Conductor's Corner - Community Bands

Community bands mean many things to many people.  A century ago most towns had town bands that played music for all kinds of functions.  Many considered themselves to be professional or semi-professional, and played dances and picnics as well as public and civic events. They also served as instructional bands for the young players coming up, because there were no band programs in the schools.

Video of Royal British Legion Brass Band at Kennedy Center

The Royal British Legion Brass Band performs at Gaithersburg City Hall Concert Pavilion Saturday August 13 at 7pm.

Here is a video of their performance last night at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage  view video >

Browningsville Cornet Band featured on local TV

Montgomery County Cable TV recently produced an episode for their series "Paths to the Present" that features the Browningsville Cornet Band and its history. The Browningsville band is directed by our own Amanda McCurry. The band segment starts about 6 minutes into the 15-minute video: Paths to the Present. You'll see some familiar faces since several MVCBand members also play with the Browningsville band.

Valdresspringar and Norwegian Hardanger Fiddle Music and Dance

contributed by Martin Misakian

Excerpts of Marlin Strand’s remarks below about Hanssen’s Valdres March, the Valdres region of Norway, and the Hardanger fiddle (March issue of MVCB Newsletter) prompted me to ask a friend, Ross Schipper, to describe a Norwegian folk dance, Valdresspringar, and music from the same region.  Ross, who plays the Hardanger fiddle, also teaches Norwegian and Swedish folk dances with his wife Linda Brooks in the Washington area.  Ross’ remarks follow excerpts from Marlin’s article.

Maine Potato Benefit for MVCB

Contributed by Marlin Strand, potato and licorice stick man

From Small Potatoes……………..
Ask somebody to respond with a single word to “the State of Maine” and half of them say Lobster. The other half, save one, respond with something related to the majesty of nature “down east’ such as pine forests, green horizons, moose, hunting and water. Did you know that the state insect was the honeybee or that the state gemstone was tourmaline? How about the Maine Bears? They are a perennial leader in NCAA Baseball. Or politicians? Edmund Muskie ran unsuccessfully for the presidential nomination in the seventies. And he wasn’t a fish (although he could be quite bland) such as a haddock or codfish, (known as scrod when they are young, and a feature of that Southern Mecca (to Mainers) Bahhhhstohhn (Boston.) And wrong again, scrod is not the past tense of that word your stand-mate uses to characterize your playing after you’ve blown a harmonic sixteenth run-up into the trio!