November 21, 2001
Musicians strike chord with classes
Group shares love of music with junior high students
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
It was a promotion, pure and simple.
With a lot of creative joy thrown in for good measure.
With their medleys, marches and demonstrations, members of Northwind Brass were living proof to junior high school band students that playing music could be a lifetime endeavor - and a lifetime love.
During their presentations at both Traverse City East and West Junior High schools last week, the quintet played and discussed music ranging from ragtime and jazz to classical and rock-n-roll. They wanted to show the variations and fun possible from making music.
"When you make music yourself it is a lot more exciting than being a passive listener," said John Beery, a tuba player in the band. "I can't tell you how many times I've had adults come up to me and say they wished they had not dropped out."
"You can't play football when you are our age, but you can play music."
The program, which was sponsored by a grant from the Traverse Area Arts Council, reached approximately 300 band students at the schools.
The junior high school years are critical years for students deciding whether or not to continue playing their band or orchestra instrument, said Dave Parrish, music coordinator for Traverse City Area Public Schools.
Hoping to address the rate of music dropouts, Parrish and Northwind Brass member Paul Schultz conceived of a series of workshops last winter. As they fleshed out their idea, they decided that the best way to reach this vulnerable age was directly, with instruments in hand, to keep the kids excited about playing.
"We lose students especially in between 9th and 10th grade, because there are so many options out there and they think they can't be in band or orchestra and sports," Parrish said.
The idea was also to inspire students to continue with their music even beyond high school.
"One of the purposes that Paul Schultz and I talked about was having the brass provide a local, living example of why you should continue playing your instrument," Parrish said. "Behind it all was the idea lurking in my mind that these kids need to see that there are some really neat things that they can do with instruments out there in the community."
During the program, Beery also told the students that no matter what career they choose to follow, music would always be there for them. He introduced the band members, noting that their professions ranged from contractor to retired chemistry professor to lawyer to clinical psychologist. Each is very active in a number of musical groups in town, in addition to Northwind Brass, he said.
"We all learned to play our instruments very much like you have, in junior high and high school bands," he said. "We've played all our lives, some of us 40 or 50 years after high school."
Members of Northwind Brass also brought along a variety of antique brass instruments to show the students, borrowed from the collection at the Interlochen Arts Academy. These instruments included an over-the-shoulder trumpet and a 100-year-old trombone. Beery told students how the invention of valves in the early 1800s spurred many instrument makers to experiment with sounds and shapes.
Some of the instruments they brought had a historic tie directly to the Civil War.
"The Civil War bands marched in front of the troops so their instruments pointed backwards so the troops could hear the music," Beery said. "These are some of the very instruments that were in the Civil War."