Live music

[TC Chris]

Off last night in the old red truck, 15 mi. down US-31 to the Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding high school for the arts generally but with a focus on music, for the Wind Symphony concert. The students are the best from all over the world. Just looking at the flute section, the players came from Honduras, GA, China, MI, Israel, NJ, and Phillipines. Trumpets? Bolivia, CA, MI, Costa Rica, WA, and TX. The artists who animated projections for one piece, just looking at the international ones, we see Honduras, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, and Canada. This was "the vision of founder Joseph Maddy, who championed the arts as a universal language to promote world peace, unity, and international friendship." Joe Maddy was one of those forces of nature. He had big ideas and completely disregarded financial realities, leaving that to his faithful financial guy who always saved the day somehow. Idea people accomplish things that leave the rest of us in the dust.

He started a summer band camp in 1928, opened the boarding school in 1962, and started the public radio station that I listen to every day in 1963.

So last night was the Wind Symphony performance. Sometimes I forget what a big noise a wind band makes. In one piece there were tympani on opposite ends of the stage. That prompted thoughts about the miracle of our brains, which can take the sound data from our two ears, and using the tiniest time differences in arrival of the sounds, tell us where the sound is located. Think about the computation needed to do that, and we do it all day long without thinking about it.

All of the music was from after 1943, which suited me just fine, all written in this country. Great stuff for an old high school trombone player. It's so nice to remember what live music sounds like.

Chris Campbell

[MEZLAW]

Great stuff for an old high school trombone player. It's so nice to remember what live music sounds like.

Chris Campbell

Nice to know there are other High School musicians here, I played the Sax in High School.

[TC Chris]

What I learned in high school was the meaning of infinity. It seemed like the hours, days, and semesters would never end. But band was the one bright hour in every day. I was the worst trombone player, never practiced, butI just loved making music with the band. That introduction to music has enhanced my whole life.

Now the years pass so rapidly that my head spins.

Chris Campbell