Social Life? Not much for me!

My musical claim to fame happened at Vale Union High School, during my senior year, as a french horn player. In the spring of 1974 I traveled to Portland to perform in the state Solo and Ensemble Festival at the Oregon State Competition. I played Mozart's 4th Concerto for French Horn, all three movements, by memory. It took 35 minutes to complete. I took 5th place in the Oregon State finals. So when I was invited to attend the 'Spring Music Extravaganza' performed by the various music groups at the High School, I was very interested in attending. My niece is in the choir and I wanted to hear her sing.

The performance was held in the school cafeteria, just like before. There is a stage in the cafeteria. The tables and benches, for eating lunch, were put away in the wall cupboards, and chairs had been set up for the audience. The choir sang first. It was an all girls choir (small in number), which surprised me. Where were the young men? And then it was time for the Concert Band to play. The curtain came up and there they were, all five of them. Someone was playing the flute, another the clarinet, a trumpet player and a bass saxaphone player, finished off by someone on the piano. That was it! No percussion! No french horn! Where was the oboe, kettle drum, trombone section? Where was the concert band? I was shocked. I was looking forwad to some sort of cultural entertainment and this was it. I later found out that one of the members of the band was sick (I would have been sick too if I had been forced to perform in that kind of music extravaganza). But who knows, perhaps that one extra person would have made the difference. This was my first attempt to immerse myself into the social fabric of my new community.

Please understand, I'm not making fun of this, I'm just commenting on my experience. I know that funding for education has been drastically cut across America over the past number of years. This experience flew in my face, in a very real way, how these cuts affect our young people. Learning the arts and music is something that has enriched my life greatly. I hope these students get the opportunity to learn how the different art forms make a life more complete, whether it is music, sculpture, photography, painting, or gourmet cooking. I really believe the arts are a means of making our humanity more compassionate and our spirits more present, as we understand and create the beauty that surrounds us in our lives. Learning these skills at school is a great place to start.