This semester began with COVID still raging, but hope prevailed in the end as vaccinations got underway and some restrictions began to ease. Still, bands were held to 6 foot, even 12 foot distance requirements. And yet we played on as best we could.
At my home base at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, we continued to rehearse in person, albeit in small groups. We maintained our close relationship with flexible instrumentation music, this time with an emphasis on fun and inspiration, and a concerted effort to broaden the range of music we covered. The music ended up falling neatly into a “Past, Present, Future” framework, as follows:
PAST (all Boston Brass flex arrangements)
Wachet Auf – J.S. Bach
Yo Soy Maria – Astor Piazzolla
Entrance of the Emperor – Zoltan Kodaly
PRESENT
Hip Hop Studies and Etudes – Daniel Bernard Roumain
FUTURE
Drawing Mars – Michael Markowski
Let Me Be Frank With You – John Mackey
With our semester going a week later than usual, we also put on an OUTDOOR CONCERT (!!!) with a full band on May 20. That rep included:
Irish Tune from County Derry – Percy Grainger
Semper Fidelis – John Philip Sousa
Despite being unable to travel, I still showed up in some random places. Futures in Band appeared at the South Dakota Bandmasters’ Association Conference on February 12 and 13. You can still contribute to that project: I encourage you to fill out this survey if you continue to play your instrument while you pursue a career outside of music. I was also at the New York State Band Directors’ Association Virtual Symposium, which I organized in my role as NYSBDA’s First Vice President.
I also conducted a professional in-person concert!!! The Oneonta Community Concert Band appeared in a 30-minute concert at the Foothills Center, with all the proper mitigations. The music looked like this:
Our Flirtation – John Philip Sousa
New Wade N Water – Adolphus Hailstork
Amazing Grace (Flex Version) – Frank Ticheli
Sea Songs – Ralph Vaughan Williams
Mary Shelley Meets Frankenstein (Frankensteined Version) – Erika Svanoe
The Thunderer – John Philip Sousa
The whole thing was streamed on our Facebook page.
Meanwhile, the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble tackled some more virtual repertoire. We looked at Sousa’s Washington Post March and Michael Markowski’s tribute to eternal, irreverent friendship, Camerado.
I also wrote an in-depth essay about the entire arc of the year of COVID band here. Short version: summer vacation wasn’t, fall was a slog that ended down, and yet spring brought hope for a brighter future.