Who’s your musical hero? Gloria Estefan? Leonard Bernstein? Reba McEntire? B. B. King? Bill Watrous? Evelyn Glennie? John Philip Sousa? Mozart? Madonna? Pentatonix? Green Day?
Some of us elevate our favorite actors, athletes, or other celebrities to a level of deity-like perfection beyond what is reasonable, and it’s no different in the music world. To some degree, this is an understandably natural occurrence. The object of our adoration has learned their craft so well that they can pull off seemingly super-human feats of technical prowess, creativity, and musicality with their chosen instrument, leaving most of the rest of us to stare in sheer amazement, clench our fists in frustration, or wallow in self-pity.
There are others, though – average folks like you and me – who may start down a new path of inspired determination. These people realize the star performer was once where we are in our musical careers, and hey, here’s a little secret: some celebrities are actually nice people, too!
Canadian Creativity
I recently enjoyed a week at a local brass ensemble day camp called Pritchard Music Summer Brass Intensive (PMSBI), where we were placed in groups of comparable skill levels, and given some music to read, two pieces of which each group selected and performed at the end of the week. The big draw? The Canadian Brass was there, too.
For those who may not know, Canadian Brass is a Toronto-based ensemble that has paved the way to the extensive brass quintet repertoire available today, with a healthy focus on education, outreach, and entrepreneurial development. Founded in 1970 by trombonist Gene Watts and tubist Chuck Daellenbach (who still plays in the group today), the world-renowned chamber ensemble has made great strides in the music world, and has entertained audiences all over the globe.
The group saw fit to visit this local camp on its maiden voyage last year, and again this year. Why would musical giants like the Canadian Brass visit little ol’ Pritchard Music in Rockville, Maryland when they’ve played to consistently packed houses on most continents of the world? The program is only two years old, but it enjoys a solid foundation of educating brass players of all ages, mixed with the fun of playing brass quintet music!
Human Heroes
Generally speaking, the bonus for the CB (money aside) was to continue their ongoing mission of education and outreach, as mentioned above. The bonus for the camp participants was to see and hear their heroes do what they do best in an informal setting. We also got to pick their brains in a Q&A session.
The bonus for both groups (the way I see it) was the coaching sessions, where the professionals listened to each student group and then gave specific instruction aimed at efficient improvement, sometimes even playing along with the students on the second go round.
To hear the Canadian Brass answer our questions, joke around, and speak to us like normal people was—for many of the adults, anyway—a dream come true. Their willingness to travel to teach, not just to perform, speaks volumes about the character of Chuck, Chris, Jeff, Caleb, and Achilles.
Have you met a hero of yours? What were they like?
Who would you like to meet? What would you ask them?
Have you ever sent fan mail, then received a reply?
Have you ever been surprised by something your hero said in an interview?