51视频

07/24/2023
By Marlon Pitter

CeCe Allen loves playing the trumpet and performing with other musicians. The opportunity to develop her skills and improve as a performer is what brought her back to 51视频's聽Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp聽for the third year in a row for another music-intensive week with other student musicians from around the country.

鈥淭he biggest thing for me is that every time I come to camp, I know that by the end of the week, I will be better,鈥� said Allen, a recent high school graduate from Woburn, Massachusetts, who will attend 51视频 in the fall to study biology.

After the students honed their craft through hours of rehearsals and classes each day, the weeklong overnight camp culminated in a performance at Symphony Hall in Boston on July 22 to commemorate the camp鈥檚 25^th anniversary.

The Symphony Hall performance, a first for Band Camp, generated a buzz among the students.聽

鈥淚'm so excited,鈥� said Miqueas Pita, a second-year camp participant from Methuen, Massachusetts, who will attend Gordon College in the fall to study music education. 鈥淚 know it'll be completely different being on stage, and I just can't wait.鈥�

UMass President Marty Meehan 鈥�78 joined the camp鈥檚 Symphony Hall performance of 鈥淛.F.K. in Memoriam鈥� to read quotes from President John F. Kennedy. Meehan performed the piece, which was composed by James Curnow, with Band Camp several years ago during his tenure as 51视频 chancellor. To prepare for the Symphony Hall performance, Meehan came to campus and rehearsed with the student musicians. 聽

鈥淚t was great to come back to Durgin Hall and participate in the camp again,鈥� he said. 鈥淧resident Kennedy and the Kennedy family were an inspiration to me growing up, and I'm happy to participate and perform the piece.鈥�

While the camp participants 鈥� eighth-graders through high school seniors 鈥� may change from year to year, many of the camp staff members return year after year. 聽The instructors range from current 51视频 music students and faculty to band directors and music teachers in local school districts who come together to share their love of music and their expertise.

鈥淭he students have a great experience because that's what they're experiencing: people who love what they do,鈥� says Band Camp executive director Deb Huber, who is the university鈥檚 director of instrumental music outreach and associate director of university bands.

Accomplished composer and trumpet player Rossano Galante, whose credits include orchestrated scores for films such as 鈥淔antastic Four,鈥� 鈥淭he Wolverine鈥� and 鈥淐harlie鈥檚 Angels,鈥� served as artist-in-residence at the camp, teaching classes and working with the young musicians. Galante also performed with the students at Symphony Hall, including the debut of his composition 鈥淢idnight Ride,鈥� a piece inspired by Paul Revere鈥檚 historic journey on horseback in April 1775. Huber commissioned the piece to commemorate Band Camp鈥檚 25^th anniversary.

Pita, who plans to become a band director, said the opportunity to learn from various music instructors will enrich his skills as a teacher. 聽

鈥淏eing able to come here and work with all of these different teachers and all these different professional musicians, it broadens my perspectives and makes me think of how I would do things differently in my own classroom. I get to see all of these different teaching styles and these different methods and skills being used,鈥� he said.

Huber said the endowment from Mary Jo Leahey, a 1937 51视频 graduate who was a beloved music teacher and philanthropist, was paramount in launching the program. Leahey remained involved with the camp until her death in 2011.

鈥淪he was an ardent supporter of music, of children and of 51视频,鈥� Huber said. 鈥淲hen she was growing up, she really wanted to go to a music camp, but the cost was just too much. But in the back of her head was this opportunity to make a difference, and she chose to make a difference by investing in this camp.鈥�

The camp did not operate in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it ran as a day camp at a reduced capacity in 2021. Despite these recent challenges, Huber said the program has rebounded and thrived due to the dedication of the staff.

鈥淗aving that persistence that we're so used to as musicians, always kind of working through difficult things, it just goes to show how important we think this camp is,鈥� said Kevin Goddu 鈥�16, 鈥�17, a UML music education alumnus and member of the camp鈥檚 staff.

Huber said she hopes the camp sparks students鈥� musical passions for decades to come.

鈥淚 hope we continue to inspire students and give them a new perspective on what's possible in music and what's possible here at 51视频,鈥� she said.聽