Director’s Report
Annual Meeting
October 15, 2007
Jack Prindle, Music Director

The band has had another active and successful year. Since our last Annual Meeting in October of 2006, we have rehearsed forty-two times and performed twelve times. Our “formal concerts” have been arranged in four series, in which the same program has been performed in Enumclaw and either Buckley or Sumner. The first series was presented on December 3rd (Buckley) and 4th (Enumclaw). The second series was presented on April 1st (Buckley) and 2nd (Enumclaw). The third series was presented on June 18th (Sumner) and 25th (Enumclaw). The fourth series was presented on August 13th (Enumclaw) and 20th (Sumner). We also participated in parades in Enumclaw on December 2nd and July 4th. And we performed at the Tahoma National Cemetery on Veterans’ Day (November 11th) and at the Enumclaw Veterans’ Memorial on May 27th.

Our concerts have continued to include solos and section features. Ruth Bearscove performed a solo with the band on clarinet in the December concerts, and the percussion section performed a piece just for percussion ensemble. Tom Brookins performed a tuba solo with the band in our April concerts. Mike Lindner played a solo on trombone with the band in our June concerts, and Mark Fern played a trumpet solo with the band in our August concerts. We continue to be blessed with some very capable assistant conductors. Stephanie Magnusson and Tim Fleming have conducted the band in several pieces over the past year, with great success. We’re very lucky to have such capable members, and I intend to continue utilizing soloists, section features, and assistant conductors in each of our concerts.

A group of brass and percussion players from the band played with The Cascade Foothills Chorale for their winter concerts on December 16th and 17th, for which the chorale made a $200 donation to the band.

We have also continued to have our indoor concerts professionally recorded and “archival” copies (not for sale to the public because of copyright restrictions) have been available for purchase by members of the band. We also held an “open recording session” of most of the summer’s music on September 10th, so that our members could have keepsake recordings from the summer concerts.

During the past year we enjoyed “snack and visit” gatherings at rehearsals on November 26th and June 11th, and our eleventh “birthday party” on March 5th. I look forward to more such gatherings with my “band buddies” next year.

A survey distributed in September indicated general satisfaction with the activities and function of the band (see attached). Pursuant to some comments, I am going to put more effort into improving the intonation and precision of our playing, but not at the expense of the “enjoyable-ness” of our rehearsals.

Since last October, we have added six new members, but during the same time period we have also “lost” nine players. In terms of instrumentation, we added players of the following instruments: one alto saxophone, one tuba and four percussion. The players we have lost played the following instruments: two clarinets, one alto saxophone, one baritone saxophone, two trumpets, one French horn, one trombone, and one percussion. Five players (one flute, one clarinet, one trombone and one percussion) joined us for a while and also dropped from the band during the year, and one other (a flute) played for us during the summer, but has returned to college this fall. The coverage of parts is pretty good (except for baritone saxophone and bassoon), though rather low in the flute and trumpet sections. I try to do all I can encourage people to join us and to stay with us (without pressuring, begging, or making people feel guilty). I hope all of us will do all we can to make participation in our group enjoyable and satisfying for each other and for those who would consider joining us.

I’m very grateful for the help some people have provided with the logistical details of concerts (publicity, moving equipment, set-up and takedown of the stage, program distribution, and donation collection). I want to especially acknowledge the help of Rick Pabst (trombone) and Paul Jackson (percussion) and others in the loading and transporting music stands and percussion equipment for our concerts. Our webpage, on the Internet at <www.gatewayconcertband.org>, is a great resource for the band, providing concert dates, directions to rehearsal and concert sites, photos, and other useful information. Thanks to Todd Frazier (french horn) for so ably maintaining it.

I also want to thank those who have served so ably on our Governing Board, particularly Eric Johnson, Ruth Orozco, and Jane Warren, who are due to complete their service on the Governing Board on November 1st. Thanks also go to our continuing Governing Board members, Brian Murray and Paul Jackson.

We’re very lucky to continue to have the use of a full-function Canon copy machine (“Janet”). It makes the preparation of information and music folders very convenient. We’re also very fortunate to have the support of the Enumclaw School District, generously allowing us to use the band room at Enumclaw Middle School and their music stands and percussion equipment. The Enumclaw Arts Commission, along with King County 4 Culture, has generously awarded us a grant of $650 to help pay for the purchase of a used tympani.

I have selected themes for the concerts for the upcoming year as follows:

December, 2007: “Winter Winds (and Drums)”
March, 2008: “Springing Up All Over”
June, 2008: “Name Those Tunes X”
August, 2008: “Summer Sounds”

For some time now, the Governing Board has been exploring the possibility of forming a cooperative relationship with Green River Community College. Students participating in our group (and paying the required tuition) could receive college credit for playing with us. In return, we would gain new members and have the chance to perform on their campus in their new auditorium. In May, I met with Ron Bayer, the chairman of the music department at GRCC. Ron and I looked at the year’s schedule, both for classes at GRCC and for our concerts, and discovered that they were largely compatible for the fall, winter, and spring quarters. We composed a syllabus for the classes, and administrators at GRCC have assigned course numbers: Music 137, 138, 139, 237, 238, and 239. I would assign the grades and Ron would act as the teacher of record at GRCC. Students could take the course for up to six quarters at one credit each quarter. The class would satisfy the Fine Arts requirements for the Associate of Arts degree offered by GRCC. The credits would also be transferable for students seeking music degrees at four-year universities. The next step in the process is to develop CAR forms, the official documents for the development of new courses at the GRCC, which are presented to the Fine Arts Division for approval, then to the FCRC (the official committee at the college), then to the Dean. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard of any further action since last May, but will continue to (diplomatically) press for establishment of these classes.

I’m very happy to report the completion of our project to purchase an excellent set of used tympani for the band. The grant we received from the City of Enumclaw and King County 4 Culture in April was only sufficient to pay for half of the price of one of the remaining two tympani. The Governing Board wisely (in my opinion) decided that there were sufficient funds in our accounts to complete the purchase of both of the remaining tympani in July. The decision has left our reserve funds somewhat depleted, and we have bills coming soon for insurance for the year and music we have kept after reading through it. I hope that those who are able will pay their recommended member donation for the upcoming year (Nov., 2007 through Oct., 2008) sooner rather than later, so we can pay those bills soon after November 1st.

I continue to be concerned about the downward trend of our membership numbers. I’m hoping someone (or ones) in the band would be willing to act as “membership coordinator” (see the attached description). Though I believe it is important for me, as the director, to know everyone in the group, and especially to welcome new-comers, my responsibilities at rehearsals often make it difficult for me to spend much time with them. And if someone is dissatisfied with something happening with the band, it’s possible that they would be more willing to discuss it with someone other than me, since they may be worried about offending or angering me.

In closing, I want express my thanks to all of you for allowing me the privilege of continuing to direct this group. I enjoy very much my association with the band, and look forward to our rehearsals and/or concerts every week. I am deeply appreciative of the enthusiasm and friendship that the members of this band bring to each rehearsal and performance. And I’m looking forward to another wonderful year of music making and camaraderie with all my “band buddies”.

With gratitude,

Jack