An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

AMC band shares music knowledge with local conductors, educators

  • Published
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --   In an effort to reach out to music educators, the Band of the Golden West held a program here April 17 to share their musical knowledge with band conductors and educators.

The third annual symposium focused on offering conducting experience that will allow educators to better communicate with their students, according to Maj. Doug Monroe, band commander.

For the symposium, the band invited nationally known music teachers Craig Kirchoff and Harvey Benstein. Mr. Kirchoff is the professor of conducting and director of university bands at the University of Minnesota. Mr. Benstein is the music director and conductor of the Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra and the Walnut Creek Concert Band and is the director of instrumental music at Campolindo High School in Moraga, Calif.

In addition to receiving one-on-one instruction from Mr. Benstein or Mr. Kirchoff, each person who attended the free workshop had an opportunity to conduct the concert band twice.

According to Tech. Sgt. Candis Hanson, band member and workshop organizer, this year graduate students at the clinic made up only 10 percent of those in attendance. The sergeant said participants were mostly music educators and individuals who currently conduct bands and orchestras.

Dr. Robert Halseth, professor of conducting at California State University in Sacramento, has attended the workshop all three years. He said he continues to come back for the "great band, and wonderful conducting teachers.

"My Ph.D. is in conducting, and I come here to continue to learn more about it," he added.

Dr. Halseth also encourages his own graduate students to attend the conference. During the workshop two years ago he met a student who was applying for his graduate program. After seeing the student conduct at the workshop, Dr. Halseth accepted him into the program immediately.

The workshop is also a treat for band members. According to Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Kistler, band manager for the Band of the Golden West, many of the musicians in the band go on to be music educators.

 

"We enjoy the opportunity to be creative with music and allow the music to speak," added Sergeant Hanson. "It's a chance to see different conductors with different interpretations of the music."

The end of the workshop was marked with a free concert at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre April 18. At the concert, Mr. Kirchoff and Mr. Benstein conducted the concert band. The capacity crowd enjoyed an entirely classical music program, including a symphony written by George Roumani for the Band of the Golden West entitled "Solo Flight for Brass, Woodwinds and Percussion."