Conductor's Corner - New Season Welcome!

September 22, 2011

It was great to see everybody last night, and to get into the band season once again. I’m grateful to Len for taking the first two rehearsals, and getting so much good learning started on our pieces. Likewise I am grateful for all the help and pitching in that has made it possible to get the season off to a good start in my absence.

We have an exciting year coming up with lots of new music to learn and some old favorites to revisit, too.  This fall we will also have an opportunity to reorganize and modernize our library, as the storage accommodations finally get finished.  A work night will probably occur once the new file cabinets and shelves are in place.

My summer trip to Maine in early August was an opportunity for me to reconnect with my former band, the Bangor Band, and guest conduct on a portion of their last concert of their summer season.  It also yielded a couple of gems which will appear in our repertoire here as the season progresses.  The George E Jennings marches are now in our band room, and with a few additional parts created (C flutes and oboes, low woodwinds and a first trombone) we should be able to have fun playing them with our band.  More about this in Marlin’s column, I’m sure.

I also brought back one copy of each part of the Dixieland Blues band book.  This contains 16 all-time Dixie favorites in playable, yet authentic-sounding arrangements that are fun for band and audience alike.  These will need to be photocopied to fill our instrumentation as we pull them out for use.  I think they will be a lot of fun to learn and do, and pure “audience candy” for our less formal concerts.

I am still glowing from the fabulous job you all did on Band Day this past May.  We are going to have to go some to top that this year, but I have some ideas for “second semester” that will keep everybody’s minds and fingers busy, and put forth some more really great music that will challenge us and thrill as well as entertain a band day audience.

So here’s to a great 2011-2012 season for the Incredible Montgomery Village Community Band!

Gordon