August 2011 Greater Harrisburg's Community Newspaper - theBurg

Musical Notes
Strike Up the Band
Great musicianship is just a local park away.
Jess Hayden
Looking for a perfect way to enjoy
a few relaxing summer hours with
friends and family
Then get out your lawn chairs and
head to one of the many community
spots that offers free summer
concerts. It’s likely that you’ll get a
chance to hear a top-notch concert
band.
“Going to concerts in the park is a
truly American thing,” said Dr. William
Stowman, director of the Greater
Harrisburg Concert Band. “It’s kind of a
nostalgic look back at different times
when people gathered with their
families and live music was the center
of attention.”
Concerts bands are ensembles
that feature woodwinds, brass
and percussion. During a
performance, you’d expect to hear
patriotic selections, original wind
compositions, arranged classical
music and popular tunes. Most bands
play concert marches, like those
written by the “March King” John
Philip Sousa, and often end their
concerts with rousing versions of his
most popular march, “The Stars and
Stripes Forever.”
Bands active in our region include
the Greater Harrisburg Concert
Band, the Keystone Concert Band
and the New Cumberland Town
Band. They provide an opportunity
for area instrumentalists, including
music teachers and students, to play
challenging music during the summer
months.
Stephanie Strauss, a music
therapy student at Elizabethtown
College, has played in the Greater
Harrisburg Concert Band for three
seasons. “It has been a really good
experience for Stephanie,” said her
mother, Clydene. “She has learned a
lot from sitting next to some really
good musicians. The conductor has a
great sense of
humor, which
makes it
really fun for
everyone.”
The
Greater
Harrisburg
Concert
Band has
performed
since 1983
and has about
60 members.
Many are
music
educators,
proficient
on their
instruments,
which allows for some stunning
solo work. Stowman, aside from
conducting the band, is chair of the
music department and director of
instrumental studies at Messiah
College. He sees public concerts as
an opportunity to help audiences
learn more about music.
“We always have a chance in
performance to educate,” he said.
“My goal is that people leave with a
really good feeling about music.”
The Keystone Concert Band is
the only concert band around that
performs all year round, presenting
some 15 to 20 concerts annually.
It was established in 1998 and has
more than 60 musicians.
“We have quite a loyal following,”
said Donna J. Deaven, the group’s
conductor and music director.
“People really respond to the type
of music that we play and the high
Band fans: Savvy concert-goers know to bring their own chairs to hear the
Greater Harrisburg Concert Band perform.
level of musicianship.”
This season, the group is featuring
some selections from the big band
era, including Benny Goodman and
Glenn Miller medleys.
The New Cumberland Town
Band was established in 1946 to
accommodate returning World War
II vets. The band originally played
predominately military music and
marched in parades.
“I even have a picture of
us winning an American Legion
competition in Pittsburgh during
our inaugural year,” said the band’s
president, Howard Bink, who has
played in the band for 44 years.
Today, the band’s broad repertoire
includes some original compositions
by the group’s director, John Bugosh.
The band enjoys a strong following
in New Cumberland and often draw
upwards of 200 to 300 attendees to
concerts.
To find out more
about these
groups and view
their schedules,
visit the following:
Greater Harrisburg
Concert
Band, www.ghcb.
org; Keystone
Concert Band,
www.keystoneconcertband.com;
New Cumberland
Town Band, www.
nctownband.org.
24 TheBurg