"Music = people."

That is the beautiful message from Tim Sullivan, founder of the New Orleans Foundation for Experiential Arts Renewal (NO FEAR), on this week's Confetti Park Music Memory!

Tim shares how hearing traditional Irish music instantly brings back wonderful memories of his dad. He reminds families that art isn't just a presentation—it's an activity we actively do to connect with the people we love.

Says Tim, "My parents brought us up very Irish. So even though we're we're Irish-American, they brought us up 1,000% Irish, I feel like.If I am in a small pub, or there is Irish music playing, there's no way I'm not thinking of my father in that context. And I would imagine as he grows older, that will become even more emotional and even more powerful for me. And in a good way. Not a sad way. Not even melancholy. Like in a really, really good way. Because that's what all art does. Art is positive. All of it."

Whether your little ones are singing, dancing, or painting, the act of creating is a positive force! Making art is the perfect way to share feelings and celebrate the human experience. Notice it, appreciate it, honor it in the time we have together.

Tim Sullivan isn't just the visionary behind NO FEAR here in New Orleans—he's also a powerhouse saxophonist and a deeply passionate music educator! Praised by funk legend Fred Wesley as "one of the baddest sax players in the world", Tim brings that same vibrant, world-class energy straight into the classroom. He has extensive experience nurturing young artists, having taught for the WeBop! early childhood music program at Jazz at Lincoln Center and serving as a tutor for the Middle School Jazz Academy. Whether he's blowing the roof off a venue or helping little ones discover their very first rhythms, Tim is dedicated to using the magic of music to uplift kids, connect families, and build community.

Tim shares why he believes that all art is positive and how making art is really just a way to connect with the people we love. Thank you for sharing with Confetti Park, Tim!

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.

What inspires a lifelong love of music? For rapper, musician and music producer Deezle, it all started at just five years old, thanks to his favorite uncle!

Deezle is from New Orleans. He raps and sings, plays the bass, creates his own music, and also works with many other musicians like Lil Wayne and Drake. Deezle has won many awards for music, producing, and engineering. He has even won Grammy awards, the highest honor in popular music in America!

In this Confetti Park music memory, Deezle looks back on fun days with his cousin Tanya when their uncle would babysit them. They would sit on the edge of the bed, happily swinging their legs, while their uncle—decked out in fly outfits, cool hats, shades, and jewelry—practiced his bass guitar across the room. Talk about making an impression!

Watching his uncle make music with so much style planted a seed. "I want to be like him," Deezle remembers thinking. It's a dream that came true, as Deezle grew up to play bass in his own band and make Grammy-winning records!

Thank you, Deezle, for sharing your childhood music memory with Confetti Park!

We're so glad you found your own musical groove.

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.

Music has a way of finding us early in life and staying with us forever. For New Orleans musician and retired educator Edwin Harrison, the spark was lit before he could even read a music sheet.

"My grandfather used to walk around in the living room like he was playing the trombone and I wanted to play music ever since then. I must have been 2 or 3."

That early passion set off an incredible lifelong musical journey through New Orleans schools. Edwin started on the trumpet at St. Peter Claver, moved on to the tuba at Andrew J. Bell Middle School, and became the drum major at Alcée Fortier High School. His talent and leadership took him straight to Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he earned the honor of drum major in his very first semester as a freshman!

Throughout his career, Mr. Harrison played the tuba as his main instrument while dedicating his life to shaping young minds as a music teacher across New Orleans public schools—including Joseph S. Clark, Gregory Junior High, L.B. Landry High School, and Walter L. Cohen High School.

When retirement came, sitting at home watching TV was not an option. Noticing an unused piano at the local public library, Mr. Harrison saw an opportunity to continue doing what he loves most: inspiring the next generation. After six months of determination and persistence to get the program approved, he launched free piano lessons for local youth.

"Do whatever you were put on Earth to do. I'm in my place—this isn't work for me."

Through his Musicians and Mentors initiative, Edwin Harrison is keeping the rich musical legacy of New Orleans alive, one lesson at a time.

What: Free Piano Lessons

Where: Regional Public Library (Algiers)

Who: Open to kids and young learners eager to discover the joy of music!

Check with your local library branch for schedule updates, or follow Musicians and Mentors on Facebook.

Thank you, Mr. Harrison, for all the music you've given and built in New Orleans — and for sharing your memories with Confetti Park!

Confetti Park is supported by the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and Music Rising at Tulane University.