Band students across Grays Harbor County got the chance to learn from a professional brass band through a music clinic on Wednesday at Hoquiam High School.

The quintet, who makes up the Dallas Brass, spoke to about 100 high school and middle school band students inside of Hoquiam High School’s Little Theater about skills they need to know in order to improve their individual and collective performances.

Susan Peters, director of band and choir for Hoquiam High School, said it was a great day.

“It’s a great opportunity for all of the high school students and middle school students. We don’t get a chance to work with musicians of this caliber, hardly ever,” Peters said. “This is an excellent chance for us to spend some quality time. Plus, they get to meet kids from around the area and make beautiful music together.”

The Daily World got a chance to see part of the clinic at the Little Theater where Michael Levine, founder and artistic director for Dallas Brass, impressed upon the students the importance of making the music sound how it’s supposed to sound, working together as an ensemble and being in the moment, because performing live isn’t the same as just learning the song, or performing in a studio.

It wasn’t just a lecture, either. Several of the students got to play onstage in front of their peers and the band. Levine explained why he brought the students on stage. One of the groups played a rendition of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” and two other groups played part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s classic, “Ode to Joy.”

“Part of what we believe very strongly in is to encourage you guys to not only play in your full band in school, but to play in small ensembles,” Levine said. “I know in the high schools especially there’s a lot of that art going on, which is awesome. When you play in a small ensemble, you become a much better musician. You start listening, evaluating, making decisions, problem solving and figuring out how to get your group to sound better than you sound now. We’re always trying to improve.”

Levine explained how a large band will always receive notes such as playing softer, louder, playing shorter or longer, which is great for a large ensemble.

“But in a small group we all make those decisions together, which makes us better musicians,” Levine said.

In observing the students, they were all keyed in on what they were being taught. It was clear they were soaking up the knowledge the professional band was sharing with them.

One of the student groups who took the stage was made up of Hoquiam High School students and an Aberdeen High School student. Their assignment was to play part of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”

Levine, who has a list of musical accolades in addition to his training at The Julliard School, wasn’t shy about letting the students know about their performances.

“The next step is you want to make sure you’re matching the style,” Levine said. “This song is called ‘Ode to Joy.’ And right now it doesn’t sound, it sounds like it’s kind of like ‘Ode to taking a nap.’”

With that note, Levine mimicked what he wanted to hear, which was to play the notes in a less seamless way.

“A little bit more bounce to it. More excitement,” Levine said. “Can we try that?”

The note was taken well, as the tuba player who led off that rendition of “Ode to Joy,” led Levine to tell the student’s peers to “match” his playing style.

Juan Berrios, who plays the French horn and other instruments for the Dallas Brass, also took an integral role Wednesday in teaching the students. One of the points he brought up was sound balance between band members and their instruments. He said they need to play as a team.

“Your job is to kind of lose yourself in the sound,” Berrios said. “That’s the discovery. It works this way all the way down. It’s actually a thing of beauty.”

Berrios brought up the Pyramid of Sound, which according to Penn State University, shows how certain instruments blend together and bring balance. And, that they’re not all going to hear themselves individually.

“We’ve got to be OK with not hearing ourselves as much, and that’s scary,” Berrios said.

Levine said the pointers his group was giving the students were in order to help them when they start playing with smaller ensembles.

“When you start thinking about all these things yourself — balance, blending, articulation and time,” Levine said. “All these things are all part of the experience of playing in a small ensemble.”

One metaphor Levine used that seemed to help the students, and stuck out for Peters, is how playing in an ensemble is like driving a car.

“It’s really not that hard to do, to go like that (mimics pressing on a pedal) and to push down on the gas pedal and the brake pedal,” Levine said. “That doesn’t take a lot of talent. The talent of being a great driver is responding to what you see. Your eyes are driving the car and you’re responding to what your eyes are seeing. In music, you’re responding to what you’re hearing. Anything you’re playing is a response to what you’re listening to.”

A few of the students — Jackson Newton, co-president of the Hoquiam High School band who plays the alto saxophone; Toby Patterson, who plays the drums at Aberdeen High School; and Mick Bozich, who plays the French horn for Hoquiam High School — spoke about what they learned.

“Number one would definitely be keeping balance,” Newton said. “The second one would be being attentive while you’re playing. You have to be attentive. (And number three is) being prepared for your, not weakest, but your quietest member in a small band, being able to match to them. That’d be my top three.”

Newton shared her thoughts for people not in band, or not in the clinic.

“Band is definitely worth it,” Newton said. “You get opportunities here you wouldn’t have in other sports. Band is more focused on your growth versus your contribution. I would definitely push people who weren’t here today to come back.”

Patterson said a small ensemble is a “whole different animal” from a large ensemble.

“You’re more prominent in your section because it’s only you,” Patterson said. “You don’t have a section. You have to stand up for yourself.”

Patterson said he learned how blending and matching with the other musicians was more important in a small ensemble, too.

“You can’t overpower your ensemble mates,” Patterson said.

Bozich, who played “Ode to Joy,” on stage, shared what he learned.

“I learned a ton of stuff on how to use the shape of the horn and (about) the aerodynamics of the sound — how to project it, mellow it, give it different tones, unique ways to use my instrument,” Bozich said.

Peters shared a few thoughts, including how the concert, which was scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday night, was going to be her favorite part.

“I think that will be an ‘Aha!’ moment for students,” Peters said. “I think that (when) they walk away from the concert tonight, they’ll float. The concert tonight will be life-changing for a lot of these kids. Right now they’re so nervous. They want to impress and make sure they do the best job possible. … Tonight, when they make the real music and they have the audience in front of them, they’ll make magic. I’ve got goosebumps already.”

On Thursday morning, it sounded as though the concert went swimmingly. The Dallas Brass played by itself during the first half of the concert, and then the band was joined by the middle school and high school students. She called the band’s performance “phenomenal.”

She seemed to be floating, herself.

“We had a ‘full house,’ audience,” Peters said. “It was amazing!”

Kayden Scroggs, a Hoquiam High School junior who plays baritone saxophone, takes in the notes Michael Levine, founder of the Dallas Brass band, is giving her and her fellow students on Wednesday at Hoquiam High School. The students were there to learn from the band. Susan Peters, director of band and choir for Hoquiam High School, said it was a “great day,” for the students to learn from such an accomplished band. (Matthew N. Wells / The Daily World)