The event I attended was the Wind of Ensemble Reflections at the Wheelwright Auditorium on March 1st, 2018 at 7:30pm. The Wind Ensemble Reflections is a program that pay tribute to Black History Month by a performance of a movement for Rosa by Mark Camphouse. The program also gave honor to Martin Luther King Jr. by his speeches, spoken word and recorded forms. The Wind Ensemble consist of Coastal Students from Seniors to Freshman’s. The group seek to engage performances that are artistic, polished and expressive.
The audience when I attended the Wind Ensemble consisted of all ages. Most of the audience was Coastal Students or sixty to seventy-year old’s. The size of the audience was very small, which was very surprising mainly because the event was about the history of our great nation and the heroes that took stand of actions to make a change for a better way of living. After every song the audience clapped. After the performance was over the entire audience stood up and the Coastal students had a standing ovation. I have no doubt that every audience member enjoyed the overall performance.
The group that performed were Coastal Students dressed in classy and uniformed clothing to match the performance. The men were dressed in black and white suites while the women dressed in long classical dresses. Throughout the musical I noticed how all the instruments came together. The band developed a hymn melody and ensemble musicianship skills. Each song had a joyful meaning and rhythmic patterns but also had a message behind it. The overall performance was opened to HGTC students, CCU, faculty and staff that wishes to experience performance on a secondary instrument. The ensemble allows students to gain an academic credit towards the spring semester. The ensemble wasn’t required to a particular major nor was an audition necessary.
I’ve never been to this type of performance before, but I found it very interesting because the responsibilities, challenges, courage and great dignity that Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. gave us made the world a better place. Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat moved the civil rights issues from the back of the bus to the front of America’s conscience. During the performance I sat in my seat I noticed how peaceful and beautiful the songs were. Throughout the performance of the ensemble they showed clips of speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. I love the speech by Rosa Parks “People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in”. My favorite songs that I really connected with was A movement for Rosa, Angels in the Architecture and Testament. I also liked how professional the Coastal students were. Overall, I loved the performance if I could I would pay to see the performance again.
There were some pieces that stood out to me throughout the program. The first piece was A movement for Rosa. The Coastal students delivered the piece very beautiful. The song followed Rosa’s life, the struggles she went through with outright racism, and the way she changed the bring about. In this song the flute was the main theme in the beginning. The horns and trumpets were so powerful it amazed me and the others around me. The next piece I will classify is the Testament. The testament was a very soft piece that brought love into the air. These two pieces sparked my attention the most out of the performance.
T. Andre Feagin is the assistant professor of music and director of the bands at Coastal Carolina University. Fall of 2016 he joined the music faculty at CCU. At the National Convention in 2012 during the Association of Concert Bands he was honored and selected guest conductors to perform with the United States Academy Band at West Point. Feagin was invited to the All National Concert Band to conduct the National Association for Music Education in 2017. Feagin has worked throughout the United States with all state and regional honor bands. Throughout his career he learned to be very grateful for many mentors who have shaped his dedication for music and conducting.
Works Cited
- A Look at Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/martin-luther-king-rosa-parks. YourDictionary.
- “How Did Martin Luther King’s Vision Change the World?” YourDictionary, 8 May 2017, biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/martin-luther-kings-vision-change-world.html.
- “University Bands.” University Bands – Coastal Carolina University, www.coastal.edu/music/ensembles/universitybands/.
- “A quote by Rosa Parks.” Quote by Rosa Parks: ‘People always say that I didn’t give up my seat…’, www.goodreads.com/quotes/6516509-people-always-say-that-i-didn-t-give-up-my-seat.
