Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: band


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Celebrating 250

As usual I have been worried about an upcoming Community Band concert. I don’t know why I’m like that, why I worry so much. But soon enough Friday afternoon arrived and I found myself dressed in black, hauling rolling buckets filled with extra music (just in case) and arriving at our venue early to help set up.

There’s always a lot to set up for a concert, especially when we have a cake and cookie reception after. This year we also had displays about our country’s history, put together by both high school students and members of the Sons of the American Revolution. And of course there’s the 50+ chairs and stands that needed to be organized up on the stage.

Setting up the sound system.

Soon it was time to warm up, to play a few measures of this piece and that. To work out any problematic parts, to practice, just one more time, the tempo change at measure 68. To settle into our chairs, adjust the height of the stand, push our reading glasses up our noses.

To focus.

And, of course, to look out at the accumulating audience, checking to see if our own people have arrived. This year I had eight friends, neighbors and family attend our concert. That’s a record for me. For years it’s just been my poor husband attending, on his own, innumerable concerts over the years in support me.

Just the beginning of what turned out to be a really big crowd.

This year my sister and her friend drove up from Alabama just for the concert (and of course to visit with us), Penny’s breeder came, one of my night photography friends arrived from across the county, and three people from my neighborhood came too.

Dane, with one year of college under his belt, came back to play this concert with us.

Does having people you know in the audience up the anxiety level? Not this time. I knew they’d like this kind of concert, patriotic music, marches that they’d heard before, and a salute to members of our armed forces.

Photo credit: Dane’s grandfather, George Stanley White

You could hardly not like it. We even gave everybody flags to wave during the obligatory Stars and Stripes finale.

In the end the music was good, the cake was good, Uncle Sam arrived to conduct, and everybody had a good time. Which is, after all, the goal of any celebration.

My sister and me, after the concert, with flowers she gave me in celebration.

Check around your town. I bet this summer there’s going to be a concert somewhere near you that celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Make a point of going. I think you’ll feel better about our country if you enjoy music in the company of other folks. There’s a kind of hope in celebratory music.

Patriotic plant given to me by my photography friend.

Don’t miss your opportunity to feel the love.


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Numbering

This morning I’m numbering the measures of the music we’re playing at our next concert. Which happens to be Friday, March 13th in case you need to put it in your calendar.

It’s our dinner fundraiser, where you pay to attend but we give you food and a silent auction in addition to a full concert. As soon as tickets are available I’ll let you know. Last year (our first) we sold out, so don’t delay!

It’s all fun music.

For your listening pleasure this year we’ll be doing show tunes. And that’s why numbering measures is giving me fits. Because as I’m counting along my mind starts to wander into the music. Then I start to hum and then I tend to mis-number the measures which defeats the whole purpose.

The first two pieces, Les Mis and Grease each had 216 measures! What are the odds of that?

I completed about half the music this morning, until my eyes were going bad and I was secretly glad when a certain fuzzy short member of the family poked me in the leg asking to go outside.

I might need a haircut too, mom. But only after I go outside, OK?

Good timing, my girl. Good timing.


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Last rehearsal

Our community band’s season is coming to an end. We play the last concert this coming Friday, only a few days away, and this one is special. This concert is in memory of Shelley Roland, the music director of our band, who led us for almost two decades. This special woman who was our leader, mentor, and friend died in February after fighting cancer for nine years. So the pieces chosen for this last concert all have some connection to Shelley.

The band sounds great. We’re especially large for this event, because many musicians, friends and past students of hers, have joined us to play music in her honor. I think every section of the band has an extra person or two. And because Shelley was a clarinet player and a teacher, our section went from the four clarinets we had at the last concert to a total of eleven for this one.

All of this is really wonderful, but as we were rehearsing a particular piece last night I suddenly realized why we were playing it and my eyes filled with tears. I need to get the tears under control before Friday night, because I can attest that it’s impossible to play a clarinet and cry at the same time.

Please think about us this Friday evening. It’s going to be hard but beautiful and I can’t think of a better way to honor her memory.

But darn, I better remember to pack my pockets with kleenex.


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Musical distraction

There’s a lot going on in the world right now. Unrest across the globe, a different sort of unrest here at home in the US. Every evening I turn the news on with trepidation, afraid of what I will likely see and hear.

But once a week, on Tuesday night, I get to play music with a bunch of other folks in our local community band. It’s not always stress free. There’s the normal pressure to put together a quality concert, and finding time to practice at home so as not to waste the precious time we have together. And because I’m one of two band librarians there’s additional responsibility too.

But all of that worry and stress slides away when you’re actually making music at your concert. All the musicians show up dressed in concert black, the big, round sound we make together is beautiful, the audience is appreciative. Suddenly all that work becomes worthwhile.

Last night we kicked off our season with a combined concert. The community band played the first half, and the Stardusters dance band followed up, completing the evening.

It was a lot of fun.

Our audience wasn’t big, and I feel sad for those people that didn’t come out. They missed a wonderful evening of fun music and smiles. And donut holes and cider afterward.

To be honest the world could use more fun music and smiles. And I bet, if you’re anything like me, stressing over the state of world and national affairs, you could use some too. My advice is to google ‘fun stuff to do in my town’ and see what you can find. I bet there’s a community group putting together a play or a concert near you.

The holidays are coming, there’s almost certainly going to be live music galore. Make sure you don’t miss it. It’s good for the soul, it supports your local artists and musicians, and it’s definitely worth missing one evening of nightly news.


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Lucky to play

This morning I got to play music with some of the members of the Clarkston Community Band at our local Farmers’ Market. It was opening day at the market and the weather was perfect. Sunny and in the 70s with, at the beginning, no breeze to blow music around.

