Spotlight on Amanda Shaw

Amanda Shaw is a bubbly, blue-eyed sparkle of a teen. She is a fiddle prodigy who lives in Louisiana, a state ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, one of the nation’s costliest and deadliest Hurricanes, which struck in late August 2005. ”I know you have heard lots of stories,” says Shaw, “but mine is really different. I have been playing the fiddle since I was 7 years old, and was on tour when Katrina hit. My family didn’t live in the worst flood zone so we didn’t think our house was that damaged. We couldn’t get home and all I had was tank tops and shorts in freezing Minnesota!” Fortunately, Shaw’s talents led others to reach out, appeasing the situation for her family. “Everyone helped me out— my family got letters from people asking if we needed help from all over the country— it was awesome.”

Ironically, before Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the Gulf Coast, including where Shaw grew up, she was chosen to appear in the upcoming IMAX film Hurricane on the Bayou, narrated by Meryl Streep and coming out on December 22. “I wasn’t really looking to be in a movie but the filmmakers were looking for a young musician,” says Shaw. “By chance, they saw my picture in the paper, and while eating breakfast in New Orleans they called me. They were making a movie about the wetlands in Louisiana which I really didn’t know much about, but I do now. They started to film before Katrina was even a hurricane and came back after Katrina hit.”

Shaw reflects that making her first movie was inspiring as well as educational. “I got to play music with some other really cool musicians and learn a lot about the wetlands,” the gifted teen says. “This area is called ‘bayou country,’ and the wetlands are filled with fish, birds and alligators— there is even an alligator family in the movie. I never knew that the wetlands kept us safe from hurricanes.” From filming, Shaw has also discovered that if people work together and start to rebuild the wetlands, the relief effort will help to protect Gulf Coast residents from future storms.

Because Shaw’s school is located at one of the lowest points in New Orleans, it was severely flooded by Katrina. As a result, the school was closed for almost a year. At first, officials thought they might have to knock the school down. Shaw says the situation caused her great sadness. Along with the other students, Shaw felt overwhelmed with joy when the school’s damages were repaired.

“It was such a beautiful day when school re-opened in January,” Shaw remembers. “Everyone was hugging and kissing. The amazing thing is that they only expected about 500 people to come back but about 1,100 students out of 1,200 showed up! It is kind of eerie, though. The school is an area where it’s one of the only places that has electricity or water. So just driving to school can be a scary experience because everything looks abandoned and you feel kind of like you’re in a lost world.”

A source of empowerment, music continues to occupy a central role in Shaw’s life. When Shaw played classical music, she was the youngest person to ever play with the Baton Rouge Symphony. While she still plays with prominent musicians, such as with Cher on the VH1 Divas/Cher Farewell Tour, the teen has began playing Cajun, along with her band, The Cute Guys. Shaw also has recording credits to her name, like her new CD I’m Not A Bubble Gum Pop Princess. You can order the recording off Shaw’s Web site: www.amandashaw.com.

“I really hope that seeing the wetlands and the music of New Orleans and the devastation of Katrina in Hurricane in the Bayou in IMAX theaters will make something click with all of you,” Shaw comments. “We’re the ones who are going to be running the country one day, so fixing a lot of these problems is going to be up to us.”

To learn more about the wetlands and how you can get involved in Hurricane Katrina and wetlands relief efforts, visit www.americaswetland.com and www.auduboninsititue.org.