FORT BENNING, Ga., (Aug. 12, 2015) -- The Maneuver Center of Excellence Band and the CSU Schwob School of Music will present a concert of British Brass Band music on Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. in the River Center's Legacy Hall. This one-hour program will commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the Salvation Army and will feature brass band works from Salvation Army composers.
The Salvation Army's bands are based on the all brass ensemble that developed during Britain's industrial revolution. It was during this time that factory owners sought to instill cultural values in their employees through musical instruction. They discovered that beginning students produced a more pleasing sound and progressed the most rapidly on brass instruments. Additionally the hands of working laborers were better suited to operate the three piston valves of brass horns than the more complicated movements required for woodwind and string instruments.
Band's names often reflected the industries that sponsored them and were a great source of pride for the local companies and towns. Bands such as "The Black Dyke Mills Band," "Grimethorpe Colliery Band" and "Foden's Motor Works Band" have developed international reputations and even outlived the businesses that started them. Through rigorous contests at the local, national and international levels they have established the very highest musical standards of performance. This style of music making has a proven history of more than 150 years of training the very finest brass musicians. It has also been successfully used around the world by the Salvation Army to teach personal and spiritual development through music.
In the United States the brass band all but disappeared with introduction of the military style wind band with its full complement of woodwind instruments. This wind band continues to be the model for instrumental music instruction in today's schools. However, the Salvation Army has maintained the British Brass Band model in its musical programs around the world, including the United States. But, their music encompasses much more than a group of musicians playing around a bell ringer and red kettle at Christmas time. Groups such as The New York Staff Band and the Chicago Staff Band have set the very highest standards of musical performance, and true to the origins of the brass band, they remain decidedly amateur. Their membership is composed of musicians whose serve in a wide variety of supportive roles for the social and spiritual mission of the SA.
Many SA Corps across the country, to include Columbus, Georgia, offer children the opportunity to receive brass instrumental music instruction. The object is to enable church members to participate musically in the services and other community outreach programs. Salvation Army brass band music is usually arranged around familiar hymn tunes and is a valuable part of the worship service whether it is being held in a sanctuary or a street corner open air service. Some of the top professional musicians in the U.S., like Phillip Smith, recently retired principle trumpet player with the New York Philharmonic or Bruce Broughton, Grammy Award winning composer of film and television scores, have begun their musical journeys in these music programs.
In recent years, the British style Brass Band began to make a comeback in the United States. A full brass band only requires 25-30 musicians which makes it much easier to organize than the 60 plus personnel required for a complete military style wind band. This team of instruments produces a sound that is rich, powerful and incredibly beautiful - plus brass players enjoy the challenge of rehearsing and performing this unique style of music. There are currently several hundred active brass bands in the US and include two band in Georgia and one in Alabama.
Last March the MCoE Band from Fort Benning partnered with CSU's Schwob School of Music to hold a three-day British Brass Band Workshop for both Soldiers and students. There were also participants from Fort Rucker and Auburn, Alabama. The event was led by Joe Johnson, music director of the Georgia Brass Band from Atlanta - a lifelong aficionado of this style of music. The course finished with a well-received Sunday afternoon public concert in Legacy Hall. Due to the rousing success of this event two more workshops have been planned for Aug. 23 and Jan. 17, 2016. There will also be an opportunity for area residents to hear this exciting style of music during the much-anticipated annual Holiday Concert presented by the MCoE Band in the River Center on Dec. 6, conducted by Warrant Officer Alexander Davis. Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy some compelling music from a glorious musical tradition.
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