Sounding Off: Echoing Brass Instructor Memories

[Liahona]

After reading in another thread today, I've been thinking about the incredible impact brass instructors have on our musical journeys, and it's got me wanting to hear more about your personal experiences. Instead of focusing on a specific instructor, I'd love for all of us to come together and share our memorable moments with brass instructors throughout our musical endeavors.

Whether it's a valuable lesson you learned, a funny anecdote, or an inspiring memory, please feel free to contribute. Your stories will not only entertain but also provide insight and motivation for all of us. So, who's up for sharing their own brass instructor stories?

My memory: I had the incredible experience to learn under the tutelage of Robert W. Smith, a legend in our activity (may he rest in peace). It was an incredibly mind blowing experience that I've have never forgotten all these years later.  Words cannot even express my gratitude. A true legend and incredible brass instructor among his other many talents. 

[fighterkit]

I've got a few stories of the educators I marched under. 


My first year marching drum corps was with The Academy in 2018. The brass caption head was Ben Hylton. 
I joined about a week before spring training as a euphonium and ended up going home to finish HS finals. I come back and am placed as the low brass alt. We had a tuba player go home a couple of days/week later and I get asked to march his dot with the horn because they wanted to see the full drill. I end up finishing that day on tuba and so they have me stay on it until they can find a replacement. For context I was about 5'9 and weighed 110 pounds. That jup contra weighed 38 lbs and it destroyed me that day but I fought hard. 
Well at The Academy in 18, we got fitted for our corps jacket because back in 07 (I believe. Can't remember the exact year), the corps wore the corps jacket as their uniform tops since the actual jacket didn't show up in time. We took the jacket seriously. Well when I got fitted I was in the air as to whether I would be euphonium or contra and the volunteers fitting me had that question about what to do. Do they put down euph, contra or what. They eventually decided for me that they would put low brass alternate or just low brass on the jacket since we didn't know. 
Well Ben was sitting there composing some music for something, whether it be HS or us or something else. And he speaks up.
"Hunter is going to get the instrument he marches on the jacket. Not low brass, not alternate."
They argue back and forth because they say that unless they know today what I'm marching it won't show up in time. They argue more for a bit and Ben finally says
"I don't care what it takes. He's getting his instrument on it. I don't care what it takes from me or from us."

Sure enough when the jackets come in it says "Contra" on it. 

It meant a lot to me that Ben ended up fighting for me to get that on my jacket. Rather than just low brass or alternate. I learned a lot from him and looked up to him. 
I had decided at the end of that season that I wasn't returning to The Academy, for Various reasons, but I would follow him wherever he went. He ended up not teaching in 19 and I went to Boston. 

And for the Boston staff. I have a lot I could say about them. So many wonderful people and educators there. 

@2000Cadet Fetus was a tech when I marched and he spent a lot of time before rehearsal answering questions I had about 2000 and what not. I still have that brass packet from that year. Man the exercises are long. 


Getting to march under Gino as a baritone and then DM was an exceptional experience. I learned so much from him and really found my love and appreciation for music from him. What a wicked talented educator. He knows so much about brass playing and frankly I think that he is the best caption head in the activity currently, and may be the best caption head ever. 

To tell a story about him. I have so many I could say but I will just leave it at one. 
During one of the camps he tells the baritones to sound like G bugles. I, of course, take that to heart. And that is where this wonderful gem comes from. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFPfcczAa8x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
That third baritone stick out is me. 🙂
 

I should not be proud of that fact but I am a little. 

As I would take the corps to the warm up lot or to the shows in the front Gino would stand next to me and do a mini salute. It was always really funny for him to do that and as I walk for him to go "Why so serious. Lets have some fun"
He would also sometimes hum songs from the show as we walked to the show as well. Or hum other corps tunes. 

In 22 we had a show that was rained out and we lined up to do an encore.
Gino walks up to me and goes

"Hunter. Do you want to leave here early and get more sleep or do you want to do an encore"
I went: "Why not get more sleep. The kids would love it"
Gino turned to the corps and started yelling
"Alright everyone. Back on the busses. We aren't performing"



So many good stories and I am so happy that I got to learn under him.
If I told all of them I would have pages and pages filled with my time under him and his staff. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by fighterkit
Figured out how to ping people

[Quad Aces]

I have been great friends with an old brass instructor of mine for almost 40 years now.  He also was a private instructor for me (trumpet). Phenomenal musician, and an even better friend.  He asked me to stand up in his wedding, and to this day, was the only DCI Finals that I have missed since 1989 (if that tells you anything).

