This is an interesting job

Music and the military sounds like a bizarre marriage, and it is.  It often surprises me, however, that when it’s done well, music serves the military.  It keeps soldiers in step, makes them march a little taller, makes them feel good and proud about what they do, and picks them up when they’re feeling down.  Music is usually a centerpiece when the Army (or any branch of the military) celebrates long-standing traditions in ceremonies.  A military parade or review without music just isn’t the same, and most high-ranking people recognize this fact.  They might not necessarily be great listeners, but they see how music effects the people they command and recognize music’s power to build bridges across cultures, to soothe, and to excite.

But even after 8-1/2 years in the Army, I still have to laugh sometimes at what I do.  It takes a different kind of artistically-minded musician to accept the grind of military life.  For example: This morning I go for a run around Washington as I do nearly every week.  I’m out for about an hour and cover probably six miles.  Running by Arlington National Cemetery always makes me run just a little faster than I would somewhere else.  I figure those thousands of servicemen and women buried there gave everything for their country; maybe I can give a little more running near them.  I cool down in the shadows of the Iwo Jima memorial, and I look at those Marines hoisting the American flag as I stretch.  Then after a shower, what do I do?  I sit down to study Shoenberg.

Well, of course!  Because the Gurrelieder has everything to do with winning the War On Terror!  This makes perfect sense!

This ranks up there with a command inventory at the 82d Airborne Division Band, where nylon straps in O.D. green designed to hold combat packs at the knees of a fully loaded paratrooper are counted in the same breath as sousaphones and clarinet reeds.

Also funny how military terminology invades (see, there’s another one) the musical vernacular.  Sometimes if the ensemble doesn’t stop immediately after I cut them in rehearsal I will show the hand signal and call out “cease fire” as if we’re at the rifle range.  No one thinks twice about this.  Using the right kind of language is important because we have to be able to articulate what we do to people for whom the military is the only life they know.  So when speaking outside of the band building, we don’t rehearse, we train.  We don’t work with people, we coordinate with them.  And we definitely don’t perform concerts, we conduct band operations. 

It’s a strange clash of cultures, but it’s also a lot of fun.

New pieces

I guess things are picking up a little bit.  There’s less than two weeks remaining for the Adjutant General Captains Career Course, leaving only nearly a month until I report to Pershing’s Own.  It will be a great relief to get back into music full-time.

 In the meantime, I did manage to finish a couple of new pieces; pieces that had been on the burners for probably waaaay too long.

The Roarsville Rag is a short grade 4 written for the Rohrersville Band.  I’m really happy with the way it turned out.  I wanted to introduce three melodies that combined for the finale, and I think they really come together well in a satisfying finale.  Once the ending was written and I had all the melodic material ironed out, the expositions were easy.  Two criteria were not met, however: I wanted to deliver the piece last year for the band’s 170th birthday, and also make it a grade 3.  But I discovered that once you decide to write a rag, you’re pretty much locked into writing a fair amount of syncopation.

The other piece I finished was Montpelier Dances, a very difficult woodwind quintet composed with the Montepelier Winds of James Madison University in mind.  I met them at Midwest in 2003 when they gave a clinic.  I decided then that I would write a piece for them, but I cannot remember if I actually told any of them of the plan.  Oh, well.

Anyway, the piece is in five contrasting movements, and each movement features one of the instruments in virtuostic fashion (each movement even features a short cadenza).  Please go to my website and give it a listen; there’s a pretty decent computerized performance until I can get the real thing.

Soon, I’m sure I will beat myself up for not being more productive during this time away from crazy work hours and the wonderful chaos of a house with kids, but for now I’m content with pulling out two slow-going pieces.  There’s no shortage of new ideas to tackle, though, and I think I’ll get started soon (after I do my taxes)!

NBA/Merrill Jones results

I haven’t written anything for a while in this forum, but there’s a very good reason for that–there’s not a whole lot to report. I’m in the purgatory of Army schooling, and it’s not a music-rich environment to say the least. But after a few very slow months, an eventful day today…

Two days ago I received notice that Black Tie Blu-bop didn’t win the NBA/Merrill Jones Band Composition Contest and that my submission would be returned under separate cover. Fine. But today I get a letter from Frank Wickes saying that the committee thought my piece was “excellent” but exceeded their Grade III/IV requirement (an accurate assessment–it’s a solid Grade V). So he forwarded the score and CD to Wingert-Jones for publication consideration even though the piece didn’t win! What a classy thing to do; I sent a quick email of thanks. W-J should have a look in a month or so. Even if it doesn’t get selected, it was a meaningful gesture from the judges not to simply throw out the piece as ineligible.

