A PODIUM Special Feature: Community Bands

A A A A A PODIUM PODIUM PODIUM PODIUM PODIUM Special Feature: Special Feature: Special Feature: Special Feature: Special Feature: Community Bands Community Bands Community Bands Community Bands Community Bands

Why an article in The PODIUM on community bands? We’re honorary collegiate band organizations! But we spend only four to six years in college bands, and then we have the rest of our lives. And except for Drum Corps International, there isn’t much band activity for college students in the summer. The first part of this feature, compiled by Dixie Mosier-Greene, looks at how several ΚΚΨ/ΤΒΣ alumni and actives have continued their band involvement in the summer and post-graduation. In part 2, ΤΒΣ’s Dana Swanson provides some insight on hosting a community band festival. In part 3, NAA North Central District Director Kelly Twomey Eidson offers some suggestions on how alumni can continue to be involved with their local community band.

I The Music Never Ends I The Music Never Ends I The Music Never Ends I The Music Never Ends I The Music Never Ends

by Dixie Mosier Greene National Membership Services Coordinator

Acommunity band is a nonprofessional, nonprofit organization that offers band music to the surrounding area. The band age ranges from high school students to senior citizens, from college students to ΚΚΨ and ΤΒΣ alumni. The level of expertise varies widely (should I say wildly?) The whole point of its existence is music and fun.

Alpha Chapter members play in the Stillwater (Oklahoma) Community Band every summer. Bill Ballenger, former Oklahoma State University marching band director, directs the ensemble. The favorite part of every concert the children’s march around the auditorium. The previous director was Hiram Henry, a DSMM winner in Instrumental Music.

Shantia Kane, a ΤΒΣ active at the Epsilon Rho Chapter at Virginia State, plays saxophone in the Richard Bland Community Wind Ensemble in Petersburg, Virginia. One of the music department professors recruited her as his wife is the community band director. The twenty-five to thirty members in the band include ΤΒΣ active Denetrice Edwards who also plays alto sax. They rehearse every Monday night, with one performance a semester. Shantia also performs in the Renaissance Band of Richmond, which performs swing and big band music.

B. J. O’Shea, Alpha Rho, ΚΚΨ, plays in the Northeastern State University (Oklahoma) bands during the school year. But every summer, she plays euphonium in the summer band at the University of Central Oklahoma. Directed by Ron Howell, it is open to anyone in the community, no matter their age. There are no auditions; people who have been there before know their seat, whether it’s first chair for some of the faculty who sit-in, or last for a few community players just starting on their instrument. The band rehearses once a week for about a month, leading up to a July 4th (or thereabouts) watermelon concert on the campus lawn, performing a full hour program which always ends with a Sousa march.

After a long hiatus, BJ rejoined the summer band last summer. In her own words, “I saw many familiar faces, including some of my high school friends and the instrument repair shop owner who provided a lighthearted view of the tuba by imitating a snake coming out of his horn while the oboe was playing her cadenza . . . Furthermore, I made new friends, including high school students who asked me what those three big letters I’d wear to rehearsal meant .”

John Wakefield, director of Bands, at the University of Maryland directs the UM Community Band which rehearses on Tuesday nights. Kathy Rodeffer, past National President of ΤΒΣ, says that at least 25% of the band members are ΚΚΨ or ΤΒΣ alumni.

John Finocchiaro, formerly of the ΚΚΨ National Council, is a member of the Compaq Big Band, a twenty-one piece swing band consisting of Digital Equipment and Compaq employers (www.compaqbigband.com). Several ΚΚΨ alumni play in the twenty-five-year-old band which performs year round in the New England area. The band has performed at high schools to raise money for their music programs. They even played on the battleship USS Massachusetts as a fundraiser for Battleship Cove in Fall River.

