I also started up the Harbor Brass and Penn Cove Brass for the Fall season on Monday. We're having a bit of a personnel issue this time around...kids just have too much going on in their lives, and unfortunately, something like the Harbor Brass takes a back seat to just about everything else in life just because it's not seen as a priority. I think the mindset is that because the kid is already in band and lessons, the brass ensemble isn't as important, but other activities like sports and other after-school clubs are. I can't really say I blame them for that mindset, because it's true. And I support kids doing sports 100%. It's just a bummer how it can affect musical opportunities, you know.
But anyways, I have a fun program planned for the brass ensembles: we're going to be doing a Halloween concert. I loved doing Halloween concerts at CWU, so I want to share the music I played with my students and the community. So we have music like Danse Macabre, In the Hall of the Mountain King and Bach's Come, Sweet Death programmed, among others. It's all very exciting!
I gotta also start getting myself ready for Beethoven's 2nd Symphony in November with the Saratoga Orchestra. I played that piece several years ago with the Festival City Symphony of Milwaukee. It can be an intimidating piece for the first horn in that 2nd movement, so I want to work it up so I don't have to worry about it. Sigh...I really wish I could play with an orchestra more often...I don't get to do it enough!
Take care and value music.