Photo By Sgt. 1st Class April Davis | Dr. Erica Neidlinger, associate professor and conductor at DePaul University,...... read more read more
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CLACKAMAS, Ore. - What do you get when you combine 69 band students from ten different high schools, professional musicians from the 234th Army Band, and a guest conductor from DePaul University? You get inspiration.
The Oregon Army National Guard’s 234th Army Band organized and hosted their second annual High School Honor Band event in Clackamas, Oregon, Feb. 14-15. Band students from local high schools in Oregon Music Education Association (OMEA) District 13 converged at Camp Withycombe for a weekend of musical instruction and rehearsals that culminated in a concert performance at Clackamas High School.
“I think its great that a group of young people, especially students, could come together as a collective and produce such fine arts in such a short span of time,” said Armand Jayne, a percussionist and senior at Gladstone High School in Gladstone, Oregon.
The students were handed their sheet music when they arrived. They only had two days to learn music they would perform in concert with a group of musicians they had never worked with before.
“It’s really great to be able to play music, and learn it quickly, with musicians who want to be here,” said Samantha Owings, flute player and sophomore at Canby High School, in Canby, Oregon. “It exposes you to more people and you get to know some of the other band kids in the area.”
Members of the 234th Army Band led sectional classes with the students, sharing tips and techniques to help them improve their instrumental skills. According to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ashley Alexander, commander of the 234th Army Band, working with the students gave his Soldiers an opportunity to teach and mentor.
“It’s phenomenal, all of the support we get. We have all of the equipment we need, all of the advice that we need, people are looking over us and making sure that we are able to succeed,” said Jayne.
The Soldiers not only mentored the young musicians, they also played alongside them during the concert performance.
“It’s a pretty big privilege to be able to hang out with the National Guard professional players and learn from what they have to teach,” said Jeremiah Hill, percussionist and junior at Molalla High School, in Molalla, Oregon.
Guest conductor, Dr. Erica Neidlinger, an associate professor and wind ensemble conductor at DePaul University in Chicago, directed the Honor Band. The 234th Army Band has worked with Neidlinger in the past and invited her to give students a similar experience to what they can expect in college.
“Bringing in someone like Dr. Neidlinger, with her expertise and reputation of being a world-renowned conductor, it’s just inspiring for the students,” said Alexander.
Neidlinger said her goal was to provide the students with a unique experience, challenging them at a higher artistic level above and beyond what they may experience in their individual high schools.
“As far as being musicians and being a part of music as an artistic discipline to begin with, it’s all about the human spirit,” Neidlinger said. “The arts as a whole, and certainly music, is a means by which a composer of any nationality can express a human experience where language is no longer a barrier.”
She said her expectations were for the students to come together with an ensemble of their peers, despite having never met, play the music to the best of their abilities and turn it into an emotional expression of human communication.
“My overall feeling and impression of the arts as a discipline is that it’s a basic human need, and what we’re doing is sharing experience and developing a greater understanding of each other through the arts,” said Neidlinger.
Neidlinger said it was an honor to work with the 234th Army Band on this project. She noted how fitting it was that the Soldiers continue the tradition of passing down musical knowledge to America’s youth. She said throughout history, military musicians coming out of service from war in search of employment became middle school and high school band directors, creating the rise in instrumental music education.
“The military ensembles are the roots of the American wind band to begin with, and its out of the military bands that school music education, band education specifically, took off,” she said. “This is how we began.”
The idea to sponsor and host a high school honor band originated with Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Farris, a percussion section leader and platoon sergeant with the 234th Army Band during drill weekends. In his full time job, he is a band director at Molalla High School. He is also chairman of OMEA District 13, representing music teachers for the schools in his district.
“I’m always looking to try to do something for my students that will help them grow, especially the students that need that little extra push, something a little more challenging,” said Farris.
As a member of the 234th, Farris realized the professional players in the band would inspire young musicians. He also knew Camp Withycombe was centrally located in the district and had the necessary resources to facilitate a large honor band. He discussed it with the commander and other band members. Alexander, who is also a band director for Aloha High School in Beaverton, Oregon, was immediately supportive of the idea.
“This puts us out there and makes the community aware of what services the Oregon National Guard has to offer them through the 234th Army Band in terms of how we can inspire or entertain them and musically support their communities,” said Alexander. “In this case, of partnering with a music education district, it benefits the community by offering the directors opportunities that their students may not have.”
Farris said the honor band receives positive feedback from students, parents and music directors each year. He said his students love the music, working with a university director, and working with professional players from the 234th Army Band.
“Parents came up to me and said thank you so much for putting on this event,” said Alexander. “They were just thrilled that the Army does this.”
Alexander said the 234th plans to continue sponsoring a high school honor band every year and he is hoping to expand the event to other OMEA districts in the future.
“As far as local music education programs, I just encourage everyone to stay involved,” said Alexander. “This is part of our culture and our history and it’s worth the investment.”
| Date Taken: | 03.15.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2015 02:22 |
| Story ID: | 157163 |
| Location: | CLACKAMAS, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 417 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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