Eden Prairie Community Band in Minnesota has been so successful with its ten performances a year that most of its members will be going to China for a cultural exchange this year; the band is also planning a visit to Southern Europe in 2003. John FitzGibbon, former ΤΒΣ Midwest District Counselor now serving on the NAA Board of Directors, enjoys participating, playing typical senior-high level composers and charts. The forty to fifty members range in age from sixteen to seventy+. Some of them also play in a jazz band or in the pit orchestra in an outdoor musical play; this year it’s “The King and I.” The community band keeps the town’s interest level in music high enough to pay for a new high school performing arts center with cutting edge facilities.

Sam Feuer, known to all NAA members as “Fireball,” plays in the Callenwolde Concert Band (www.rabun.net/~ccb), begun in 1972. A couple of Georgia Tech alums in the band recruited Sam to play. A church provides a room big enough for weekly rehearsals for the the seventy to eighty members, and the band pays the room rental by playing two concerts a year for the church. The band also plays for the Fourth of July Fireworks in downtown Decatur, Georgia.

II Hosting A Community Band II Hosting A Community Band II Hosting A Community Band II Hosting A Community Band II Hosting A Community Band Festival Festival Festival Festival Festival

by Dana Swanson ΤΒΣ National Vice President for Educational Programs

Acommunity band festival can be one of several things. Some are performance-only, others have educational components. Most are the former.

Since I am an educator, I have designed mine to include education as well as performance opportunities. I invite adult community bands from whatever region (lately it’s the northeast) to perform, have a performance clinic with a nationally acclaimed clinician (Col. Bonner has agreed to be a clinician for me in 2003—if he forgets, remind him!), participate in master classes, attend workshops, and interact in discussion groups. The bands LOVE this format.

The band typically has a forty-five to fifty minute public performance. Two clinicians critique their performance on tape, and then one clinician will accompany the band to a clinic room and work with the band for forty-five minutes to identify and fix any problems, to better interpret the music, and to generally improve their performance.

There are also master classes for individual instruments. Many adults have not performed in years and are a little rusty, so these classes help them readjust to their horns. Others who have played continuously also get something out of it, because I hire college professors to do the classes.

Workshops are intended to help problem solve. I’ve had workshops on basic instrument care and repair, the Alexander Technique, and stress reduction (or how to overcome stage fright, etc.).

The discussion groups are very helpful, because they allow bands to interact with each other and talk about such things as fund raising, administration, concert programs, and personnel.

There are many more performance-only festivals, as you can probably guess, because putting a festival of the educational variety together is WORK! I designed one for Michigan State University in 1996 that is still going strong, and they actually have a waiting list for bands every year.

I think community bands are very relevant. Many of our members will not have careers in music, but they have great enthusiasm for band or they wouldn’t be in ΤΒΣ/ΚΚΨ to begin with. They will be looking for ways to incorporate music into their lives after graduation, and community bands are a terrific vehicle. They range from a “true” community band of amateurs of average ability, to a professional concert band where members are paid (this type is becoming more and more rare as the costs of running bands rises).

I’ll bet there are a lot of ΤΒΣ/ΚΚΨ members who play in community bands. I’ve been involved in many different bands throughout my adult life. It’s one of the first things I get involved in when I move to a new community. I recently joined a community band in Sterling, Illinois (which requires me to drive over an hour each way to rehearsals).

There are any number of reasons people play in community bands. There are bands made up entirely of music teachers who spend so much time in front of the band that they form their own band so they can continue to play.When I became the conductor of my community band, I essentially stopped playing until Alan Bonner, our National Executive Director, hooked me up with the Sterling Municipal Band. Adults generally have good memories of being in band, and as we get older, we want to reconnect with those feelings. As a conductor, I have a great time scheduling and programming. I do a yearly Sousa-style concert that sells out every time. The players love the music, and the audience loves the concert.

I am also on the board of several community bands. Being a board member is challenging. Adults tend to have their own opinion of how things should be run, and it takes a lot of patience. I’ve had good experiences and very bad experiences. Most boards are inexperienced and have no idea of what is expected of them, so I’ve usually been brought on board to keep the focus on the band and not on the board personality issues.

