Finding meaning through music – Brandon Sun

Opinion

Last week I found myself on the Brandon Air Shuttle to the Richardson International Airport (or YWG as we nerds call it). I was struck that of the six of us on the minibus, three had connections to BU. Mine was the most direct: I rely on BU for my bi-weekly paycheck. The other two were people coming to Brandon to spend time with us on campus.

It reminded me that our impact on the community goes well beyond the obvious (especially students, and also employees like me) to include all those who come to give a talk, performance or to work with our great faculty.

One of those on the shuttle was a musician who was interviewing for a position in our School of Music. We had a great conversation about all they had seen (and heard!) during their visit. I won’t reveal too much about them (they came from one of the coasts) but they spoke highly about the reputation we hold among those in the music world. Being at BU, even for just a few years, was something they were very excited about, and for good reason.

The high regard people have of Brandon University’s School of Music is inescapable. In just the past month, I’ve heard it described in glowing terms as a “jewel on the prairies” on some of Canada’s flagship radio programs, including by CBC’s Tom Allen and Tom Power. While I couldn’t make his WMCA show, I heard that we also got a shoutout from stage by Tom Cochrane, a BU honorary degree holder. And that’s just the Toms!

These days, if you miss a radio show you can usually find it as a podcast. I urge you to seek out the recent episode of Q featuring James Ehnes. Not only was it a wonderful interview, interspersed with incredible music, but it’s hard to imagine a better testimonial than this one, from one of the world’s best violinists:

“Brandon University has had this legendary music school for decades, and it’s a very special place,” Ehnes said on the show. “If you want to go somewhere to really immerse yourself in your work, to feel like you have a real connection with a smaller school, a smaller faculty, Brandon was set up to be this type of a place.”

And yet … just a few days later, Canadian folk rocker Doug MacNaughton was promoting his new album on the That Eric Alpert Show on Canada Talks. While self-deprecatingly recalling his poor high school marks, especially in English, MacNaughton credits BU’s open access approach for helping him pursue a great music education and follow in the footsteps of his heroes.

“I wanted to go to university because all the guys I listened to had not only serious chops on the guitar, but they had serious history-of-music and theory-of-music and composition chops as well,” he told Alpert. “Fortunately, Brandon University … has a really good music school, that is kind of a well-kept secret.”

With regular mentions on national and international radio, I’m not sure we’re a secret anymore, Doug, but what I really appreciated was the reminder that no matter how widespread our fame gets, we stay focused on the impact we have here at home.

Because I was away (I had a great visit east last week to meet alumni and supporters — more of that in a future column) I also had to miss a holiday staple that is a great example of that local focus: Tuba Christmas.

In the all-brass performance at The Green Spot, Dr. Nora Wilson leads a team of dedicated musicians who regale people of all ages with traditional and modern seasonal music, but arranged for instruments like tubas and euphoniums. Despite their size, these instruments seldom get top billing, and it is a treat to hear them shine.

Tuba Christmas reflects a deeper truth. We often think of Christmas as choirs, with violins and organs, but we should remember to be open and receptive of modern interpretations and understandings in everything we do, including the arts, sciences and acceptance of different cultures and identities. I am a classical music fan, and this has also given me a fuller appreciation of expression through music in all of its forms. Bring on the tubas!

Speaking of brass instruments, our latest edition of Clark magazine features the story of one of our music faculty members Dr. Ed Bach.

It’s been a remarkable journey of recovery for Bach, who earned his Bachelor of Music degree in trumpet performance from BU in 1981, then came back here to teach in 2012 after teaching at the University of North Carolina for 23 years.

Frighteningly, however, Bach has had to battle lip and mouth issues that could have been career-ending, including a lower-lip tumour, numbness, and involuntary contractions at the sides of his mouth. Finding it difficult to play, he says he had all but given up when friends suggested he reach out to elite plastic surgeons in the United States.

They brought him to New York for a two-hour nerve reconstruction surgery that had never before been performed on a professional brass player. Today, Bach is back — and he devotes up to five hours to practicing trumpet each day, which is also part of his physical recovery.

Alongside his work at the School of Music, Bach has three high school students he teaches on Zoom. I anticipate that they will be here this fall as students to learn from him, just as many of the tuba band will want to graduate from high school and spend more time with professor Wilson as BU students.

Those students will not lack for opportunity to re-engage with our community. Why just a couple of weeks ago, Kris and I walked in the Brandon Santa Parade with the Brandon University float. We were accompanied by Dr. Wendy Zander and a group of students from the School of Music who helpfully drowned out my own attempts to carol.

Many of these students will go on to distinguished careers in performance, music education, or other aspects of the music industry. Just this week, the Sun covered the launch of Jesse Dietschi’s debut jazz album, “Gradient.” It was heartening to read about his start at BU, and about the success his new album is finding on CBC and on streaming services.

Other grads may draw on their musical skills to find success in a different field. Philipp Lauter, for example, is a music student who’s also a standout Bobcat volleyball middle, so finds himself a star while performing on two separate stages.

Like Dietschi and like Lauter, all our music students develop drive and self-discipline, fine motor skills, deep cultural understanding and a keen ear, as well as the ability to (literally) play well with others.

When these students graduate, they will go on to many future accomplishments. Some may find themselves on national radio shows, recalling the people and places who helped them get where they are. Others may simply mention their fond memories to a stranger on an airport shuttle.

Either way, I know the national reputation of BU’s School of Music is in wonderful hands.