From the Podium

Big Red

Sacred Heart's mascot Big Red!

Homecoming 2010!

Welcome to homecoming 2010! It's a great day!! Cool, crisp, sunny!!! A great day for marching band!

Les Petits Chaneturs at SHU

I travelled to Haiti for the first time in July 2008.  I went as the result of a suggestion by a friend/SHU alum/and Haitian friend of mine who told me to bring the SHU Band t Haiti to perform.  After some research into music education in Haiti I discovered the website of a cell professor named Janet Anthony from Lawrence University in WI.  Janet had been traveling to Haiti for years to teach at a summer program for musicians, and after a brief conversation she invited me to come down and teach trombone and conduct the band during this summer program that brought over 150 instrumentalists (winds, brass, percussion, and strings) and a select group of singer called Les Petits Chanteurs, the Boy Choir.

So I did.

On our first night on the grounds of the schools summer home in Leogane (outside of Port au Prince) the boys moved one of the schools pianos from storage into the small chapel that was sometimes used for rehearsals.  Later that night, in almost total blackness with just the light from a small flashlight (there was no power as the generator had not yet been turned on) the boy choir got together to sing for themselves, observed by just a handful of the volunteers who had come down to teach that year.

It was a sound fit for angels.  I remember that at the time my mind was reeling (and it still does) thinking that here in the midst of such utter poverty, and what for many might seem to be hopelessness, were these boys who sang with the most amazing sound.  They were filled with joy, and a love of music that literally had me in tears in the blackness of the chapel.  They sang sacred songs, Haitian folk songs, and classical works.  I wrote in my notebook that "in this time, and in this place, God was present in the singing of these boys."

The earthquake of January 12 did not leave any corner of the country untouched.  The Holy Trinity School was completely destroyed (including the School of Music, and the only concert hall in the country).  And tragically over 250 students from Holy Trinity were killed, including a number of bos from Les Petits Chanteurs.

This September the choir raised enough money to come to the US in celebration of their 50th anniversary year.  The tour also marked the 10th time the choir had performed in the US, the first time being in 1984.  

They performed yesterday on campus in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.  Their 36th concert in 19 days.  The arrived at 5:30pm, ate a quick meal, and performed a concert at 7:00pm.  During the program they performed some of the same pieces I had been fortunate enough to hear them sing in the small chapel on the grounds of the summer music camp.  This time the setting was vastly different (the Chapel at SHU must be experienced live to appreciate its beauty), the acoustics were better, and there was an appreciative audience to hear them perform.  But for me, the experience was the same.  The sound of God communicating, through music, a message of hope and love.  

When we pray we are usually saying one of two things: "please", or "thank you".  And there are many different ways to pray.  Of praying, the poet Mary Oliver writes (forgive the formatting) :

            "It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones;

            just pay attenton, then patch a few words together and don't try to make them elaborate,

            this isn't a contest but the doorway into thanks,

            and a silence in which another voice may speak."

Last night, this voice took the form of 30 young Haitian boys who's world had come crashing down around, and upon, them.  And it was good.

Les Petits Chanteurs in Concert

Marching Band Show at Brien McMahon HS

Tonight the SHU Marching Band travelled to Brien McMahon HS in Norwalk, CT for our first HS exhibition performance of the year.  It was an absolutely tremendous night for a marching band show.  The weather was cool, and clear.  Just perfect!

The SHU Band has been performing at Brien McMahon for many years now.  It's a great show, great venue, and I just love the local bands who play there.  We have kids from Trumbull, Norwalk, Naugatuck, Cheshire, Port Chester, and other schools in the band, and it always feels like "old home time" when we play there.  And for the local kids, parents, and fans to give us a standing ovation is such a great feeling, I can't even begin to describe it.

While tonight's weather was great, that's not historically the way things usually turn out for this particular show.  Back in 2008 the threat of rain hung over most of the evening.  That is until about 5 minutes before we went on.  That's when the skies opened up and it poured.  Not torrential rain, but one of those steady, fairly hard but not too hard rains.  We had to keep the electronics inside, and from the announcer's booth I informed the audience - and the band at the same time - that we were cutting our middle song (it relied heavily on guitar, bass, and keyboard) and going right to our closing number.

Our closing number contained a segment that had our guard laying down on the turf, turning over, and getting back up.  Yes.  They did it.  Down into the swampy mix of astroturf and rain they went, rolled over, and got right back up.  As they say, the show must go on.  

And so in this year's show the guard has another segment that requires them to get down on their backs on the ground.  I think it's actually during our middle song: "The Show Must Go On."

And so it does...

Jazz Ensemble returns to SHU!

We had our first jazz ensemble rehearsal today (after a 2 year hiatus!) Feels good to be doing jazz again. While improvisation is not my thing (I spent a lot of years as a bass trombonist and section player for big bands in Pittsburgh) I love playing big band.

The first time I ever went to NYC was my freshmen year of college, in Pittsburgh. It was a Friday night (around midnight) and I was hanging out with some friends in their dorm room. The phone rang (remember, this was before cell phones) and it was the leader of a local big band saying he had just got a gig in NY and needed some players.

So at 2:00am myself and 4 or 5 other players got in a carpool and we headed to NY. We stayed at a hotel in Washington Square, walked around Little Italy, and played a gig at the Kit Kat Club for the NY Swing Dance Society (I think... that was 25 years ago). The next day we drove to Westchester to play a concert performance at the Emilin Theatre.

The shows were great. The band played for hours while people danced at the club in Manhattan, and they danced in the aisles in Westchester. It was definitely a great introduction to NY (and I made a couple hundred bucks!).

Oh, and for those who are wondering "but what about rehearsal time?" The band did practice maybe once a month, but the bottom line in the world of a freelance musician's life is you have to be able to sight-read it right the first time in order to get called for the next gig. Even during the rare practices we had the songs usually sounded pretty good after the first read-through. We just tightened up rhythm, and improved style.

Lot's of big band stories I could share... but I'll leave that for later.

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