My husband Scott and I are both musicians and currently play in a local
community concert band. This is my musical story, here
is his.
1980s- From a very early age I remember going with parents to concerts and parades
with the band they played in. They both played trumpet in the Canton
Community Band / Edward J. Beatty Post 24 American Legion Band
in Canton, MA. My sisters and I would sit in the grass (although
my sisters were known to sit on my mom's lap while she was playing) listening
to concerts or being pulled in a wagon or marching along side the band
in parades. This started my love of music. When I was old enough,
I carried the band's banner for parades. If memory serves I did this
from the time I was 6 or 7 until I was 14. Later, when I was good
enough I played trumpet and baritone in the band. I played with the
group in the summers until high school when the marching band practiced
on the same night.
- In third grade I started playing the trumpet (a cornet actually).
Then in 4th grade we had beginners band, and then 5th and 6th combined
band. I took trumpet lessons in a group with Mr. Farmer in 3rd (and
maybe 4th) grade and then Mr. John Kearns after that. Mr. Kearns
was also our band director at the J.H.
Gibbons School in Stoughton, MA.
- In 7th grade it was time for Jr. High School and a combined band of 7th
graders from all 6 elementary schools. I didn't want to be one of
30+ trumpets and there were only 2 trombone players. So one day I went
to school with my cornet and came home with my cornet and a baritone. (big
size difference especially for a "little" girl of 4'8" or so everyone said).
Mr. John Kearns was the conductor then too. In 8th grade I was in
8th grade band under the direction of Mr. Ray Ponte and the Jr. High
Jazz band directed by Kearns.
1990s- At Stoughton High School [Music
Department] I was in the marching
band and concert
band for all 4 years. The marching and concert bands were directed
by Mr. Ron Christanson with help from Mr. Steve Dorgan. There were
also people who wrote and taught us the field show for marching band.
My senior year I learned how to read bass clef (thanks to lesson teacher
Mr. Bob Nichols) and played valve trombone in the show
choir pitt band under the direction of Mrs. D'Angelo. Marching
band was by far the most challenging and fun things to do musically.
We performed some great field shows and competed in NESBA
(New England Scholastic Band Association) my sophomore, junior, and senior years.
My freshman year we only performed at football games. Our NESBA field
shows were Phantom of the Opera, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Chase.
- When I got to college (St. Lawrence University,
in Canton NY) I discovered that there really wasn't a band. There
had been remnants of a Pep Band
that was usually directed by a music student from Crane
School of Music, but that very few SLU returned after a year. A friend
(Nate Mastro) and I sought out to make this a viable group to play at hockey
games. We weren't the most successful, but we did manage to field
a group of musicians for many home games and get people to return for the
next season. Sometimes we had more people at rehearsal then would
show up for games, but music was important to us, so we made an effort
to keep it going. My senior year we didn't have enough money to rent
a baritone for a freshman who needed one, so I lent him my horn and played
a tuba that had been given to the Pep Band at some point in the past.
That was an experience and a tuba is much
bigger than a baritone (At least I had grown some since 7th grade and was
now 5')
2000s- Now the pep band music wasn't the most challenging and in some senses I
wasn't really playing all that often in college and barely practiced outside
of rehearsal, so when I got to grad school at the University
of Pittsburgh, I didn't seek out a band to play in. This was
probably a big mistake, but we all make mistakes.
- In the summer of 2000 I got married, and as a wedding present, my husband
Scott retrieved my baritone from my parents house and cleaned it up into
playing condition (with advice from some brass playing friends of his).
He also got me a gig bag to carry the horn in since it's case was in pretty
bad shape. And when we returned from our honeymoon he took me to
a concert of the band he played in (unfortunately it was rained out, but
I met some people) and in a couple of weeks I was at rehearsal and playing
again. This time with the Easton
Municipal Band in Easton PA under the direction of Olwen Bougher.
Scott played clarinet while I was in the band with him, but he had played
saxophone in the previous years with the group.
- After a year (for me) we moved to Pittsburgh, PA and joined the East
Winds Symphonic Band that rehearses in Forest Hills under the direction
of Susan Sands. I'm still playing baritone, but Scott plays
either clarinet, bass clarinet, or saxophone depending on what is needed
(sometimes switching between 2 on the same piece). He just finished 2 3 year terms on the band board. He is our Concert Manager.
- We are also active in the organization of the Three Rivers Community Band Festival
- We
are also working with someone from another regional band in trying to
create a website with a newsletter for community bands in the south western
Pennsylvania region. Southwestern Pennsylvania Band Partners is this organization.
- In 2006 we attended the Association of Concert Bands Convention in Williamsport, PA. In 2008 our band, the East Winds Symphonic Band, was selected to perform at the ACB Convention in Corning NY. At this convention, I also performed with 138 other musicians in the Convention Band under the baton of Allan McMurray.
- In June 2008, I had some other playing opportunities - one was in the Alumni Band for the retirement concert for Ron Christianson and Stoughton High School. The other was at the North Central Ohio Adult Music Camp in Ashland Ohio. The alumni concert was fun and it was great to honor such a great music educator in that way. It was fun to play with some old friends and interesting to be sitting near former teachers Ray Ponte and Steve Dorgan rather than having them at the conductors podium. Band Camp was fun in many ways. It was something my husband had done the previous summer and this year we got to go together. I wrote a reflections article on this for my SWPABP newsletter. It can be found here.
- In the fall of 2008 I joined the Delmont Concert Band that is under the direction of Lois Snyder.
- In January 2009, we learned that our band (East Winds Symphonic Band) was awarded the Sudler Silver Scroll Award that is administered by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation. We are excited and very honored to receive this prestigious award.
- In March 2009 I agreed to become the Regional Membership Chair for Pennsylvania for the Association of Concert Bands.
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