Navy Band AND ITEA!


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Posted by Marty Erickson on April 01, 2001 at 22:33:18:

Dear friends-
I don't have the opportunity to read Tubenet often, but check in regularly. These two subjects are near and dear to me, so I will try to comment briefly on both, for what it's worth. Simply stated: ITEA really does care about trying to reach everyone with an interest in and love for the "total picture" concerning tuba and euphonium players and their relatives. In a forum like this, it is very easy, as I am illustrating now, to weigh in with comments and hit "send." As the jazz editor for the organization (which I love MOSTLY because of the dedicated people in it, and believe me, that is a LONG list), as well as when I served as V.P., Pres. and Immediate Past President, the organization solicited information from its members. Recently we asked for people to tell uf about jazz recordings they like or groups they knew about that could use some publicity, a review, or a "plug." So far I have ONE (1) response. That response came from Gene Pokorny, a friend to all musicians and tubist with the Chicago Symphony. He recommended Red Lehr's Jazz Incredibles. Not only that, he gave me contact information, the names of the CDs, liner notes, etc. THAT is how you help an organization.

There was no STRAW vote for the name change. There have been other attempts to offer the change, because it came at the request of (then) TUBA members, primarily the ladies and the euphoniumists in the organization. Out of 2500 members, how many do you think voted? Less than 10%--that is not participation.

The current Journal is managed by editor Jerry Young. I wish all of you could see the painstaking preparation, phone calls, emails, etc. he goes through to make each Journal interesting and valuable to the whole membership. He too,has solicited articles. Jerry is all about serving us.

Rather than go on and on about this, let's try something. All of you who have suggested a change, write me a letter----NOT an email---and suggest changes. Be prepared to follow the letter up with action. If you have a gripe, propose a solution. If there is not a ITEA chapter near you, set one up. We will tell you how and give you guidance and support.
Emails are easy-------take the time to write a letter, stamp it, mail it and I will follow through with a response, and promise to report whatever come out of this to the current officers. Furthurmore, I will report back to TubeNet and Sean, the results of this request within the month.

Are you busy? We are too--but we volunteered to help (no pay for any officers). There ARE some wonderful suggestions and some important ones. Send the letter.

About the Navy Band and REAL musicians. Peop;e like Alan Herrold and others have already said it eloquently enough. These premiere service bands are comprised of folks who went through colleges, earned their degrees, and have played in orchestras, quintets, and bands all over. A real musician is ON all the time---and if that means the 500th performance of the "Stars and Stripes" with the kind of musicianship that makes THAT audience feel it was the "performance of a lifetime," then you know you heard a real musician. Think of the body of jazz literature and compare that to the number of times you have heard Duke Ellingtons "Satin Doll" or "Take the A Train." Think of the body of orchestral literature and how many times they play a pops concert or play "1812" overture, etc. The performances still inspire and impress and bring people into the concert halls. One of the highest compliments a musician gets is when a fellow musician says they were moved by a performance of a phrase or a solo, AFTER that soloist has played the piece 45 times on a concert tour. That's storytelling---that's musicianship. Read a Maya Angelou or Robert Frost poem a couple of dozen times. Which reading did you prefer? Probably not the first, because the depth of understanding came from the body of reading, and living with the piece.

O.K., I'm done. Some of the comments were absoluely right on re the ITEA, and change is a necessary and good thing. This site is a real service and Sean should be commended. Don't forget the letters. We have much to be proud of. I'm proud of ITEA and the Navy Band, as well as all the service bands, and CONTRIBUTING members to musical organizations. Thanks for reading.

Marty Erickson


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