This good news led to a friendly call to Dave McKee (Virginia Tech marching band and symphony band director, and good friend), who said that Grafton High School’s performance at VMEA was fantastic. It totally slipped my mind! Hopefully Darren will come through and get that recording to me.

Though I haven’t been productive, I’m still at least trying to write. I figured I would be able to write a lot of music while I didn’t have the distractions of home during the course, but I was mistaken. I talked with my wife earlier and I think she’s right: I have the time to write, but without the immersion in and exposure to a musical environment, I’m not getting anywhere. Note to self: never apply for the Rome prize; you’ll only waste everyone’s time.

At least I am nearly done with my woodwind quintet and there will be much rejoicing when it’s finally finished. I don’t see another one in the forseeable future.

Return to the States

I haven’t posted anything new for a couple of months because a) I was overwhelmed with all the tasks involved in moving your family and all your stuff back from three years of living overseas, and b) there wasn’t anything to report anyway.

Galaxy Portals was not a winner of the Dallas Wind Symphony Fanfare Competition this year, but I still think they’re a pretty good band (wink).

But some good news has come my way recently–the Grafton (VA) High School Band will be performing Black Tie Blu-bop at the Virginia Music Educators Association In-service Conference in November! Their director, Darren Kirsch, is an old Virginia Tech classmate of mine. I am looking forward to meeting and working with his band sometime in the very near future. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the performance itself, but I am honored and excited that my piece is getting out there!

There’s also news about a possible upcoming commission, but I won’t divulge any details since nothing has been confirmed, and I certainly don’t want to jinx the possibility. I’ve probably said too much already…

Observations from the Berlin Philharmonic

Anne and I went to see the Berlin Philharmonic this past weekend. When I saw that they were performing ‘Petrushka’ and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 (two pieces I studied in college), the search for other anniversary destinations was over as far as I was concerned. Thankfully, Anne agreed. Of course, the orchestra played fantastic, but I marveled at some other aspects of the experience.

• The concert was completely sold out, as apparently all of them are, but when they say sold out, they mean sold out. Every seat was filled; there were people standing in the back of the hall, and people sitting in the aisles. It was as packed as a State-side hockey playoff game.
• It was mostly older people in the audience, but there was a significant representation of younger people, too. (They were the ones in the aisles–would you see this anywhere in the States? On a Saturday? I think not.)
• Dress ranged from suits and formal dresses to jeans and t-shirts. The young people looked like they would hit the clubs afterward.
• At the end of Petrushka, the crowd applauded enough to bring the conductor back to the stage three times. This was for Stravinsky.
• All seven horns stood for the last push of the Mahler, like they were piccolo players playing ‘Stars and Stripes.’ I thought I’d never see anything that gimmicky at a classical music concert, but hey, these guys were rock stars. (No, there was no clapping along. Or mosh pits.)
• The conductor returned for four curtain calls–the last one after the orchestra had left the stage, the house lights had come up, and half the audience was home.

So in conclusion, I have a lot of work to do. I either a) have to move to Europe, or b) work tirelessly to bring the U.S. to a point where they name streets after conductors:

…and have monuments erected in honor of composers:

(Note to my next of kin: When the sculpture of me is made, please made sure I look as heroic as Wagner here. Thanks.)

Moving up

It is a truly momentous day. I have discovered that I can google “j scott mckenzie” and my home page comes up number 1!!!

Now if you drop the ‘J,’ no such luck–that one will take a while to conquer. Did my parents know 30-something years ago that shaking the stigma of a hippie folk singer would be a major professional hurdle?

Today, Google; tomorrow, the world! *Laughs evilly*

Gotta start somewhere…

…so here goes.

My goal here today is to see if I can figure out how to write a message and post it along with a photo.

Here’s a picture of Jimmy on the Austrian glacier Kitzsteinhorn.