"Wow" was all she could say!

[Ben's Car Wash]

I've been away Since Thursday at my daughters Florida's ALL STATE MUSIC CONVENTION in TAMPA until Saturday afternoon (fuuny how long it seems I've been gone from the washes in 3 day... the employees manage to break so much!). So I came down here to make the repairs and wait for my laundry to finish running (just fixed the washer's belt) and I'd thought I'd write about the event.

My daughter, Courtney was selected into the Florida All State Honors Band, which is a nomination made band of 120-130 middle schoolers from the entire State of Florida. It's based on their achievements in past performances at all County and Solo Ensamble and there rankings. She made SECOND CHAIR FLUTE out of 14 flutes selected out of the Nomination band. The Convention goes much like any convention with running exibits, classes, courses and selected groups performing continously... the Middle School Band concerts are the largest draw.

I sat for 2 days in rehersals with the kids, watching them, listening to them and occassional helping to copy a piece of music that they forgot. Their pieces were tough, even for a College band. One particular was new and never heard before as it would preview on Saturday for the first time... a piece called SOLARIS.... watch and listern for it as a movie score. It was composed by a local Florida Band Director and Composer Robert W. Smith
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_W._Smith
and I would encourage any of you reading this to read the link. Mr Smith showed up at the end of practice to met these kids and hear his music for the first time (not as an MP3 or MIDI file) live and performed as he imagined it. I never know this composer until yesterday when I heard this other musical peice called THE INFERNO (please do yourself a big favor and download it) based on Dante's rings of Hell which was played by the Small School Band latter in the day. While Robert W. Smith is no John Williams... he has a big start into becoming a classic American Composer of our times.

 

[Ben's Car Wash]

Cont. from above

Courtney's group played and practice hard for two days... working and acting like TOTAL professionals... I have never seen kids (13-14 years old) act like this. They asked such intelegent questions about the score, the intent, the dynamics... the wrong notes written in the Clarinets second string... unbeleiveable how these kids pulled this off! Toward the end of the practice on Friday the kids got an opprotunity to get up and offer something encouraging to ther other kids.... one, Karen the first ALTO SAX who takes lesson from the same music instructor as Courtney got up and said "WOW"... She wanted to take the entire brass line back to her school... AS DID EVERY ONE (ever hear 16 trumpets, 11 trombones 8 tubas and 6 french horns 8 euphonums)! Playing with better musicians made each of these kids better.

In a time in this Nation when we focus on cutting music out of Education budgets, when we emphisis the Sports stars over American Composers (Who here doesn't know DARTH VADERS THEME by Joh Williams?) and FLORIDA is 36th in spending in the US IN EDUCATION of it's kids? When you see kids like this... professional, intellegent and engaged with life beyond BRITNEY SPEARS NEW LOVE AFFAIR, how can we not call more attention to music and the art's into our education?

After Karen sat down, another boy got up... very energetic and he looked at everyone and said;" I see a lot of expensive instruments (meaning the keilwerth SX alto sax that Karen was holding) and I want to say that it's not the instrument but the heart that is playing behind the instrument, no matter hold old or new or beat up it is. I just wanted to say that". Karen barowed her Music instructors Horn (who is a professional Jazz musician) for the event.

Cont.

 

[Ben's Car Wash]

I was without my family for almost 2 days while my wife ran the car wash. We finnaly hooked up on Friday night and went the the High Schools All State Jazz Honors Band... which was out of this world great! On Saturday after Courtney performed my son, Ben (16) was bored and fell asleep with his head down (he said it wasn't his kind of music.. he like classic rock like his daddy). As the last band performed John Williams selections the started with DARTH VADERS THEME... I tapped Ben, who thought he was dreaming because he was a Star Wars online Nut a few years back.... finnally he found something that interested even him!

Music does more than make proud parent's buttons burst! It makes Movies come alive, gives drama to a charater (like Dark Vader) or immediatly stikes memories of an old love affair or heart break in the past. But music in our Schools makes kids work together better, makes them better employees, less tardy for schools, less sick days, better in Math concepts and overall better READERS!

Please fight to keep music in you local school budgets. Florida removed music from the President "leave no Child behind act" by removing the word "art" from the diffinition so it can cut funding to music programs in our State.

In two weeks both of my girls will go to ALL COUNTY. Our County only had 3 make it to All State (all from our side of the County whis was strange). Miranda (my 12 year old Alto Sax player) will be trying out for first chair. Only 3 made all County from their school.

Thanks for letting me share.... I think my wash is done.

 

[Waxman]

My charity car wash program for 2008 will target school music programs first. I decided this during the Fall and will carry out the plan this Spring.

I agree with everything you said about music. I played in school bands from third grade on and it has made a big difference in my own life, allowing me to express my creativity and experience the accompanying joy. That's why still today I am in bands and take Afro-Cuban drumming lessons.