We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Arty Whittenberg a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Arty, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I believe my purpose in life is to serve others and to make the world happy through music! My dream is to inspire the masses with love and the abundant pleasure of freedom to be who you are! My music is a painting of my life and all that I have encountered and overcome! My story is a story for the ages!
The way I found my purpose was honestly an accident. Music has always been a huge part of my life because of my Grandmother Mildred Ballard. She was a well-known Gospel singer and Community Activist. I grew up around the music community because my grandmother raised me as a child and teenager. We were always around music artist like Kirk Franklin, James Cleveland, Fred Hammond, Al Jarreau, Billy Preston, Shirley Caesar, Edwin and Walter Hawkins and many more! Music was naturally something I loved, but never imagined becoming a music artist or a music educator. My purpose, which is music, chose me. God Blessed me with a musical passion and the skillset to make others happy through music! I’ve never taken a piano, drum or vocal lesson in my life, and yet God placed music in my spirit and ultimately made music life for me.
The understanding of my purpose came when I was a junior in high school. My grandmother was my musical influence, but I was blessed to be influence also and pushed by my high school choir teacher, Mrs. Gwen McWilliams, who shaped every aspect of being a musician and vocalist for me. I tell this story all the time to my students and music colleagues about how Mrs. McWilliams would not let me quit her choir class as a freshman in high school. She refused to let me leave her class because she saw something in me that I couldn’t even see in myself. I am sincerely grateful to Mrs. McWilliams for instilling in me a passion for music that will never die out. How did I find my purpose? My purpose chose me! I am living that purpose everyday by actively promoting music’s ability to heal the masses and provide opportunities for our youth to have a positive musical learning experience in school.
The habits that have helped me succeed and develop my purpose are the simple building blocks to success. Prayer, Hard Work, Perseverance, Integrity and Passion for life. Having the opportunities to make a difference in my student’s lives has given me purpose and hope that life can be wonderful if we give of ourselves unselfishly. Respecting one’s craft gives a stability of hope and loyalty to the cause of life! Being a music artist and a music educator is not easy to manage. It is absolutely hard work. Passion always prevails. Challenges I have faced are extreme in many cases. Being able to communicate with my students and musician community has helped me to become more efficient in my art. I am always learning how to be better at what I do by taking constructive criticism from other professionals. Most of all, just having the characteristic of being teachable. I love the students I teach! They support me in every facet of music I take on and they are very understanding. They inspire me just as much as I inspire them! They make music fun every single day.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am Arty Whittenberg professionally known as “Autiztry”! I was born in Los Angeles, California but I was raised in Fort Worth, Texas. I attended Grambling State University where I earned a degree in music education and music performance. After college I began teaching band, choir and orchestra in middle school and high school. I have been teaching for a total of 20 years now. Music is second nature to me. My Grandmother, Mildred Ballard started me on this music journey. She pushed me and motivated me to be the best singer and drummer I could be. I began singing and composing gospel songs and playing drums at the age of 4 because of my grandmother. My high school choir teacher, Gwen McWilliams guided me to be the musician and singer I am today! Everything I know about music theory and the voice; I owe to this great lady! Without her guidance I would have never gone to college. Getting to this point as a singer, musician and music teacher has not been an easy journey at all. Financially is has always been tough. There was a period in my adult life after college I was homeless. I always dreamed of getting out of that situation and actually building my life for the future. With strong Faith in God and a passion for music, my life took a tremendous turn for the better. I worked hard to pull myself up and back to a stable foundation in life. Every day is a struggle, but I persevere. The lessons I have learned along the way have been very valuable to me and my music career. Always remember that God loves you no matter how hard things get! But most importantly, give back to the community the gift that was given to you.
As a music teacher, I try my best to instill in my students the same passion for music that I have. It makes me feel happy to see All of my students and friends be successful in their passions of life! I want the world to know that Love is the key to happiness! Music is the spirit that drives us all to our sublime heights of greatness! I want my legacy to the world to be known as a light to a dream of darkness. I believe my purpose in life is to serve others and to make the world happy through music! My dream is to inspire the masses with love and the abundant pleasure of freedom to be who you are! My music is a painting of my life and all that I have encountered and overcome! My story is a story for the ages!
