Austin Paramore may be an award-winning copywriter, poet, and author today, but only a few short years ago, he lugged an alto saxophone as big as he was through the halls of the Joy Faith Knapp Music Center in Chicago’s West Loop. Following the release of his debut graphic novel, Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song, Austin shares how he drew inspiration from his love of jazz that grew during his years spent at Merit School of Music.
Meet Malcom Kid
In this debut graphic novel, Malcolm Kid is a high school student and aspiring pianist who finds himself the owner of a keyboard haunted by the soul of a jazz musician. There’s just one problem: Malcolm considers himself a mediocre talent at best, and the only way to release the spirit is to perform the perfect song.
This book is a Faustian tale complete with a shady music shop owner dealing in cursed instruments. It’s a ghost story that examines the ways loss, grief, and neglect haunt a family.
It’s an exploration of the legacies we leave behind, as musicians and as people. Mostly, though, it’s a love letter to the power of music. In Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song, music can mend broken relationships, reconnect loved ones past and present across time, and even release trapped souls from their prisons.
“I appreciate the stories that go into making music more than I would have if I hadn’t gone to Merit.”
The supernatural storyline of the old jazz musician locked in the keyboard, like much of Austin’s book, was inspired by what he learned at Merit. For Austin, storytelling and music-making are fundamentally intertwined. “I appreciate the stories that go into making music more than I would have if I hadn’t gone to Merit,” he says. Whether legendary tales of the jazz greats or firsthand accounts of a professional musician’s life, the musical stories from his teachers at Merit resonate with him deeply.
Musical Memories at Merit
It’s appropriate that a book so concerned with legacy is steeped in the legacy of the teachers who inspired its author. The book is dedicated to two late Merit faculty members, Shawn Tracy and Michael McLaughlin, who made a tremendous impact on Austin.
Discovering the alto saxophone through his school band in third grade, Austin quickly realized he wanted to challenge himself further. Exploring different venues for developing his musical skills eventually led him to Merit, where he took private lessons with Mr. Tracy. He then joined small saxophone ensembles and began attending summer camps, eventually joining the Alice S. Pfaelzer Conservatory in his junior year of high school.
It was his teachers’ humor and empathy, as much as their musical acumen, that sticks with Austin today. He remembers the way Mr. McLaughlin made the jazz ensembles laugh even as he critiqued them in a way that inspired the students to try harder for the other people in the group rather than making them feel bad for making a mistake. Mr. Tracy always made him laugh, too, and always made him feel seen and valued. “He would actually listen to what I was going through, whether it was being frustrated with a piece of music or just a rough day at school,” Austin says. “He was always there to listen and relate to me, then focus me back on music.”
In addition to the mentors he found within Merit’s Conservatory, many of his memories revolve around his peers. Austin laughs as he recalls the epic, good-natured rivalry between the “classical kids” and “jazz kids” over which group performed the better piece at their Spring Concert, with both pieces ending in tears and standing ovations from the parents.
Austin was constantly inspired by the incredible talent of his fellow students, including accomplished alums like Nico Segal, Julian Reid, Nova Zaii, Julius Tucker, and Kamila Muhammad, to name a few. And while many of the musicians he studied alongside have gone on to professional careers in music, many have pursued other careers, like Austin. “You don’t necessarily have to be a career musician in order for your education in music to pay off,” he says. “You could be a writer writing about music. You could just have an appreciation for music that you hand down to your kids, and I think that alone is like worth its weight in gold.”
And what would Austin tell his younger self, just starting his musical journey? “I’d tell him to practice more. And then I’d probably just say it’s worth it.” The lessons that he learned made him the writer and person he is today. “Studying music got me comfortable with failing, with not being good at something but practicing and getting better. Knowing that progress isn’t linear, but trusting that the more you practice, the more the trend is going to go up.”
Publishing the Book
Austin has loved writing for years, whether it be poetry, fiction, or screenplays. As a recent college graduate, he found himself working in a different industry that he found unfulfilling, prompting him to turn to his passion for writing and see what he might be able to do with it. He originally envisioned Malcolm Kid as a television series before pivoting and pitching the idea as a graphic novel. To his delight, his favorite publisher, ONI Press, was interested. He enlisted the help of illustrator Sarah Bollinger to bring the story to life.
Austin’s graphic novel was released in August 2023, receiving many positive reviews. Only last month, it was named a 2024 Best Graphic Novel for Teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association.
Now, Austin is thrilled to share this story with the next generation of students at Merit.
Austin’s graphic novel was released in August 2023, receiving many positive reviews. Only last month, it was named a 2024 Best Graphic Novel for Teens by the Young Adult Library Services Association. Now, Austin is thrilled to share this story with the next generation of students at Merit.
Malcolm Kid and the Perfect Song is recommended for those ages 12 and up and can be found at local and national bookstores as well as Amazon.
