Volume 24 Issue 3 - November 2018

Beat by Beat | Bandstand
Musically
Enriched Lives
JACK MACQUARRIE
In last month’s column I made reference to the upcoming Rebel
Heartland celebration at Fairy Lake Park in Newmarket. Ergo:
now we can report on what took place. As a starter, the weather
could not have been better with a moderate temperature and a bright
blue sky. Fairy Lake Park’s three gazebos (one large with two smaller
ones immediately adjacent) provided an ideal location for musical
performances. On the large gazebo we had the current Newmarket
Citizens Band, somewhat scaled down to fit within their venue. On
the smaller gazebos, three different ensembles made up of members
of the main band performed. One was a brass ensemble roughly
representative of the early 1800s. The other two were a flute ensemble
and a clarinet group, including alto
and bass clarinets.
Unless the organizers had been
prepared to spend enormous amounts
of money to ensure absolute accuracy
and authenticity of all costumes and
displays, this event inevitably was
going to have some items that could
not qualify as characteristic of the
period. There were interesting anomalies,
some more apparent than
others. First was the makeup of the
band: well-dressed in a wide range of
period costumes, almost half of the
band members were women, something
town bands in the 1830s would
not have permitted. In general, women
were not allowed to play in such bands
until the mid-1940s. I remember well
when the first girl was permitted to
play in the University of Toronto Band
in 1947. It was some years after that when the first female player
appeared in a military reserve band in this country.
Other anomalies: some distance from the band there was an
encampment of tents with all the occupants in period costumes.
Immediately adjacent were all of their late model automobiles, with
nary an 1837 model in sight! Also, whereas at such a concert in the
park any time in the 1800s people would be sitting close enough to
the band to hear well, that was not necessary here. A powerful sound
system with speakers located throughout the park made it possible for
the audience members to select a listening location of their choice.
Perhaps the most interesting anomaly for me was a gentleman
dressed from head to toe in the greatest of sartorial splendour
including an elegant top hat, an elegant impression that was a bit
shattered when I noticed that he was speaking to someone on a 2018-
model cell phone and had a modern plastic water bottle close at hand.
Anomalies or not, it was an excellent day to be reminded of some
very important times in our history.
Old Instrument Donations Enrich Young Lives
In recent months I have been hearing of a number of varied
programs to provide musical instruments for children in various parts
of the world, including Canada. In a number of cases I am still waiting
for responses to my requests for information, but here’s an interesting
one.
Local bass clarinet and saxophone player Michael Holdsworth grew
up in suburban London (England) in the austere 1950s, attending a
secondary school with an extremely limited music program and a
budget to match, and no band. In his words, when the music teacher
proposed starting a small brass group, there was only enough money
for one trumpet and one trombone. As luck would have it, there was
another high school nearby, which was not under the same monetary
restraints, that was replacing all their old pre-war instruments, and
were happy to give them to Mike’s school.
Their senior shop teacher took on the repair challenge and soon the
euphonium, baritone and tuba were ready to play. Mike took the baritone.
“It was the start of a lifetime of musical adventures,” he says.
“The door had been opened, and I learned firsthand that those with
the tenacity and desire to help others and share their love of music
can indeed make a difference.”
After a move to Canada, and a 20-year hiatus from music, his
musical interest was rekindled and he now plays in several musical
organizations in the GTA, from concert bands to symphony orchestras
and musical theatre. In his words: “Making music has been the
most rewarding pastime I have had in my life, and all this started with
a secondhand old B-flat baritone horn.”
Over the past few years, Mike has been able to spend a few weeks
each winter in his favourite Mexican destination, Puerto Vallarta. A
few years ago, he decided to take his clarinet with him. Somewhere,
he reasoned, there would be a group of musicians who would
welcome a stranger into
their midst. In the centre
of Puerto Vallarta is a small
square with the rather
grand name Plaza de Armas
(Parade Ground). In the
centre of that square there
is a bandstand where the
Municipal Band of Puerto
Vallarta entertains the public
two nights a week.
One evening, while
listening to a concert, Mike
noticed that there was a man
in the band who looked like
he was a bit of an outsider,
not the least because he was
not dressed in the all-white
uniform everyone else was
wearing. When Mike spoke
with him, he discovered that
this man, Bob, was from Ontario! Bob introduced Mike to the band
leader Raul, and, just like that, Mike was invited to play with them.
He soon discovered what an incredibly talented group they were; all
are professional musicians and music school graduates. From them
he also learned of the importance of music to the community. “The
City of Puerto Vallarta, and, as far as I can gather, Mexico generally,
is committed to encouraging all young people to take part and to put
public money into these efforts.”
Next thing that caught Mike’s eye was a March 8, 2018 article by
writer John Warren in the Vallarta Tribune, an English-language
newspaper, about an upcoming performance of the Puerto Vallarta
Orchestra School (OEPV), in which Warren wrote “Now in its fifth
year, the OEPV has transformed the lives of many children in Puerto
Vallarta. The aim of the cultural project is to reduce social problems,
crime and addiction by providing free musical education and
social development to children who would otherwise be unable
to afford it.” The results have been impressive. “The International
Friendship Club (IFC) has supported the OEPV since 2014 as part of
the club’s emphasis on helping Mexican children reach their potential.
Altogether, the OEPV is teaching almost 300 children the joy,
teamwork, discipline, concentration and co-operation that come from
learning music and, at the same time becoming good citizens.”
One of the major challenges facing the Puerto Vallarta Orchestral
School is obtaining musical instruments, and this is where things
came full circle for Mike. “The cost of labour in Mexico makes
repairing things far more viable than in, say, Toronto” he says. “Many
instruments that we might discard because of the cost of repair here
“Perhaps the most interesting anomaly for me was a gentleman dressed
from head to toe in the greatest of sartorial splendour including an
elegant top hat, an elegant impression that was a bit shattered when
I noticed that he was speaking to someone on a 2018-model cell
phone and had a modern plastic water bottle close at hand.”
38 | November 2018 thewholenote.com