Spontaneous Public Art

I've written about this on more than one occasion, but I never get tired of seeing spontaneous, public displays of art. When you stumble upon something unexpected, a woman dancing in a park, a man reciting poetry in a subway station, a beautiful mural on a city wall, someone singing along to their iPod (oblivious to anyone passing by), it surprises you and brightens your day. The arts can seem so formal and stuffy when they are on stage or in a museum, with their dress codes and high admission prices. But they don't have to be! Check out this video below by the Copenhagen Philharmonic, as they assemble one by one in a train station to perform Ravel's Bolero for anyone who cares to listen. No tuxedos, no pages of program notes, no high-priced tickets--just a wonderful piece of music played by professionals (who are obviously enjoying themselves) for an enrapt audience. This is what flash mobs should be all about instead of creating chaos and inciting riots.

Potpourri Concert

Congratulations to all of the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble members for a fine job at the Potpourri Concert tonight. I am especially thankful to all of you who came from all of the sporting events and practices and play rehearsals. I know this was an extra effort and made it a very long day for you. I was very pleased with SB's rendition of King Cotton--excellent dynamics and good rhythmic precision! The WE did a great job with the La Peri Fanfare, and the soloists in Grainger's Shepherd's Hey really set the standard for the entire group. Kudos to all!

By the way, did you know that the buttons from our old marching band uniforms make excellent cuff links? Not that I forgot mine tonight...

Now it's time for homecoming! Go Warriors!

9/11

Twelve members of the DHS Warrior Marching Band took part in a civic ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of 9/11. It was held on the front lawn of the Deerfield Village Hall on Waukegan under beautiful, blue skies, not unlike the weather we remember seeing ten years ago in New York City. We opened the event with the national anthem, followed by some patriotic selections, including "America," "America the Beautiful," and "God Bless America." We also played "God of Our Fathers," which is known as the "National Hymn." The words were written for the American centennial in 1876, and the tune was composed a decade later for the centennial of the U.S. Constitution. Although there is a wonderful band arrangement of this hymn Claude T. Smith, we played a simple, four-part chorale version.

We then played a similar setting of "It Is Well with My Soul," which has a particularly poignant story that is appropriate for the occasion. Horatio Spafford, a wealthy Chicago businessman who was financially ruined by the great Chicago Fire of 1871, planned a trip to England with his wife and four daughters to take his mind off his troubles. He sent them ahead on the steamship Ville de Havre, which was tragically struck by another ship and sank. All four of his daughters died in the accident, with only his wife left to send the fateful telegram, "Saved alone." When he sailed for England to meet his wife, he asked the captain of the ship to let him know when they reached the site of the accident. It was there that he penned the hymn, a testament to one man's faith in the eyes of tragedy. I felt this was a fitting piece to play as we looked back to the events of ten years ago.

I remember being in the old band room in M-hall on September 11, 2001. Towards the end of freshman band, Mr. Swanson, the assistant principal, came on the P.A. system and told everyone about the attacks and directed us to turn the classroom televisions on to the news. My memories of what we actually saw are a bit fuzzy, but it would have been sometime before 9:00am in Chicago, after both towers had been hit. I believe we heard about the Pentagon strike and saw the towers collapse in real time. In any event, there was an incredible numbness across the school. I remember going to my office after class and calling my wife, who was about to turn off the television. My twin sons, four years old at the time, were happily watching the exciting scenes of fire trucks. When she realized that this was no commonplace accident, she found something else for them to do. Trying to get online to CNN was impossible, so most of us spent the day around the TV monitors in classrooms. My student teacher told me her boyfriend was in DC and that his bus stop was outside the Pentagon, so I sent her home to try to contact him. By the time fourth period came around, there wasn't a lot of new information to be had, so we tried half-heartedly to rehearse in Symphonic Band for the Potpourri Concert. Unfortunately, we were working on a cheerful little march, and it just seemed wrong.

The next few days of teaching were difficult. Learning scales and rhythms seemed insignificant at that point, and not being a history teacher, I felt ill-equipped to explain what was going on to my students. I know that I started my next rehearsals with "Amazing Grace" from the chorale books because it has such a hopeful melody. In retrospect, the band piece On a Hymnsong of Philip Bliss would have been even more appropriate, as it is based on "It Is Well with My Soul."

One year later, the marching band gathered with the DHS community by the flag pole and played the national anthem. After a moment of silence, trumpeter Jenni Morris played "Taps," slightly cracking one of the last notes, much like the military bugler who played for President Kennedy's funeral in 1963. Instead of this diminishing the moment, it represented the broken feeling we all had inside. At the ceremony this past Sunday, Zack Berman had the honor of playing "Taps" to punctuate an honor guard ceremony led by our Deerfield police and firefighters. I'm proud to say that he nailed it.

Click here for photos from the Deerfield 9/11 ceremony.

Music, Acoustics, and Math

If you like the three subjects above, then I think you'll dig this:

Freshman Orientation 2011

Yesterday, all of the freshman band members went through four hours of orientation, led by their senior advisors. They got their books, lockers, ID photos, and email accounts. There were tours and get-acquainted activities in the gym. At the end of the day, the cheerleaders and members of the marching band capped off the festivities with a rousing rendition of the fight song. Now that the freshmen have been officially welcomed to DHS, we're all ready for the first day on Wednesday. See you then!

Band Camp 2011

Another successful band camp is in the books. We finished yesterday at 5:00pm with pregame learned, the halftime music sounding strong, and three rehearsals next week to do some polishing and finishing touches. A special thanks to our alum Alec who spent the week with the percussionists getting them prepped on cadences. Another big thank you to the four band moms who served dinner on Wednesday and helped with uniform distribution.

Congrats to the trumpets, who won the march-by competition, and to the flutes, who won the spirit contest. Zack B won the individual march-off, with Kiley and Josh K as runners-up. Jon W was the rookie champ.

The great news is that we will be marching 65 students this year! I have to go back through my records, but it's been several years since we've had this many on the field. For the last two years, freshmen have joined in record numbers. That speaks a lot for the older students who have created such a positive community and enthusiasm surrounding the Warrior Marching Band. I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful students to work with.

Below are pictures from Thursday, when each section got to create their own pose. Enjoy, and we'll see you at the game Friday night!

New Repertoire Lists Posted

Hey Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble members! I have chosen all of our music for the fall quarter, and it is now posted on the band website. You can view the titles, hear many of the pieces, and learn about many of the composers. Just go to your ensemble's page and click on the "repertoire list" link at the bottom left.

Concert Band
Symphonic Band
Wind Ensemble

I hope you've been practicing--the music will be challenging, and SB and WE perform one piece each on 9/20!