FSCC freshman earns spot in one of state's top bands

Friday, March 4, 2011
Nick Thompson

Nick Thompson may only be a college freshman, but he's already making his mark in the music realm.

Thompson, a freshman from Mound City and member of the Fort Scott Community College Greyhound Band, was chosen to perform in the Kansas Intercollegiate Band at the state Kansas Music Educators Association Convention last week in Wichita.

Thompson was part of a 100-piece honor band that consisted of selected students from two- and four-year colleges and universities across Kansas.

He was the only FSCC band member chosen for the honor.

FSCC Band Director Betty Jo Laflen said the honor group is an "elite type of band" that consists of the best instrumentalists in Kansas.

"It's an opportunity to play with the best players in the state," she said.

Thompson, one of only four tenor saxophone players chosen to perform in the band, said it was a "big honor" to be chosen, and he found it beneficial to be able to play with several talented and skilled musicians.

"It was an honor to be playing alongside music majors of quite impressive caliber," he said. "The quality of the players was just incredible. It was really eye-opening, and it improved me as a musician as well."

Laflen said the event is sponsored by the Kansas Bandmasters Association. Collegiate band directors send in recommendations to KBA and a selection process takes place. Once a student is selected, he or she auditions for chair placement in the band.

"I recommended him," she said. "He seems to be talented in the music area ... He's an asset to the Greyhound band and he's a good kid, too. He's a good worker and wants to do well. I think he's even talking about continuing on with his music, and that's great."

A day prior to the honor band's performance, members spend several hours practicing as a band throughout the afternoon and evening, then each section spends some time working on songs. The band then practices all morning the next day as they continue to prepare for a concert that afternoon. The concert took place last Friday at the Century II Performance Hall.

Thompson said practicing and performing with the band was "very challenging," but called the entire experience "enjoyable."

"There was nine hours of practice in pretty big chunks, about three-hour chunks," he said. "Going over every piece ... every mark on every note. It was different than anything I've been around before, but enjoyable. It was fun music to play ... It was very challenging, difficult music. The hardest music I've ever seen."

The program for the concert included "Symphonic Dance No. 2 'The Maskers'" by Clifton Williams, "Hold This Boy and Listen" by Carter Pann, "Paris Sketches" by Martin Ellerby, and "Symphony No. 3 'Slavyanskaya'" by Boris Kozhevnikov.

The band was directed by Robert Spradling, a professor of music at Western Michigan University where he also serves as director of bands and conducts the University Symphonic Band and Western Winds.

"He's an outstanding conductor," Laflen said. "You could really see an artist at work."

Thompson described Spradling as "calm, but intense at the same time.

"I was expecting him to be a screamer, and he really wasn't," Thompson said. "He's extremely talented and he understood how the music worked. He did an awesome job of conveying that on to us as performers. He did a really effective job."

Other instruments in the honor band included flutes, oboes, bassoons, clarinets, trombones, euphoniums, tubas, percussion, string bass, bass clarinets, alto saxophones, baritone saxophones, trumpets, and F horns.

Thompson said he is not a music major and is currently pursuing an associate of science degree at FSCC. He is considering a transfer to Pittsburg State University to possibly major in "something in the technology field," although he said he has no firm plans and is looking at other options.

However, he has no plans to put his interest in music aside anytime soon.

"Music is definitely going to be a part of my life from now on," he said.