ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - A collection of about 20 musicians on post make up the all-volunteer APG Praise Band, which will provide music accompaniment for the March 19 APG National Prayer Luncheon at Top of the Bay from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. They will perform ?"America the Beautiful," ?"My Country ?'Tis of Thee" and ?"How Great Thou Art."
CECOM Chaplain (Maj.) Young Kim assembled the band last year. He said he saw a need for a live band on the installation after the Army Materiel Command Band moved from APG to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., in 2010 as part of Base Realignment and Closure.
The National Prayer Luncheon will be the fourth time that the APG Praise Band has performed on post. Members meet to rehearse before performances, so the time commitment is minimal.
Most of the group?'s musicians are also active members of other bands, orchestras and choruses off post. For instance, the band?'s director, Mark Grotke, from the Communications-Electronics Command, is also the president of the Susquehanna Symphony Orchestra. Seven other members of the APG Praise Band are also members of the SSO.
Grotke said that the APG Praise Band serves the community by providing live music and gives musicians an outlet to perform and improve their skills. Their repertoire tends to be in the patriotic, hymnal and classical vein.
?"It?'s a good opportunity to meet other musicians on post," said Robert Storey, a contractor from SURVICE Engineering Company, who plays the trumpet in the SSO and plays for the Baltimore?'s Marching Ravens, the official marching band of the Baltimore Ravens.
Wanda Scott, from the Program Executive Office Intelligence Electronic Warfare and Sensors, said she enjoys singing every opportunity she gets. ?"Music can impact people," she said. ?"Talents should be shared with others."
Terry Perkins, retired Army, said he has been singing with his wife, Marsha Perkins, for the past 46 years. They both sing in the Main Post Chapel?'s Protestant Choir.
?"I sang to my wife at our wedding," he said ?"Singing is something we enjoy doing together."
Besides the many social benefits, music making has been shown to improve concentration, memory, reduce stress and more. Singing has been shown to release pain-relieving endorphins, improve posture, lung capacity, mental alertness and confidence.
?"Music helps develop both sides of the brain, which is good for nurturing future scientists and engineers" said Colleen Grotke, from Battelle, who plays the violin and is a member of the SSO. ?"Music makes you smarter."
Mark Grotke added that many people who think they don?'t like classical music discover that they enjoy listening to orchestral music live. The SSO performs modern orchestral music of Hollywood?'s John Williams and Carl Orff, as well as the symphonies of Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart. Grotke encourages everyone to attend a local performance to see for themselves.
For more information about performing with the APG Praise Band, contact Kim at 443-861-4353, or e-mail young.d.kim6.mil@mail.mil. For more information about the SSO, visit www.ssorchestra.org. For more information about the National Prayer Luncheon call 410-278-4333
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