2021 Midwest Clinic Reports Community and Adult Band Report

COMMUNITY BAND ACTIVITY IN 2021

BY MICHAEL BURCH-PESSES

This time last year we all were hoping that Covid-19 was on the wane and we would be back to “normal” by spring. We were severely disappointed when the Delta variant hit the country and the rest of the world hard in the summer, further delaying the recovery and any return to normalcy. As I write this, vaccinations for children ages 5 and up have been approved, and as more people become vaccinated, the virus is slowly receding.

The same precautions that were put in place in the spring of 2019 remained in effect in 2021 in most areas:

• Wearing masks when we’re away from home • Using hand sanitizer/washing our hands frequently • Maintaining a 6-foot distance from each other • Staying home if we have any symptoms of COVID-19

All these restrictions, plus the closing of businesses, stores, recreational facilities, and other buildings, resulted in a serious reduction of activities in the community band world. Bands that depended on rehearsal space in churches and schools found themselves without a place to rehearse as the weather turned colder, and most of them put their activities on hold until after the first of the year.

There are, however, some bright spots. Bands in some parts of the country were allowed to rehearse and perform in late 2021 despite restrictions elsewhere, and community band performances began to come back to life. The bands with whom I’ve spoken hope to resume rehearsals and performances after the first of the year, and they’re keeping their fingers crossed that their plans will come to fruition.

THEASSOCIATIONOFCONCERT BANDS–CELEBRATINGITS44TH YEAR The Association of Concert Bands (ACB) is the largest organization dedicated to community bands, and as such is a good barometer of what happened in the past year to these bands:

• There currently are 589 member bands, compared to 613 last year. Likewise, there are 1217 individual members, compared to 1292 a year ago.

Those losses are attributed to Covid, and the hope is that these numbers will increase as the virus recedes. Most member bands hoped to have a Christmas concert, but were prepared to wait until 2022 to resume activities. members, four fewer than last year, including music publishers. The publishers were hit hard when music purchases dropped drastically due to the virus.

• ACB has continued with their virtual series, ACB Connects!, with sessions on how to create

Michael Burch-Pesses is Distinguished Professor of Music and Director of Bands at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, and teaches courses in conducting and music education. He enjoyed a distinguished career as a bandmaster in the United States Navy before arriving at Pacific University. During his Navy career he served as Leader of the Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland, Assistant Leader of the Navy Band in Washington, DC, and Director of the Commodores, the Navy’s official jazz ensemble. Dr. Burch-Pesses also is the Conductor and Musical Director of the awardwinning Oregon Symphonic Band, Oregon’s premier community band. In 2006 the band performed at the Midwest Clinic, and in 2007 the John Philip Sousa Foundation awarded the band the Sudler Silver Scroll, recognizing them as one of the outstanding community bands in the nation. He is the author of “Canadian Band Music: A Qualitative Guide to Canadian Composers and Their Works for Band,” and is a regular contributor to the “Teaching Music Through Performance in Band” series. He also is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician.

Community Bands Report, Michael Burch-Pesses, cont. virtual performances, and a look into how some bands returned to rehearsing and performing.

• The Association also sponsored conversations with

Johan de Meij and Col Jason

Fettig, USMC, and provided information about the Library of Congress and the NAXOS

Music Library.

One particularly bright spot in 2021 came with the announcement of the community bands that received The American Prize, a national competition designed to recognize the very best in the performing arts in the United States. Congratulations to the recipients, all of whom, and their conductors, are members of the Association of Concert Bands:

Winner: The Acadian Wind Symphony, Lafayette, LA: Gerald Guilbeaux, conductor Second Place: The Allentown Band, Allentown, PA: Ron Demkee, conductor Third Place: The Boulder Concert Band, Boulder, CO: Kenneth Singleton, conductor

Additionally, Gerald Guilbeaux won the American Prize for Best Conductor of a band/wind ensemble. Second prize in this category went to Matthew Salvaggio of the University Heights Symphonic Band, University Heights, OH. Augusta CecconiBates of Cape Vincent, NY won Honorable Mention in the band composer category. All three are members of the ACB. A complete list of finalists and winners in every community band category may be found at https://www. acbands.org/americanprize2021. Congratulations as well go to four community bands who were accepted to perform at the 2021 Midwest Clinic, which this year celebrated its 75th anniversary:

• The Atlanta Wind Symphony from Roswell, GA: David

Kehler, conductor • The Eastern Wind Symphony from Hillsborough, NJ: Todd

Nichols, conductor • The Fairfax Wind Symphony from Springfield, VA: Stan

Schoonover, conductor • The Mansfield Wind

Symphony, Dallas/Fort Worth,

TX: Brian Merrill, conductor

THENEWHORIZONS INTERNATIONALMUSIC ASSOCIATION–CELEBRATING ITS30TH YEAR The New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA) provides entry points to musicmaking for adults, including those with no musical experience, and those who were active in school music programs but have been inactive for a long period.

2021 was a good year for NHIMA, according to Irene Cohen, President of the Association. The organization represents about 200 New Horizons bands, orchestras, choral groups throughout the USA, Canada, Ireland and Australia. Despite the pandemic 6 brand new New Horizons programs were initiated in 2021.

NHIMA celebrated 30 years of New Horizons music making, including: • developing a special logo • developing special anniversary pins • a contest for string orchestra and concert band music.

The winning composers are

Gunther Fiala from Austria for string orchestra, and Andrew

Friedrichs from Colorado for concert band. • The Roy Ernst Award for 1-2 persons in each New

Horizons group: exemplifying perseverance, a passion for music, and commitment to lifelong learning. • A special 30th Anniversary

Edition Newsletter • https://www.dropbox.com/s/ slcgbnxv5ea7s2k/2021%20

Fall%20NHNews-30th%20

Anniversary.pdf?dl=0

Unfortunately, the association’s live band camps in Lake Chautauqua, OH and Mt. Tremblant, Quebec, Canada were postponed until 2022 due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, they provided a great deal of virtual programming, attracting 2,050 registrants in 2021.

Their virtual programming consisted of: • 1-hour presentations about music making related topics ranging from Circus Music, to aerosol study, to Javanese music • 1.5 – 2-hour meetings for their

Program Directors to assist them in on-line music making or management of live music making during the pandemic • a series of classes on one topic e.g. • beginner’s course on tin whistle (3 classes) • beginner’s course on ukulele (6 classes) • singing (3 classes) • on-line course using Jamulus, a platform

allowing “real-time” music making - they simultaneously made music with people from all over the North American continent with negligible delay.

NHIMA’s membership has grown significantly during 2021 because of the programming they offered.

Most groups have returned to live rehearsals with pandemic precautions. Some are still practicing on-line. Directors have been able to share their experiences and solutions which has been a big gain for 2021.

The NHIMA Board has also worked hard on: • ongoing website development • rewriting the By-Laws and

Policies and Procedures

Manual to be up-to-date with the many changes the organization has made • adopting an equity-diversityinclusion (EDI) policy and has changed the logo accordingly (attached) • in accordance with the EDI policy, NHIMA will focus on diversity and inclusion in virtual programming by: • focusing on presentations about world music/music making with disabilities - starting in December 2021 and continuing in 2022 • applying for grants to develop New Horizons groups consisting of a majority of people of diverse racial background and perhaps in the future for people with disabilities and veterans

That’s my report for 2021. There are some bright spots despite the pandemic, and I sincerely hope that next year’s report will be filled with more highlights of community bands that were able to resume a vigorous rehearsal and concert schedule. I wish everyone in the community band world a very merry holiday season and the happiest of New Years.

Community Bands Report, Michael Burch-Pesses, cont.