How does the band serve those involved? It gives them a sense of accomplishment. It gets their blood flowing again. It’s nostalgic. My best memories of high school are of band. I can’t remember the names of some of my teachers, but I remember the music I played.

I think, in summary, that the reasons students join ΤΒΣ/ ΚΚΨ are the same reasons they join community bands. We love band, we want to be a part of it, and our lives would not be complete without it.

One last thing I would add is that I have asked nationally acclaimed conductors to be clinicians at my festivals, and not one has ever turned me down. In fact, I have a waiting list of conductors who want to do my festivals. They get their travel expenses reimbursed and a stipend of $250, so they are not becoming millionaires. They do it so that the music goes on forever. }

III What Can You Do When You III What Can You Do When You III What Can You Do When You III What Can You Do When You III What Can You Do When You Grow Up? Grow Up? Grow Up? Grow Up? Grow Up?

by Kelly Twomey Eidson NAA Director – North Central District

With the graduation season upon us again, many of us are ironing out wrinkles in our caps and gowns, paying all our outstanding debts to the University, and dreaming of (or dreading) what we’ll do in the real world –hopefully something that involves a steady paycheck. Some of us also wonder how we can continue to promote the ideals of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma in our daily lives.

As we all know, our organizations’ goals include supporting college bands. But we must also remember that strong college bands are dependent on successful high school bands. Equally important, college band members are happiest if they have meaningful opportunities to play in their communities after graduation. Volunteering to help and contribute to bands of all levels supports our fraternal and sororal goals to promote and encourage participation in college bands.

Here is a brief summary of ways brothers and sisters and found to be involved in bands in their communities as alumni:

# Play in a community or civic band. A popular standby, as there is almost always a band to join nearby. Plus, you never know, but when you meet your stand partner, you # may have met a brother or sister. Volunteer to help at local school band events. There always seem to be more jobs to fill than people to fill them. With the experience gained from years of participation in college programs and these local events, broth# ers and sisters can be hidden assets. Play in civic theater or small ensembles in churches and the community. Many brothers and sisters are sharing the message of playing music as adults, and brighten the # spirits of their neighbors. Help a brother or sister who is a band director. Contribute your time to help prepare their band for contest, teach a sectional, sell candy and pop at the band festival their school hosts, or just attend a concert.

There are, of course, other ways to carry on the spirit of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma as alumni. Spend time with your local chapter, whether it’s your alma mater, or just your friendly neighborhood archrival. Visit with friends at meetings of your local alumni association. Wear letters when you attend parades and festivals. Point out the positive impact college band had on you to anyone who will listen. The list goes on and on.

Remember that we are the leaders of bands – at all levels. As elementary teachers and private instructors working with beginners; as middle school and high school directors expanding musical horizons; as involved and supportive parents volunteering at events or defending fine arts in front of the school board; as graduate assistants; as the last chair trombone in our community band; as musicians or officers in a military band performing at special events around the world. We must live up to the commitments we made in college, step forward, and support bands in every way we can. The rewards, both for us personally and for band members everywhere, will be worth the effort. } &

How Can We Support How Can We Support How Can We Support How Can We Support How Can We Support Community Bands? Community Bands? Community Bands? Community Bands? Community Bands?

# Make the Director an Honorary Member of Kappa kappa

Psi or Tau Beta Sigma in appreciation of his/her contribu# tions to band music. Consider offering a summer band camp scholarship to a high school aged community band member–preferably to # a band camp supported by our chapters. If there is a community band near your campus, offer to # host a reception after a concert. Publicize community band events in your chapter. If your community’s band has a concert during the school year, # make a chapter “road trip” to the concert. Encourage chapter members to get involved in commu# nity bands in your college town or back home. If you are in a community band, wear your letters to practice!

Finally, keep in mind that some of the community band members are teenagers who will be going on to college, and some are parents who will be sending their kids to college. The visibility of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma can produce future college band musicians — and future members!

Remember: Remember: Remember: Remember: Remember: the the the the the music music music music music goes on goes on goes on goes on goes on forever! forever! forever! forever! forever!