I have had many musical experiences in my life, and I am still creating music all the time. As I said earlier, I am a music teacher. I currently teach High School Choir and Musical Theater. The enjoyment I get from watching my students grow is amazing. There are so many adversities and challenges that life throws at the students of this generation. That is the exact reason I love teaching music. Music provides every student I teach, with an equal opportunity for success. We overcome challenges everyday by allowing music to become a part of our lives. Even just for a small portion of our day, my students are able to take their minds away from their troubles and become music. This is an experience that is worth going to work every day.
Even though I teach, I am still a performing artist. I practice consistently every day to craft my musical abilities. It is a long daily process, but I am never giving up on my passion. This year has allowed me to take part in many performance opportunities in Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Miami and Nashville. I am currently working on a new album to be released in November of 2024 titled “Embrace, Renew”. The feature singles on this album are “Out In The Open”, and “Light To A Dream”. This album is about how our world should be embraced for all of its greatness. It’s about the small things that make to big things possible with Love. I have also been casted in an opera titled “L’amant Anonyme” by Chevalier de Saint-Georges. To sing opera is a dream come true and I am excited about where we are going with this great musical work. I have just recently completed and small tour as the drummer for Grammy Award Winning Mississippi Blues Guitarist Kent Burnside. What an experience! To play Delta Blues with a man of musical history like Kent Burnside is AMAZING!!! April 27, 2024, I performed as a featured vocalist for The Philly Soul Sound Vol. 4 concert in Houston, Texas at Miller Outdoor Theater. This is my second time performing with this great show and I am looking forward to next year! There so much happening in my life with music right now! I am truly humbled and grateful to God for these Blessings! I consider what I do very exciting and fulfilling. I give back to the community on a daily basis and that is stellar.
What can I say about purpose? Purpose is destiny, ordained by a higher power. No matter how we ignore purpose, life will bring us directly into the path of what you are placed on this beautiful to do. Purpose gives you the ability to change lives and direct paths. If we listen to our inner most thoughts and feelings, purpose will give you direction and clarity to life as a whole. Music is my purpose. No matter where I am in the world, I am always reminded where I have been, and far I have progressed in life. Through God, Music has provided that for me. I hope to inspire others just as much as everyone inspires me. This is not the end, It’s only the beginning! I have some much more to share with the world! Stay Tuned and always Love Unconditionally!
PEACE & BLESSINGS
CHEERS,
Autiztry
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
What impacted me the most on this journey are very simple, but also very important to me. 1. Taking time for others is one of those qualities that I will always take with me on my journey. Being able to stop what you are doing and give time to someone who just needs to talk or someone who is in need of help is very humbling. You never know who needs a kind word to get them through the day, or a kind act to show that there is still love in the world, goes a long way for many of us.
2. Preparing your skill for greatness. I was always taught that every performance creates another performance when you are prepared, and you give your all. I have always been impressed by professional musicians and sings. Their journey to perfection has intrigued me and caused me to work harder than I have ever worked before to perfect the craft of music. Practicing with a purpose, makes perfect practice and that’s perfect!
3. Always be humble. I have been given many opportunities in life because of I was humble and kind to others. My Grandmother taught me that humbleness is the key to life’s successes. Life is such a beautiful gift, and I am so abundantly happy to be a part of it! There is nothing wrong with learning from others to become a better human.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents and family did for me was allowing to be cultured through music. I was never shunned or scolded for wanting to learn about other cultures and wanting to have cultural experiences. As an African American kid from Los Angeles, Ca living in Fort Worth, Tx, I was considered different and weird. How was I different? I grew up and went to school in a poor neighborhood. School was not very welcoming to anyone that was or seemed different. I was bullied a lot. My parents and family allowed me to be me! I love to skateboard, collect and read comics, watch cooking shows, go to wrestling matches. But most of all, listen to numerous genres of music. I grew around Gospel music! But I was also exposed to Rock & Roll, Jazz, R&B, Classical, Opera, Heavey Metal, Grunge, Country and Soul! I was allowed to experience culture through music. I went to my first Metallica concert in 8th grade in 1997, and I loved it! My parents and family impacted me by teaching me to respect others and have empathy on the less fortunate. I was taught to give to those in need and bring laughter to those who are sad. My Grandmother taught me how to survive in this world by being a person with good intentions and always accept people for who they are. Never judge anyone, and always show love no matter the race or gender. We are all ONE under the Sun together.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autiztry/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialautiztrymusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/autiztrymusic
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/QgnAvRXqipo?si=fZO2Q6-Y-NNBlVSA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-289429268
- Other: https://youtu.be/jZObS7MaXis?si=DHyp5Eb38kdiBLVR