[MikeD]

I had left Garfield after the 71 season, where I was a tri-tom player. The Cadets let go of George Tuthill, and as he was teaching the Cabs as well in Hawthorne, a lot of the drummers went there. 

I wanted another year of junior corps, so I returned to Garfield in the winter. However, I refused to play drums for the "new guy".....Fred Sanford!  😮

So, I joined the hornline, having never played a brass instrument. I was a 3rd baritone, and our brass instructor was Don Angelica, so that kind of made up for the above/

Don was an amazing teacher. He would invite groups of us music majors to his house in Bergenfield, and he would teach us how to arrange music. He gave us assignments. Mine was to create a brass chart of "Johnny". The hornline played it, and Don critiqued it. 

I had the bad habit sometimes of not stopping air, but using my tongue to stop the sound (I had not had brass class yet at college). I still recall the one time a rehearsal when Don, who was standing 50+ yards away, heard me release like that at the beginning of our opener, "Sinfonians" concert march. He stopped the entire corps, and yelled my name, and that was all he said. I knew exactly what he meant...that was my last time forcing the release that way. 😀

[Terri Schehr]

I had a few brass instructors in my junior corps time but I can’t say I really liked them that much as people.  Truman Crawford with RA was great. I liked him a lot but he wasn’t around much. Who I really did like, actually I loved him like a second Dad, was Dave St. Angel (visual for us). He was the most “real” person I’ve ever known in drum corps.  You could tell he really cared about us and suffered our losses as much as we did.  He was only with us one season but he really made an impression on us. I liked Frank Pamper a lot, too. But Dave was the gold standard in my book.

We had one middle voice teacher who showed up drunk more than a few times. Smh. What a strange ride.  I quit RA in 2004 when they had a guy teaching the mellophones WHO COULDN’T READ MUSIC.  I was out after that day. Turned in my horn, byeee. 

[Terri Schehr]

9 hours ago, MikeD said:

I had left Garfield after the 71 season, where I was a tri-tom player. The Cadets let go of George Tuthill, and as he was teaching the Cabs as well in Hawthorne, a lot of the drummers went there. 

I wanted another year of junior corps, so I returned to Garfield in the winter. However, I refused to play drums for the "new guy".....Fred Sanford!  😮

So, I joined the hornline, having never played a brass instrument. I was a 3rd baritone, and our brass instructor was Don Angelica, so that kind of made up for the above/

Don was an amazing teacher. He would invite groups of us music majors to his house in Bergenfield, and he would teach us how to arrange music. He gave us assignments. Mine was to create a brass chart of "Johnny". The hornline played it, and Don critiqued it. 

I had the bad habit sometimes of not stopping air, but using my tongue to stop the sound (I had not had brass class yet at college). I still recall the one time a rehearsal when Don, who was standing 50+ yards away, heard me release like that at the beginning of our opener, "Sinfonians" concert march. He stopped the entire corps, and yelled my name, and that was all he said. I knew exactly what he meant...that was my last time forcing the release that way. 😀

So The Sinfonians was 1971.  I was trying to remember the other day when I posted on here.   I liked playing it in concert band.  Clifton Williams was a virtuoso French hornist so = really nice horn parts. 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Terri Schehr

[MikeD]

2 hours ago, Terri Schehr said:

So The Sinfonians was 1971.  I was trying to remember the other day when I posted on here.   I liked playing it in concert band.  Clifton Williams was a virtuoso French hornist so = really nice horn parts. 

No, it was 72, part of the No More War show.

71 was the amazing Revolutionary War show. Ironlips was the brass arranger and primary instructor; George Tuthill the percussion guy that year. Bobby Hoffman did the drill both years.

[Terri Schehr]

2 minutes ago, MikeD said:

No, it was 72, part of the No More War show.

71 was the amazing Revolutionary War show. Ironlips was the brass arranger and primary instructor; George Tuthill the percussion guy that year. Bobby Hoffman did the drill both years.

Thanks! The years all blur together at this point. 

[MikeD]

1 hour ago, Terri Schehr said:

Thanks! The years all blur together at this point. 

You got THAT right!  👍

Edited October 19, 2023 by MikeD