On Monday night an era ends for this parent. My son, Brian, will play his trumpet in his final concert in the Symphonic Winds at Mississippi College.
The event occurs at the same time many parent here in Columbia will be reflecting on their children’s musical careers, as the Columbia High School musical “Music Man” hits the stage next Friday and Saturday.
It is in an interesting time for parents. Some of you watched your child’s last high school basketball game earlier this week. It’s all part of watching them grow up. But it makes you sit back and think.
It seems like only yesterday that I presented Brian with the same trumpet my parents gave me some 40 years ago. I remember his first concert – in fifth grade – like it was yesterday. I filmed the entire thing on a format that really doesn’t exist anymore. Somewhere in my boxes is a VHS tape of an elementary school in Minnesota performing some simple tunes.
As I think about that concert, I think about the sacrifices that parents across the country make for their young musicians and ballplayers. At the time of Brian’s first concert, I want to say it was in December 2005, I had to drive nearly 14 hours to the city he and my ex-wife lived in. The sacrifice was worth it, as were other trips over the years. There were marching competitions in Georgia during high school and my late wife, Amelia, and I seldom missed a performance of the Pearl River Community College bands. Whether it was on the field at Dobie Holden Stadium for a football game, at a basketball game for the pep band or in the Brownstone Center for one of the concert bands, we made attempts to be at every performance.
It’s a sacrifice many parents make. For the past two years, I’ve blazed a path between here and Clinton to hear Brian and his classmates play. Last Monday, classic jazz tunes filled the auditorium in Aven Hall as the MC Jazz Ensemble presented its spring concert. On Monday, the Symphonic Winds take the stage after completing a tour of schools in Mississippi. It will be a long night as I drive home from Clinton late and wake up early Tuesday morning to help put together next Thursday’s edition of The Columbian-Progress. But for me, the days of a band parent are coming to an end.
The single biggest thrill for me, however, has been sharing a love of music with my son. You see, that Schilke MII trumpet he played throughout his career is the same one I played decades ago. That special horn, with a connection to my parents, is the same one he’s playing Monday night. Though my late father never met Brian and mom died before he took up the trumpet in fifth grade, there is a connection and a family love of music.
My son tells me that he wants me to have the horn back when he’s through performing. I’m sure I’ll get him another one if he wants to play for fun after college. I still play trumpet, as many of you have seen at memorial services, Veterans Day events and even in church orchestras. Now, when I pick up that tarnished 40-year-old trumpet, I’ll think of my parents and my son – three generations that have enjoyed that instrument and a love of music.
Maybe someday, if Brian has children of his own, that trumpet will be passed down to another generation of young musicians.
The trumpet to me signifies all the time spent with family at concerts and band shows. It symbolizes family for us.
For many of you, as your child walks off the basketball court, musical stage or ball field for the last time, you’ll understand. It’s a special time to watch your child perform, and when it ends, you’re not sure quite how to feel.
With that said, good luck to the cast of next week’s musical and to all of the area show choirs and bands as the spring concert and contest season comes in to full swing. Kids and parents, these are some of the best days of your life. Enjoy them to the fullest.
Mark Rogers is managing editor of The Columbian-Progress. Reach him at news@columbianprogress.com.
