing our instruments. We are edifying and ornamenting aspects of the social fabric and translating that understanding and beauty to the lives of those we touch.”

Farzin is preparing to record his first album and continues to look for performing opportunities. In a time of uncertain support for the arts, he believes now is the time for artists to step up and lead by example. He thinks deeply about what it means to be a musician, how to convey inner thoughts to an audience through music, how to articulate the power of music, and the connection between music and education. In his view, to be a complete musician is to know everything about the music, beyond the notes on the page. Knowing the historical, social, and cultural context when performing enriches the experience for artist and audience.

Through Farzin’s music and his voice, we catch a glimpse of a larger world and all that connects us, all that keeps us human. I am grateful to Farzin for reaching out to me — beyond years, cultures, and generations. It reminds me to continue seeking out these deeply human connections-- beyond the notes.