Join The Band

I'm a proud papa tonight after my daughter's first band concert tonight at her school!  Melody started playing the clarinet (taking after her dear old daddio) at the beginning of the school year, and she has really enjoyed it.  The concert was the opportunity for all of the new musicians to come together in a performance for their families and loved ones, and it was great!

I remember my first concert.  I started playing the clarinet in sixth grade.  The night of my first concert I was a nervous wreck.  Just before we were due to go on stage, I lost it and threw up all over the floor in the hallway.  It came over me so quickly, I had no time to get to the restroom.  The next thing I knew, my parents were being called back from the audience over the loudspeaker.  Mom & Dad asked me if I was okay, and whether I still wanted to play in the concert.  Of course I wanted to play.  The show must go on!  So I did.  I went on to play in Junior High and High School bands, on both clarinet and alto sax.  I played in the jazz band, too, and, later, in the Mighty Sound of Maryland Marching Band at the University of Maryland.  It was a blast!

So Melody was pretty awesome.  The band directors, Mary Curry and Saul Green, were so patient with the kids.  They also were quite funny.  This is Mr. Green's first job out of college, and, as a percussionist, I can tell that he worked very hard with the student percussionists, as they did a solo piece during the concert that was really well done.  Mrs. Curry directed the bands and, again, her talent in leading the kids was evident in their enthusiasm.  It was a fun night.  At the end of the show, both directors talked about the importance of the school music program and how great the bands were at the middle school level, and they hoped that all of the kids would move on to play at that level.

After the concert, I was able to tell Mrs. Curry and Mr. Green how wonderful the show was, and Mrs. Curry turned it right back to me and said what a great student Melody is.  She also said she loves her name.  I may have lead her to a life of music with her name.

I want to further emphasize what Mrs. Curry and Mr. Green said about being in the band.  It is such a great social group as students enter into middle and high school.  They need that kind of environment, where they're accepted and can bond with kids who they have something in common.  I believe it's healthy and creates a positive experience for the kids who stay with it.  I never regretted it, and enjoyed it immensely.  I hope my daughter will stay with it, too.

Support your school's music program, in particular the instrumental bands.  It's a great place to learn and grow.

Have a great evening, everyone!