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Martinsville High School Alumni
| Class of MHS Band |
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| Switch hitting for marching season.... - 55 |
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08/15/01
Kenton Clark
(1976)
kclarkmd@erols.com
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1975 football season (my senior year) - too many woodwinds and not enough sousaphones.
I played contrabass clarinet so, I figured, why not switch. Great memories learning how to read bass clef and play a brass (well, actually fiberglass) instrument in several short summer weeks (after years of reed playing).
Back then, scramble marching (i.e., free-form running on the field) was limited to sousaphones "dotting" the "M" on cue. Too much fun. (Slipped and fell on wet grass several times trying to scramble during 1st period band practice.)
Played a passable national anthem and Mavahi (actually Northwestern's?) fight song before the season ended. (We had lots of opportunities to play the fight song that season.)
Thanks to Mr. Mac's instruction, I actually fooled Virginia Tech's music directors during tryouts and played sousaphone for the MV's in 1976. MV sousaphones were considered reeaally cool. We won an award that year for "best rank" (whatever that means). [Vickie Saville ('75) was a MV drum major that year.]
I am here to say life as a sousaphone player was definitely more fun than as a woodwind. If you ever have the opportunity; do it.
So did anyone else do this? I think one of the Crowe sisters switched over in 1976 or 1977? |
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