Another Thursday, another throwback post! This week, we decided to crowd-source Throwback Thursday and give you a few memorable moments from our staff. While many of our staff members (including myself) are alumni of Music for All programs, we do have several staff members who participated in other musical outlets and some who were not involved in music. Here are a few musical moments from our devoted staff members. Enjoy!
Laura Blake
Events Manager
Instrument: Trumpet
Memorable Moment: I completely own that I grew up as a marching band junky! So when I say that my most memorable experience wasn’t marching related, some who know me well may gasp. A truly defining moment was performing at the National Concert Band Festival. It was one of the only noncompetitive experiences I had in high school. There is an exhilaration that comes from preparing and performing some of the hardest music written for that medium. You rehearse and prepare and with such a small group you really have to own your part, your notes, your emotional investment in the process. Then you are ushered into a grand hall and have the performance of a lifetime, followed by music giants taking time and working with you, it’s an unprecedented experience for most high school students, it certainly was for me. There are no trophies, no high distinctions or even discussion of who gave a better performance. Your thinking, where’s the reward? Trust me, there is a moment. It’s one that will never be replicated, but will stay with you forever.
John DeRoss
Seasonal Marketing Assistant
Instrument: Guitar/Vocals/Harmonica
Memorable Moment: I was playing in a cover band during my Junior year of college, and we got offered a gig at a house party on campus. We decided to go for a whole new set, and play nothing we had before. Believe it or not, I can still remember the entire set list (Money – B. Gordy, Mary Jane’s Last Dance – T. Petty, Stuck in the Middle with You – Stealers Wheel, The Weight – The Band, I Second That Emotion – S. Robinson, Like a Rolling Stone – B. Dylan, Helter Sketler – The Beatles, and Jumpin’ Jack Flash – Rolling Stones). Anyway, everything was going pretty well and I was having a great time getting to play music by virtually all of my favorite artists. That was, until we got to “Helter Skelter.” The song started out rocking, and I was screaming the lyrics in my best McCartney impression. Then, somehow, we fell apart. I’m not sure who’s fault it was (probably all of ours for not practicing enough) but our drummer and lead guitar player switched to a bridge unexpectedly in the middle of the song, as our bass player and I jumped into another verse. Needless to say it did not sound too great, but we recovered, had a laugh, and I tossed my guitar to the side to belt out our last tune, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”, while channeling my inner Mick Jagger. Even though we had a little flub, the night was still great. Any time that I’m able to play music I love, with great friends is a good time.
David Foth
Events & Participant Relations Administrative Assistant
Instrument: Trumpet/Euphonium
Memorable Moment: While I never had the opportunity to perform in a Bands of America Regional with my high school band, I did have the honor of performing in exhibition with the UMass Minuteman Marching Band at the 2011 Grand Nationals. I had many memorable performances with the UMMB, but that one was definitely in the top 3. Towards the end of our show, we “crashed the stands,” meaning the entire band ran past the front sideline, and we formed a giant “wall of sound.” Watching the positive reactions of everyone sitting in the first few rows of the stands was priceless. Even better was the huge standing ovation we received afterwards. It’s a memory I definitely won’t ever forget!
Molly Miller
Event Coordinator
Instrument: Flute/Drum Major
Memorable Moment: In 2004 my band traveled from Kentucky to Indianapolis to compete in Grand Nationals. It was my sophomore year and I’ll be honest- I was a little overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all. As we took the field in Finals competition, all of that anxiety melted away. Looking up from your first set to realize you’re about to perform in front of tens of thousands of people is an incredible feeling. Now, every year that I stand on the front sideline during our GN awards ceremony, I’m reminded of that feeling and am so thankful we are providing that life-changing experience to another group of students. My ‘tied-for-first’ memorable moment (is this cheating?) was winning our state competition my senior year. This photo is from that night- can you tell I was excited?
Can you tell we have some pretty passionate and awesome staff members? It is such an honor to be able to work with each of them every day. If you enjoyed this post, stay tuned! We’ll have more staff profiles and Throwback Thursday staff posts soon. If you have an idea or story for Throwback Thursday, we’d love to hear it! Just fill out our online “Share Your Story” form and it could be featured in an upcoming post.
