I'm a middle school band director in Lafayette, Louisiana. I taught for 23-years in a very poor middle school. When I got there we had 76 band students. Within 2 years there was over 300 and we had many years after that with over 400 students. When I left that program a few years ago we had 411 band members.
If you want to hear about success I could tell you that we earned Superiors at every festival we attended but one on my entire career, or that we won the Orlando Festival of Music the last 3-years I taught there, but instead I’ll tell you that I had hundreds of students who lived in the poor part of town in “paper houses” who left me and eventually went to college on music scholarships. I have 15 former students who are now band directors, and I’m equally proud of the two who have become priests.
I teach my students that music provides us with a new way of thinking – we each play music a little different, and the styles of music we like to play may be radically different, but in the end a good musician is in pursuit of excellence. We all try to play as well as we can, and this manner of thinking goes with that musician into every endeavourer he/she may have for the rest of his life.
Music has been good to me, so I have tried to be good to music. I did leave for a couple of years but I had a heart attack and decided that I wanted to return to the job that brought me so much happiness. I now teach in a small Catholic school and am revamping a music program that had a 55-year tradition of being pretty bad. We have made major strides. Our biggest accomplishment so far is the fact that now the band members are PROUD TO BE IN THE BAND!
FYI – I have an enlightened way of looking at things. In the past 18 months I have had a heart attack, 5 heart surgeries, and then stage two cancer in my kidney. This year, the week after band festival I had my right kidney, gallbladder and appendix removed, along with the tumor that was trying to kill me. I have learned that there are a lot of important things in the world, but the most important things are my family, my friends, and my relationship with the Lord.
I look forward to making new friends here. If I can ever be of help to any of you, let me know. Part of being a friend is being someone whom other people can count on for help!
TrumpetChat
Thanks for that helful,encouraging post! I'm sure you can do a lot to help the beginners and pros in this forum. I hope to see you around. Chris
OLDLOU
health problems
Like you, I have had my health problems. Seven surgeries on my right knee, including two total replacements and a high tibial osteotomy. Ask your doctor about that one. I have also had a brain aneurism clip installed, a triple cardiac bypass, carotid endorectomies on both sides, and, now I am fighting total renal failure. I refuse to give up! I am 69 YOA and still enjoy my trumpets/cornets of which I have a fairly good sized collection.
Couturier trumpet,c 1920
Early Martin Imperial Handcrafted extended cornet,c 1934
Two Olds Ambassador cornets,c 1957 & 1971
Olds recording model cornet c 1954
Olds ambassador trumpet, c 1961
Cleveland by H.N.White cornet
Rudolph Wurlitzer Improved Symphony short cornet c 1891
Holton Clark model short cornet c 1920
Wurlitzer Professional small bore trumpet c 1939
Martin Commitee trumpet c 1942
Blessing Super Artist trumpet c 1954
and some old junky horns
It keeps me busy just keeping the valves and slides lubed.
I do a bit of church ensemble and solo work and will start with the New Horizons Senior Citizens band next month.
