Welcome To All

Hello friends!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to share a few thoughts with each of you. And even more, to tell you what the West Jordan Community Band means to me.

I joined the ensemble in 2014 when Dellane Jessop was the director. My days were filled with drop off, pick up, elementary homework with the kids, and mounds of laundry. One day I received a message from my friend Mellissa sharing the link to the West Jordan Community Band Facebook page. It had been about 13 years since the last time I picked up any of my instruments and I felt overwhelmed at the thought of playing again. But I wanted to try.

I timidly went to rehearsal the next Thursday evening at the old West Jordan library off of 7800 South and was welcomed in like an old friend. I had planned on taking my clarinet and hiding back with the thirds but Dellane had other plans for me. He handed me a first clarinet folder and sat me right down next to Martin Calderwood. I was literally in awe. Martin played that clarinet like he had been born with it in his hands. But he did something more. He reminded me what I LOVED about music! How we can stand in awe of someone and be inspired to go home and practice because we wanted to contribute to that sound.

And so I practiced. And I recruited. First a student of mine that needed an extra push. And that student brought her parents. And her parents continue to play with the ensemble today. I brought my friend Mellissa (finally).

Then we moved to West Jordan City Hall. Of course, that wasn’t until after we were all asked to be on the lookout for people stealing HVAC parts and reminded to watch out for loose hardware left all over the floor.

City Hall became our new home. And we grew. More friends came. Gundl, Janine, Earl, Layne, Becky, Rachel, Naomi. And we all aged. Soon, my own kids were coming with me each week. And Dellane got a little shakier. And some of us turned up the hearing aides while others turned them down. Somehow the concert bass drum held up to Stars and Stripes Forever.

In July 2019, Dellane decided it was time for him to step down and pass the baton on to the next generation. I was so honored that he chose me to continue his legacy. And we made it through one entire concert cycle. That Cultural Arts Society of West Jordan Holiday Concert is one I will never forget. Pretty sure I still have some creaks in my shoulders from The Eighth Candle. But it was so worth it.

Then the world shut down. We were mid-concert cycle preparing to perform The Wizard of Oz and Grand Serenade for an Awful Lot of Winds and Percussion when we were told we could no longer meet together due to the world-wide pandemic. And I felt like I had single-handedly destroyed the band.

Obviously that’s not true, but I made it my personal responsibility to make sure the ensemble survived. West Jordan City also took the time when the world was shut down to complete a much needed renovation to City Hall. So not only were we not allowed to meet, but we also lost our rehearsal space. We still have never returned to City Hall.

As the world began to open up and we finally received permission to start practicing again, we had the incredible challenge of finding a new rehearsal space. In comes John Cooke. He was a school janitor and – more importantly for us – a trombone player that wanted to play again. He was able to help us start practicing in the gym at Terra Linda Elementary. Garbage cans because our bass drums and we lugged sheet music to and from rehearsal every week.

We stayed there for a couple of years then the Cultural Arts Society of West Jordan was able to find a home of our own. The percussion equipment came out of storage and we began practicing at The Corner. It was a comfortably snug place to practice but we fit with our group of 30-40 members.

There were two band members that loved being a part of the ensemble. And they dreamed of what we had the potential to become. And Erin and Melanie had a friend. Erik Wieben joined our ensemble and saw the gem that just needed a little polishing.

I had joined the marching band staff at Bingham and was also conducting the West Jordan Jazz Band and felt that I couldn’t give the ensemble what it needed anymore. So Erik and I started talking. And he let me know that he had a friend that was interested in stepping in as a guest conductor as a “trial period” to see if he would be a good fit. Brandon Larsen joined us for that holiday concert. We saw how incredible both Brandon and Erik are and refused to let them go.

Along with Erik and Brandon came several new ensemble members. And we officially outgrew our little Corner. We had 75 musicians that first concert together (more than double where we had been just two months before). Then we outgrew our prior organization and saw the need for a Board.

I have been honored to be elected as the first Board President of the West Jordan Community Band and to be able to serve the ensemble members – both old and new – especially as we go through this period of incredible change.

I love the direction the ensemble is taking. I love seeing so many new members. And I love so much to see the diversity within our ensemble. I’m so grateful to know that there is a place for EVERYONE to come and make incredible music together. We are reminded that we’re not alone in this world and that our part – our voice – is SO critical to the success of the whole. We MATTER. You matter. Your voice matters. And as we play together, our hearts become knit together, and we can see and feel beyond our differences. And we learn it is our differences that make us beautiful…together.