By Will Pafford, Staff Writer
A former Westlake High School student is building a music career by helping others.
Georgia Napolitano’s singing career started gaining attention in the summer of 2008 when she began her “Make a Change” campaign to build clean water wells in Ethiopia. Now she is working to raise awareness for children with autism in Austin.
Teens 4 Autism is a concert Napolitano and her mother, Tina Napolitano, organized to benefit children with autism and raise awareness of the issue.
The concert will be on Sept. 12, but the show is still in its initial planning stage.
Napolitano’s band, Georgia and the Boys, will join other teen bands to bring attention to Thoughtful House, a local nonprofit that provides educational and medical support for children affected by childhood development diseases including autism, Asperger’s syndrome and attention deficit disorder.
“They’ve changed a lot of kids’ lives,” Napolitano said.
She has also been busy recording in London and forming her band.
After recording four songs in London in October, Napolitano began practicing with a group she met through her singing teacher.
This was Napolitano’s first time practicing and performing these songs with a band, and the process was initially difficult.
“It’s hard because every musician is going to play a song differently,” she said.
Rehearsing with the band is fun now, however, and Napolitano said she feels lonely when she sings without the group.
“It feels empty,” she said. “The whole feel is just so different.”
Performing with the band is also more enjoyable because she can share the pressure of entertaining the crowd.
“You just feel a lot more comfortable and relaxed,” she said. “There’s so much more energy on the stage when they’re there.”
Although her performances have changed, her passion for helping children with her music has remained constant.
She said any exposure she gains is exposure for her message and causes.
“I get such a pleasure out of giving people things,” she said. “And I love children.”