Two weeks ago, the High School All-County Music Festival took place in Ticonderoga. For those of you unfamiliar with the school music scene, All-County involves top music students from about 12 schools (in this case, high schools) coming together for most of the day to rehearse music with guest conductors. They then perform together in the evening for parents and the general public. Our All-County Festival has member schools from as far south as Ticonderoga and as far west as Tupper Lake. It's always an extremely well put together evening by the All-County music teachers. This particular All-County began with the Orchestra conducted by Kerry Mero and was followed up with the Jazz Band, always a crowd pleaser. Then the vocalists took the stage--first Women's Ensemble and then the Mixed Chorus.
The behind-the-scenes buzz at this All-County was that many of these kids were invited to Tupper Lake Middle/School High School on February 28 to work and play with the Dallas Brass.
From what I learned that night, it was Tupper Lake music teacher Laura Davison, who was instrumental in recruiting the Dallas Brass and inviting other schools to join in the event. Of course, she had support from BOCES, local businesses, School Superintendent Seth McGowan—a musician himself—and lots of other willing volunteers.
And what a night it was! More than 300 students and an equal number of adults crowded into the gym at Tupper Lake School for an "American Musical Journey." The Dallas Brass took the lead and then shared the stage with approximately 250 students who had spent the afternoon and evening learning from the pros.
This all-male ensemble can't be beat at the combined art of musicianship and showmanship. The Dallas Brass was founded in 1983 by trombonist/director Michael Levine. According to the website, the group has created a unique blend of traditional brass instruments with a full complement of drums and percussion, which gives them an extraordinary range as well as numerous musical challenges.
"A Dallas Brass concert is intended for the entire family. Our ideal audience has a range in ages from 5 to 95. Our goal is to entertain and enrich by playing great music, while showing our audience how much we enjoy what we do," stated trombonist Michael Levine.
And these guys know exactly how to engage adults and students alike with their jokes, their choreographed movement, and their ebullient personalities.
They hooked the younger audience members early on with their first piece, a number from "The Incredibles" and moved on to a rousing Sousa march. They enchanted everyone with their rhythmic rhyming list of Italian composers ending with Mancini and an active rendition of the "Pink Panther Theme" . For this, they all donned dark glasses and rhythmically played and moved around the stage area.
After wowing the crowd with their talent and showmanship in the first portion of the concert, the Brass came back from intermission to play with the Lake Placid Elementary School Band. It was a blues number conducted by Laura Davison with Dallas Brass members sitting side by side with the young kids and it was "incredible"--something both the kids and their parents will never forget. The Middle School and High School bands were select student musicians from TupperLake, Lake Placid, and Keene Central School (my son was on trumpet for KCS). Selections ranged from a John Williams "Star Wars" medley to an "American Tableau."
The Brass performed a touching tribute to Louis Armstrong with "What a Wonderful World" and finished the evening with a couple of show-stoppers. "Hands" by Mary Ellen Childs had the entire ensemble creating a rhythm solo by slapping hands in synchronized movement eventually over their entire bodies. Then percussionist, Ben Handel, performed an amazing rendition of Billy Joel's "Rootbeer Rag" on the xylophone. His facial expressions were just as entertaining as his exceptional musical ability.
The evening included the message that in the face of severe school budget cuts and consolidations, we must do our best to save music in our schools. Each of the members of The Dallas Brass began playing an instrument in elementary school and they don't want to see that chance lost for today's youth, an especially tough challenge in rural New York.
The Dallas Brass Music in the Schools Project takes the ensemble into middle schools and high schools to present clinics for young musicians. Inviting students to join them in concert has become a Dallas Brass trademark. Their Mission Statement is "To motivate and inspire band students, their families and communities to embrace the musical arts with the belief that good music enriches lives and in turn, makes our world a better place."
In addition to their solo engagements, the Dallas Brass appears with symphony orchestras nationwide. Symphonic credits include the Cincinnati Pops conducted by Erich Kunzel, New York Pops conducted by Skitch Henderson, and the Philly Pops conducted by Peter Nero. The Dallas Brass has performed at Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and has toured overseas to Europe and the Far East.
Check out the Dallas Brass web site to see where they may be appearing next and while you're browsing take a look at the wide selection of music, performance, and visual arts experiences that the Adirondacks offers throughout the year.
--Kathleen Recchia has been enjoying the arts in the Adirondacks for about 20 years—both as observer and participant (acting, directing, and producing). She also enjoys cross-country skiing, juggling, and hosting visitors to the area at her bed & breakfast in Jay.
