ABSTRACT

Studying and listening to music around the state of Michigan introduces one to names such as such as Falcone, Revelli, Fennell, Begian, Reynolds, and Whitwell – musicians who have been recognized and honored for making significant contributions to music in this state. These names are affiliated with scholarships, music festivals, and symposia; found on rehearsal halls and pavilions; and even a wind band. Through a process of uncovering scattered pieces of information including published writings, assorted media sources, and personal conversation and correspondence, this project seeks to discover how far the branches of trees firmly planted in Michigan soil reach. Many internationally noted bandmasters and composers studied, taught, and composed in Michigan. Michigan continues to be a fertile ground for musicians of all genres. Beginning with the Falcone brothers in early twentieth-century Ann Arbor to the present day, the contemporary wind band is intimately tied to the Mitten state