Fireworks!

Educational Outreach has become an important part of our concert tours, more so with the absence of Stand Down. Most mornings a few members of the Band are found waiting in the lobby for transportation to a local school or university to conduct a master class or perform in a chamber ensemble. Given the Super Sponsor we had in the Wausau area, multiple groups gathered in the lobby only to disperse to a variety of locations. Jay parked in the lobby early to coordinate groups with hosts, making sure everyone departed safely.

Michelle and I were part of a small group headed to Rothschild Elementary School. Our PTAD was unique in that we would be performing in uniform for an audience of school children, newspaper reporters, and television cameras. More of a mini-MITS program, we were using Monday’s State Dinner to illustrate our relationship with the President and the White House.

Teachers chose three students for us, to play the part of President Bush, Mrs. Laura Bush, and the Prime Minister of Italy, the guest of honor for the State Dinner. Andy led our quirky little group (piccolo, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, and bass trombone) in 4 Ruffles and Flourishes. Mr. Foreman, the principal, read the official announcement; on cue, we played Hail to the Chief as our guest participants entered from a side door, walking across the front of the gym, waving to their classmates.

Michelle, Joe, and I played three short pieces, introducing our instruments in between pieces, demonstrating sound production. Andy and Daniel followed suit with a mini brass class, and we ended with a question and answer session. One of the first questions was a request to play the National Anthem; happy to oblige, our little flea band belted it out as the students stood tall.

The enthusiastic response we received was overwhelmed by the response to Mr. Foreman’s offer of an extra recess for their good behavior. We met the teachers and staff in the lounge for a brief reception before heading back to the hotel to change and load the buses.

After a few arena and gym jobs, we were delighted to find ourselves performing in Appleton’s Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. Tonight’s concert was the A Program; I was looking forward to being able to hear better. I had fun with La Fiesta in the hall; my top notes popped easily, the sound soaring up to the third balcony (which was full, by the way – the floor seating, the loge, and three balconies were easily filled). It was the perfect place for Sara’s vocal, the Bolero from Verdi’s Sicilian Vespers. Most fun, though was her encore, There Won’t Be Trumpets. Betsy calls it my Peepo Piece (as in Peepo the Piccolo from Tubby the Tuba); I get to play all the trumpets fanfares in the piccolo stratosphere. Tons of fun!

The humorous highlight of the concert came during Stravinsky’s Fireworks. Near the end of the work, Major Fettig’s baton caught his sleeve during a cue, breaking the shaft near the grip. The audience burst into laughter. Taking his bow, the Major smiled sheepishly at the audience and tossed the rest of the baton to the stage floor, bringing more laughter from the audience.