Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0711.119 2008-2010Good evening. My name is Joy Sever. I am a regular attendee of the County Band's monthly concerts. Tonight I would like to impress upon you the passion possessed by the members of this band and that of the community it serves. The men and women of the Hawaii County Band are so dedicated to what they do. These wonderful people rehearse twice and week and perform monthly for peanuts (and for a few, simply out of the love they have for music). Those peanuts, however, may be what's actually putting bread on their tables, and in some cases, I know this to be true. I've heard this band playing in all sorts of weather including marching in parades on rainy days, performing on the muddy grounds of festivals (which is tedious in white pants), and even pressing on through the cruel effects that wind can have on their sheet music and stands at their own bandstand during their monthly concerts. The life of a musician is rarely a rich and extravagant life, but it is very passionate, and oftentimes, inspirational. Their music reaches a wide range of listeners from the richest of tourists to the common shopper at Farmer's Market to the poorest of the homeless, but each one of them is unified in listening to the songs being played, and yet is having their own individual experience at the same time, whether they realize it or not. For example, they might play Night on Bald Mountain, which has always given me the creeps since I was very young, or they may showcase a medley of popular Broadway tunes, in which case would cause my mother and me to sing along as they played, filling us with complete joy (as long as we can remember all the words). At this past concert the band played a medley of Gershwin tunes, and though I love a good Gershwin song, I wasn't too familiar with all the songs played, but an elderly gentleman sitting in a wheelchair across the way was. It was a privilege to watch him as he sang to every song and I smiled, wishing I could sing along with him. Have you ever listened to a piece of music — really listened, and let it move you? I have. This band has done that for me, and if you allow them, I'm sure they'd be honored to do the same for you. I challenge you to come to their concerts for as long as you can and as long as you let them play, which I hope is for a very long time. They love their instruments, they love music, and they love sharing it. Please be smart and let the Hawaii County Band play on. —7 Comm. No. /11. Ref. To: PfCtU4I.cc( Ref. leate MAR 2 2 2M1 Good evening. My name is Joy Sever. I am a regular attendee of the County Band's monthly concerts. Tonight I would like to impress upon you the passion possessed by the members of this band and that of the community it serves. The men and women of the Hawaii County Band are so dedicated to what they do. These wonderful people rehearse twice and week and perform monthly for peanuts (and for a few, simply out of the love they have for music). Those peanuts, however, may be what's actually putting bread on their tables, and in some cases, I know this to be true. I've heard this band playing in all sorts of weather including marching in parades on rainy days, performing on the muddy grounds of festivals (which is tedious in white pants), and even pressing on through the cruel effects that wind can have on their sheet music and stands at their own bandstand during their monthly concerts. The life of a musician is rarely a rich and extravagant life, but it is very passionate, and oftentimes, inspirational. Their music reaches a wide range of listeners from the richest of tourists to the common shopper at Farmer's Market to the poorest of the homeless, but each one of them is unified in listening to the songs being played, and yet is having their own individual experience at the same time, whether they realize it or not. For example, they might play Night on Bald Mountain, which has always given me the creeps since I was very young, or they may showcase a medley of popular Broadway tunes, in which case would cause my mother and me to sing along as they played, filling us with complete joy (as long as we can remember all the words). At this past concert the band played a medley of Gershwin tunes, and though I love a good Gershwin song, I wasn't too familiar with all the songs played, but an elderly gentleman sitting in a wheelchair across the way was. It was a privilege to watch him as he sang to every song and I smiled, wishing I could sing along with him. Have you ever listened to a piece of music — really listened, and let it move you? I have. This band has done that for me, and if you allow them, I'm sure they'd be honored to do the same for you. I challenge you to come to their concerts for as long as you can and as long as you let them play, which I hope is for a very long time. They love their instruments, they love music, and they love sharing it. Please be smart and let the Hawaii County Band play on.