What's Happening 2009-2010
The DVD is available to everyone. If you would like to purchase one, please send an email to Tim Fox at alumband@msu.edu for more information. We can ship them to you, or they can be picked up in person in East Lansing.
Advance registration is highly recommended (if you want to be included in the halftime formations). Here is the registration form for the event. Please print, fill out, and and snail-mail this form to Tim Fox at the address below by September 14th, 2009, even if you will not be in attendance for the reunion. This helps us keep our records up-to-date.
Tim Fox On Saturday morning - October 17, we will be meeting and rehearsing at the Band Hall (main floor of Demonstration Hall) which is directly West of the IM Building. The schedule is below.
Public parking is available in the westmost lot at the corner of Kalamazoo and Harrison. For further parking information visit: http://www.homefootball.msu.edu/. Do you need a new MSU Alumni Band white hat or a new MSU Alumni Band polo shirt? They can be ordered online from Custom Embroidery Plus in St. Johns, Michigan - official suppliers for the MSU Alumni Band and the Spartan Marching Band.
Beryl Falcone Honored at Alumni Concert Band Spring Reunionby Terry Person
When Kenneth G. Bloomquist asked Beryl Falcone, wife of Director of Bands, Leonard Falcone, to help organize an MSU band alumni association, Beryl took the request to heart. Since then, she’s been the Alumni Band Board’s most enthusiastic volunteer. Not only has she compiled the alumni news in Beryl’s Beat, she’s tracked down the addresses of those who have moved, reminded the board of the timelines necessary to successfully host the fall and spring reunions, and performed the multitude of small and large tasks necessary to keep an organization running smoothly. Beryl has been the voice of the Alumni Band Board, speaking to graduating students about the benefits of joining the Alumni Association, and recruiting members whenever the opportunity arose. She’s also provided the Board with a historical perspective during countless board meetings, as the institutional memory of past accomplishments and members. She’s the first to pass around a card for board members to sign when an alum falls ill. She pursued the past alumni board presidents for their photographs to hang in the MSU Music Building, always mindful of preserving the history of our organization. Recently, Beryl decided to cut back on her membership liaison duties to focus on other projects, including organizing materials for a book about her husband. As past president of the Alumni Band Board, I, with the assistance of Gary Baron, and Beryl’s granddaughter, Lisa Fulton, had the honor of selecting an appropriate gift for Beryl in recognition of her retirement. At a presentation at the spring reunion, as a token of our thanks, the first Alumni Band Board president, Henry Nelson, and the current president, Bill Sachs, presented Beryl with a gold charm bracelet containing a silver and gold Sparty charm. Thank you, Beryl. Kenneth Bloomquist picked the right woman for the job. The Board wishes you a long and happy retirement.
Beryl’s response to the presentation
Dear Terry and my friends on the MSU Alumni Band Board, Thank you so very much for the lovely bracelet that you presented me at the Spring Alumni Band Concert. It was unexpected and frankly not necessary. However, I love it and have worn it almost every day since receiving it. I cherished the time I spent working on behalf of the MSU Alumni Band. While I have stepped back from my “job” I still look forward to participating, when possible, in events and keeping in touch with all of you. Thank you for your ongoing efforts on behalf of the Alumni Band and for you kindness in recognizing my service. Hope to see you all again soon.
Thank you again,
New President of the Conductors Guild Elected
Michael Griffith (MSU B. Mus 1971, M. Mus. 1975) has been elected President of the Conductors Guild. The Guild is an international organization serving the conducting profession through conferences, workshops, a journal, job listings, mentoring, and other offerings. During Dr. Griffith’s two-year term the Guild will host conferences in Copenhagen and San Francisco and offer workshops including with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Cabrillo Music Festival. He has been on the Board since 1999, and had served as Vice President and Secretary before being elected President at the Guild’s 2008 conference in New York. Dr. Griffith is in his 21st year as Director of Orchestra Activities at the University of Wyoming. During his tenure there he has received numerous honors, including being named a Top Ten Teacher by the 2006 graduating class and being selected to teach UW’s London Semester in 2008. He has taken the UW Symphony to Bolivia for a week, and the UW Chamber Orchestra to perform at the All-Northwest MENC conference in Spokane this past spring. In 2005 he was a winner of an ASCAP/American Symphony Orchestra League Adventurous Programming Award. His guest conducting engagements have included Orquestra Petrobras Pro Musica in Rio de Janeiro, Denver’s Mercury Ensemble, the Ft. Collins Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Opera Fort Collins, Colorado Music Festival (Boulder), and more. He has done many high school honors orchestras, including the Wyoming and Colorado All-State Orchestras. College orchestras he has conducted include The University of Missouri, Iowa State, University of Colorado, MSU, and Pacific Lutheran. Broadcast performances include the Nigerian Broadcasting Company (doing the music of MSU graduate Samuel Akpabot), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Minnesota Public Radio, Nebraska Public Radio, University of Illinois Public Radio, KUSF San Francisco, Wyoming Public Television, and Wyoming Public Radio.
2009 Golf OutingThe Annual Golf Outing at Oak Lane Golf Course will be Friday - October 16, 2009. More information is avaliable at http://msuabgo.tripod.com.
2009 Homecoming Parade: Mark Your Calendar!On Friday evening, October 16, 2009, the MSU Alumni Band will participate in the MSU Homecoming Parade. All band members that have provided the band with a correct email address will receive an email in September with registration information and parade details. Band members will be able to register by email or by calling Jack Nelson at 517-655- 3627. You can also email Jack at jackn4952@cablespeed.com. There is no cost to participate in this event. This year will be the sixth consecutive year that the Alumni Band has participated in the parade. Band members can ride on a large truck or can walk next to the truck. There is no marching. This event continues to grow in band member attendance and is a fun way to show Spartan spirit in front of thousands of appreciative parade spectators. Please consider joining us and including the parade as part of your 2009 Alumni Band Fall Reunion and Homecoming activities.
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A DVD has been produced of the four Rose Bowls which the Spartan Marching
Band has participated in (1954, 1956, 1966, 1988). Enjoy original footage
of not only the game performances, the trips and stops along the way, and
much more. Even a little football is included! Also on the DVD is a tribute
to director Leonard Falcone, and an introduction from current SMB Director
John Madden. Definitely something you don't want to miss!
Plans are now being finalized for the Fall 2009 MSU Alumni Band Reunion. Mark your
calendars - October 16 & 17, 2009 - for another great get-together.
