Summer Break Continues

Last night I finally made it to Ravinia to see a classical concert, compliments of my wonderful Class of 2011. Actually, we went to "hear" a concert; we sat on the lawn and listened to the performance, which was in the Martin Theatre, over the sound system. It was a beautiful night, and being close to the lake, an escape from the extreme heat we've been having. At one point, there was a bizarre circular cloud pattern in the sky, and we even saw a satellite go overhead.

The music was all famous works for winds: Beethoven's Octet, Janacek's Mladi, Strauss's Serenade, Op. 7, and Dvorak's Serenade, Op. 44. These four pieces were quite varied, even though they shared similar instrumentation with various combinations of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. The Dvorak is one of my all-time favorites, and it was one of four pieces that were named in a doctoral study as the finest works ever written for wind ensemble. I had never heard the Janacek, but it is a wonderful piece for woodwind quintet plus bass clarinet. It has an Eastern European flavor that links it to the Dvorak, but being composed 50 years or so later, it's more modern sounding. Check it out as played by the Zemlinsky Sextet in Amsterdam:



Speaking of Ravinia, might I recommend the July 31st concert, which features the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Tcaikovsky's 1812 Overture with live cannons! High school students can sit on the lawn for free with a student ID. The school with the most attendees receives a cash prize, so let's pack the place with Warriors! So far, we're not in the top five schools (New Trier, HP, Hersey, Libertyville, and Stevenson), but there's still time!

In DHS band news, I'm busy arranging kids TV show themes for our Homecoming Show. Plan on some Peanuts, Sesame Street, Spongebob, Rugrats, and Pokémon! I've also been working on revising some Concert Band worksheets. Next week I'll send out the summer band mailing, so look for an email about that. It's only 26 days to band camp and 36 days to our first rehearsal of SB and WE!

Next week I'll also be attending the wedding of two former band students. This is the fourth marriage that began in the DHS band since I've been here. So next time you're sitting in rehearsal, look around and you might see your future spouse!

Keep practicing--no summer chops!