A Combined Band Concert

I attendted the combined concerto of the Westwinds Brass Band http://westwindsbrassband.org/ and the Texas Tech University Band Camp. I had heard about it a couple of weeks ago at the weekly Westwind Brass Band Concert in the Park: "10… Music@The Museum: A Patriotic Salute, 7pm, HDJones Sculpture Court. Features the Texas Tech Band Camp Honors Wind Ensemble, Sarah McKoin, director, and the Westwinds Brass Band, Phil Anthony, director, presented in partnership with the Museum of TTU. Join your community friends for a rousing hour of everyone’s favorite patriotic music. The west doors of the Museum (facing Indiana Avenue) will open at 6pm, allowing performance goers to enjoy a pre-concert visit to the Museum’s many galleries featuring a selection of exciting traveling and in-house exhibitions. This is a Museum Community Program event." The Westwinds Brass Band played more songs than the TTU Band camp band. This is right, the band camp band had only about 2 days two learn their music. The music was patriotic songs, most of them fairly common and the musicians may have been familiar with them. One of the songs the camp band played was a salute to the US Armed Forces: Army, Coast Guard, Navy, Marines and Air Force. This piece included "Easter Eggs" that is other patriotic songs hidden in the piece. The Westwinds play a salute to the 5 armed forces, but the piece they play is much less complex. The band camp band played the Texas Tech fight song. I wonder how many of them were prepared for the audience who knew when to clap, and when to "guns up." They also played the Texas Tech Matador Song. The finale was a combined performance of John Phillip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever." The audience was very savvy, and knew when to clap, when to stop, when to applaud the piccolo players, and when to stand for the finale. The band received a well deserved standing ovation. The band camp band is playing Saturday afternoon at Hemmle Hall. Parking on campus is a hassle, but I might mosey on down there to see if I can find a parking spot and attend the concert.