The musical tradition continues

November 07, 2003|By MADOLIN EDWARDS

There is some musical talent in my family.

For example, on my dad's side alone, I had two aunts who were very talented, one was a classical pianist the other a church organist.

My older sister played clarinet in band and brother the drums. So when Wm. David Stufft, the high school band director, came to the elementary school to talk to us about instruments, it was only natural I'd be interested in learning how to play something.

I decided on the flute. It was small, feminine, easy to carry.

My sister thought I should try something else. She recommended I play something needed in the band more than a flute.


"How about a baritone?" she suggested. "It's something like a French horn, only bigger."

So, because my big sister thought I should, I told Mr. Stufft I'd like to try a baritone.

"A baritone?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's something like a French horn, only bigger," I patiently explained to him.

He grinned and handed me a baritone. That's what I decided to play, mainly because I couldn't get the right mouth position to play the flute and because the mouthpiece for the baritone tasted like peppermint and made my mouth tingle.

I think that's the first step on my musical odyssey that will never stop as long as I can help it.

I learned so much, enjoyed so much and appreciate so much more about what goes together to make music.

We learned about how each part of the band might not sound like much individually, but when put together with the other instrumental parts, makes music.

My younger sister and I would get bored practicing our own instrumental parts at home, so we switched instruments. She taught me how to play the clarinet and I taught her the baritone.

Then a little later my younger brother taught me trombone.

As we played each instrument, my ear picked up the different harmonies so that when we got to band, I could hear how they all came together to make a song.

Later both of my sisters and I took piano lessons. I can't say I was anywhere near as good as my aunts were, but I tried.

There was rarely a time when I went into the band room that Mr. Stufft didn't have Maynard Ferguson or Chicago on the speaker system, and we played many pieces composed by the two different musical giants through the years.

Seeing the Maynard Ferguson concert in Somerset two weeks ago brought those memories of making music back to me.

Before going to the concert I played my Ferguson tape to get in the mood. Then I played my county and district band records. It is so exciting to hear the tunes again and realize that I was part of making them.

This fall my 10-year-old nephew decided he wanted to play an instrument - drums, like his brother. I talked to him about the baritone.

"It's something like a French horn, only bigger," I said. "And seeing as your brother is already playing drums, why don't you play something the band will need?"

He picked the baritone.

"We had our first band practice this week," he told me at a football game last weekend.

"How did you like it?" I asked him.

"It was great," he said. "I really like playing music in band. It's fun."

(Madolin Edwards is the community news editor and can be reached at

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