At 11 years old, Zachary Davis helps out on his Shelburne family farm, rides his bike, and bakes pies. He’s generally quiet until he picks up one of the 42 instruments he can play after fewer than three years of musical exploration.

“I’ve never encountered anyone like him,” said longtime music educator Ted Wirt. “Zachary isn’t as talkative as his siblings, but he has musical gifts like no one I’ve ever seen in 45 years of teaching. No one even comes close.”

Zachary’s musical journey began in 2023 when his mother, Sara Davis, enrolled her children in Wirt’s program, located at the Charlemont Federated Church. Sara is a busy mom of five homeschooled children ages 15, 14, 11, 9 and 7. The Davis family farm is home to cows, pigs, llamas, working dogs, two retired horses and several varieties of ducks in addition to meat and dairy goats. Sara manages the meat goats, while her eldest child and only daughter, Madison, helps oversee the dairy goats. Brothers Zachary, Gabriel and Christopher are each responsible for a couple of dairy goats, and both kinds of kids regularly show at exhibitions and fairs. The other brother, Nathan, is the household’s computer whiz. This family is on the go.

Although the Shelburne Falls Memorial Day Parade got rained on on the morning of May 25, by afternoon, it cleared up enough for Zachary Davis and his bandmates to play at a ceremony at the Arms Cemetery. Playing the clarinet, Davis is the youngest member of one of the nation’s oldest military bands in the nation. He also plays about 40 additional instruments at home and with other groups. SARA DAVIS / Contributed

Sara is a part-time staffer at the Shelburne-based Fabric of Life (FOL) nonprofit organization, which exposes her to music from around the world. FOL founder Becky Ashenden has a penchant for a wide range of instruments and genres, in addition to running a weaving school and other side projects.

“I wanted to make music lessons available to my kids,” said Sara. “My mother was a highly skilled pianist, yet I never once heard her play; she gave it up before I was born.”

Although Sara grew up without music lessons, she’s learning the violin. “It’s not that easy for me,” she said, “but I’m hanging in there.”

Sara’s husband, Carl, a Greenfield Farmers Exchange staffer, is learning to play the cello as he enjoys witnessing his children practice the instruments they’re drawn to. It’s a mystery how the Davises find time to fit music in, given their complex farm chores and work lives, but this clan prioritizes in a way that leads to creativity and success.

Zachary, his mom and a couple of his brothers shared a partial list of instruments he can play, including the oboe, piccolo, flute, euphonium, baritone horn, violin, ukulele, mandolin, upright bass and cello.

Zachary also has access to less common options, thanks to Becky Ashenden. He loves the tamboura, a long-necked, four-stringed instrument originating in the Indian subcontinent, as well as the kaval, a chromatic end-blown oblique flute played throughout the Balkans. Some instruments enter Zachary’s life after people hear him play.

While attending a jam session at Ashenden’s, renowned jazz musician John Clark — who divides his time between Heath and Manhattan — was so impressed by Zachary’s skills that he offered the youngster an E-flat alto horn. Clark’s main instrument is the French horn. I recently caught up with him after he returned to western Massachusetts following an engagement at Lincoln Center.

“When I saw what Zachary could do,” said Clark, “I wanted to encourage him.”

In another instance, Zachary inherited a diatonic accordion from a family friend, another longtime music educator. “Our friend plays several instruments professionally,” said Sara Davis, “but after weeks of attempting to learn this particular accordion, it just wasn’t clicking, so she wanted to let Zachary have a try.” Soon after, when the friend came for a visit, Zachary pulled out the accordion to play a tune.

“Our friend was astonished,” said Sara.

In addition to practicing their musical instruments, some members of the Shelburne-based Davis family raise and show dairy goats at regional exhibitions and fairs. Christopher, Gabriel, Zachary, and Madison —ages 7,9, 11 and 15 respectively — are seasoned participants of 4-H and other agricultural programs, following in the footsteps of their parents, Sara and Carl Davis.
SARA DAVIS / Contributed

“The Davises joined my music program when things were slow following the pandemic,” said Ted Wirt. “I started the older four on recorder and piano. Within a few weeks, Zachary could play two octaves on the recorder. He learned to read music and could read anything I put in front of him. Next, I put a clarinet in his hands. Very quickly, he went through the elementary, middle school, and high school sections of a program I use, and started playing with the Shelburne Falls Military Band.”

That makes Zachary the youngest member of one of the oldest community military bands in the nation. Even though Shelburne’s Memorial Day parade got rained out on May 25, he and his bandmates played that afternoon at an Arms Cemetery ceremony.  

Transferring from the recorder to the clarinet is one thing, but when Zachary picked up his mother’s violin and started playing it, it became clear that the youngster has extraordinary aptitude.

“See, that’s the thing,” said Wirt. “Any instrument you give him, he takes it home and masters it. He figured out how to play his sister’s flute and his brother’s trumpet, so I gave him a trombone. Soon, he played that trombone in the annual Mardi Gras celebration at the church. He can play wind, stringed, and brass instruments, no problem.”

Wirt witnessed another surprising development: “One day, when Zachary was volunteering at the church’s food bank, another young volunteer sat down at the piano and played Für Elise by Beethoven. Zachary listened and watched the boy play, and then sat down at the piano and started playing the piece. That’s why my piano now lives in the Davis household.”

Madison, Zachary and Gabriel are among their family members who’ve benefited from a music education program based at the Charlemont Federated Church, facilitated by longtime educator Ted Wirt. SARA DAVIS / Contributed

Wirt noted, “Most teachers would tell him to stick with one instrument and master it. But I recommend letting him do whatever he wants. The kid’s got talent; he could go anywhere.”

In addition to Wirt’s support being essential to encouraging the young musician’s gifts, Zachary benefits from regular sessions with Becky Ashenden.

“On Wednesday evenings, after practicing with the military band, Zachary goes to Becky’s and they play all sorts of music, sometimes until 11 p.m.,” said Sara Davis. “Becky has a huge collection of instruments, many of Balkan origin. Balkan music is one of Becky’s passions, and Zachary just eats that stuff up.”

When asked what he’s looking forward to this summer, Zachary said, “Balkan Camp!” referring to the East Coast Balkan Music & Dance Workshop put on in August by the East European Folklife Center in Rock Hill, New York. No doubt Zachary will return with a whole new set of skills and continue to amaze his family and friends with his stellar musical acumen!

Eveline MacDougall is a Greenfield-based music teacher and can be reached at eveline@amandlachorus.org.