Ready to begin the next piece.

OK, so we were sight reading most of the music. And OK, we didn’t have all the instruments of a full band. And yes, we did dissolve into giggles in the middle of one piece of music we had optimistically thought we could pull off when it became obvious we weren’t going to make it to the end even remotely together.

Taking a break.

But hey, people stopped to listen, the Disney songs were a big hit with the little kids, and we got to spend a few more hours playing together at the end of our season.

You just can’t beat live music outside in the sunshine. I’d say it was a win for us and a win for people shopping the market on a beautiful Saturday morning.


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Music motivation

Tuesday nights are band rehearsal nights. Tuesdays seem to come around so fast, especially if I haven’t practiced as much as I should.

Or at all.

This week I was moving slow and arrived later than usual for me, which still means 10 minutes before we start. Anyway, I had to park further away from the door and I was slogging my way slowly there, staring at my feet, so tired, so not wanting to be there, when I happened to glance up and see a young man, still in high school, waiting patiently for me as he held the door open.

Everything inside me smiled, and I sped up, apologizing for being slow that evening.

He just laughed and said, yea, sometimes it was hard to get off the sofa. And I agreed, but added, I’m always glad to get to play once I’m here. He grinned and agreed.

And, I suppose, that’s the way it is with a lot of things. Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated, even to do things you love. But once you start you’re always glad you did.

We’re working on Peace Dancer for our June 7th concert. Turn your volume up, then listen and enjoy.


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Benediction

Last October my aunt died at age 87. She was the woman that shared her beloved Ann Arbor Symphony with me for more than 30 years, who took me to see musicals and concerts, even the opera. This past week I learned another woman who mentored me in art and work had died at age 86. I watched her memorial service online and wished I’d had more time with her.

It seems the women older than me, those I looked up to and learned from, are moving on and now, when I look around, I realize I am the older woman.

I was struck by this concept last night before our Community Band spring concert while talking to our first chair clarinet who would be conducting a piece for the very first time in his young life. He was nervous and excited and kind of jumpy. I told him not to worry, that we as a band wouldn’t let him down. He smiled and nodded and skittered back to his seat.

He’s just completed 10th grade. I don’t even remember 10th grade.

Maybe they were somewhere in the audience, listening and smiling.

Last night as we played Benediction by John Stevens I thought of my aunt and my friend and hoped they were somehow listening. I said a silent thank you to them both.

Later, on the drive home, and after a pounding rainstorm had slicked the roads with a shimmer of water, the brilliant orange sun emerged from the clouds and lit the wet pavement in front of me. For a few minutes the road led directly into the setting sun, a ribbon of rose gold, seeming to lead right off into forever.

It was a perfect ending to a good day, and this older woman from a previous generation knew enough to notice and appreciate it, thanks to all the good mentoring I’ve received.

I guess it’s time to pass it on.


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Barn music

I’m having trouble with my clarinet. Some of it is me having to play through a mask. But most of the problem revolves around sticky pads. For several notes when I move my fingers there’s a delay in the movement of keys.

This farm was the reason I got off the freeway.

In normal times that might not be a huge problem, as I’d be one of twelve or so clarinets. But at Tuesday night’s rehearsal we only had two clarinets so I could hear myself, and it wasn’t good.

These two caught my eye right away.

Wednesday I drove my clarinet to a music store about an hour away. Of course nothing was sticking when the technician checked it out. I told him the problem only becomes noticible when the instrument is warm, after I’ve been playing for half an hour or more.

Snow and red barn.

He nodded and took it into the back room, I guess to give it a stern talking to.

I loved the little dormer.

In a few minutes he brought it back, saying the pads were dirty and he cleaned them. Of course, until I try to play it for awhile I won’t know whether the issue is fixed.

I guess I should get to practicing.

I turned around to get this image.

So where do the barns fit in? Well, I drove through farm country to get to the music store, and had my camera with me. I got off the freeway and wandered around those snowy fields for a little bit before hustling home.

Sitting alone on a corner.

I figured that way I wasn’t wasting all that gas just to get a couple key pads cleaned.

Right?

Right.


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Masked magic

Our community band has been rehearsing since September for last night’s Christmas concert. It hasn’t been easy. As librarian I sit on the board and we met numerous times, over the long months when we couldn’t play together, to access the situation.

Getting ready.

When we finally could meet again it was under the strict rules of the school system whose buildings we use. Everyone needed to be masked, even when playing our instruments. The instruments themselves had to have bell covers. And our audience had to remain masked at all times too.

Last minute instructions.

This fall we polled our members, asking whether they felt comfortable playing together under these guidelines. About 50% of the band agreed to play. I agreed too, but with trepidation. I am still uneasy being around other people in a closed space. Even if we are all masked up.

A special guest arrives.

But we all tried to be careful, and it was so good to make music again. Even if we sounded a bit ragged, given all the parts weren’t covered. Even though we only had one poor lonely percussionist, and holiday music is full of percussion!

Some rehearsals made me wonder if we’d get our stuff together in time.

We were lucky to have some high school players come in at the last moment to help us. Lots of percussionists, three clarinetists, and several others helped fill in the holes and our sound filled out.

Sleigh Ride isn’t right unless Santa conducts.

And, as is usual in community bands, when everyone shows up for the concert we show up focused, and we played so much better last night than at any one of our rehearsals.

You wouldn’t have been able to tell, because we were wearing masks, but I think every one of us was grinning by the end.

Making music is magic. We are so lucky that we were able to do that last night.

Thanks to our guest conductor, Paul!

The audience gave us a standing ovation. I don’t know if they were just anxious to leave, or glad to hear live music again after such a long break.

I think I’ll just assume they were grinning behind their masks too.