On the night of October 14, 2007, I attended my first concert. It was held at 6 o’clock p.m. on the Bluff at Henry George Park in Fairhope, AL. The concert was sponsored by the City of Fairhope and the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation. The concert featured music from the late Classical Era, the Romantic Era and the 20th Century Era. The Pops Band performed under conductors Randy Davis and Dr. Roger Jones.

The first two selections, The Star Spangled Banner and Strike Up the Band were both played in quadruple meter. Randy Davis conducted both pieces. The Star Spangled Banner was a bold and energetic arrangement. There were very few changes in dynamics. In Strike Up the Band there was a lot of energy. The trumpets, piccolo and snare drums had solos. The tempo changed many times during the piece. It started fast and bold then it slowed slightly in the middle and the ending was the same as the beginning.

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine brought us Dr. Roger Jones as the conductor. This piece had a Turkish sound and was played in duple meter. There were piccolo and trumpet solos and an overall fast tempo.

The fourth arrangement played was, A tribute to Stephen Foster, that was played in quadruple meter. There was a trumpet, flute, horn, and drum quartette that introduced a quick tempo and a loud opening. In the middle the tempo slowed and there is a huge change in dynamics. Where the piece started loud and bold it became soft and light. This section had horn solos, flute solos, and oboe solos. A timpani roll increases the sound and leads to another oboe solo. The piece, which is a collection of many “folk songs” put together ended as it began loud and bold.

Next we heard Country Gardens which is an English Folk Song written by Percy Granger. Granger wrote the piece as a piano and oboe duet. John Philip Sousa heard it and arranged it into the military type version that was played. This was played in quadruple meter. There was a moderate tempo that stayed constant, but the dynamics changed over the course of the piece.

Cowboy Fantasy followed. It too was played in quadruple mater. It started with a trumpet solo which lead into a soft flute introduction. The tempo was fast and the dynamics were ever changing. We were given trumpet and horn solos along with crisp snare drum rolls. After the middle section slowed the tempo picked up with a western feel and the arrangement ending in Home on the Range.

Light Calvary Overture which was played in quadruple meter was the last selection played before intermission. This featured a loud trumpet intro. As with the other selections the dynamics and tempo were ever changing. After a loud strong start the middle was soft and slow and the end was loud and much faster.

The Children’s March: Washington Post March was played after the fifteen minute intermission. Once again the ensemble was conducted by Randy Davis. This was a march played in duple meter with a constant tempo. The dynamics were bold and remained that way the entire time. There was a strong military feel.

Next we were entertained with a 1930’s piece, Benny Goodman: The King of Swing. This arrangement which was played in quadruple meter had a strong jazzy feel. The tempo started out moderate then slowed greatly. The ever changing dynamics matched the tempo. When the tempo slowed the instruments played very softly and as the tempo increased so did the volume of the instruments playing. Ed Winston’s clarinet solo was the focal point of the entire selection.

The National Emblem March, which was played in duple meter came next. This piece went from piano to forte. There were large accents throughout from the trumpets, flutes, trombones and saxophones.

The next song was God Bless the USA. This featured a vocal soloist, John Baldwin. The band played quietly in the background to accompany the soloist. The volume of the instruments was controlled greatly even thru the transitions. The vocalist was never overpowered by the changes.

The final selection of the evening was Broad Stripes and Bright Stars. Played in quadruple meter, snare drum rolls lead into the flute section playing Yankee Doodle with the horns offering some accompaniment at the beginning. The rest of the ensemble join in in sections. A trumpet solo in the middle signaled a change in the dynamics and tempo that started the piece. The beginning was loud and fast and the slowed and softened. My Country Tis of Thee brought about a slight increase in tempo. The clarinets came in with the Star Spangled Banner and the tempo slowed again. As the band built up to the end the tempo was once again the fast pace that started the selection.

I think that going to this concert made the whole idea of a music appreciation class very clear. I really enjoyed the concert. It was very energetic and relaxing all at the same time. You could not have asked for a better environment than the one we had that night. I sat on the bluff over looking Mobile Bay at sunset and listened to the Baldwin Pops present a variety of different arrangements that celebrate America. The only thing that would have made it better would have been being able to just sit back and listen to the music. Instead I had to take notes the entire time. That took away from my ability to just enjoy what I was hearing. The audience was a little chatty and most of the people kept asking me why I was taking notes. I would go back to another concert. I think the whole idea of the class is to open your mind to the experience of a different kind of music. I got that.