On Wednesday morning, in Stuttgart, I felt unusually connected to this part of the world through my conducting mentor, Mr. Paynter ... or 'JPP.' It was a surprisingly emotional experience for me - one that will be hard to capture in a written summary.
Background: When I studied conducting at Northwestern, I learned very specific ways to mark musical scores. Mr. Paynter was a proponent of using two colored grease pencils to make markings in the conductor's music. Every conducting student who studied with him had to buy a red pencil, and a blue pencil. And not just any red or blue pencil. They had to be thick red and blue grease pencils. Red markings - we were taught - symbolized dynamics and expression. Blue markings were for the instruments (cues). As the Band Staff manager my senior year at Northwestern, I filed innumerable conductors scores in the music library, each of which were carefully marked by Mr. Paynter. There are many conductors that use colored pencils to mark a score, but since graduating, the only conductors I have ever seen mark scores in this specific way - with grease pencils - are colleagues I know who attended Northwestern, or at least had some kind of exposure to Mr. Paynter (maybe through a summer clinic, etc.)
This morning Reimund arranged for me to attend a rehearsal of the Polizeimusikkorps of Baden-Wurttemberg (the Police Band of the State of Baden-Wurttemberg). This is a professional military band. All of the thirty-five musicians associated with the ensemble are paid professional musicians, and they have a schedule of seventy-plus concerts each year. We walked in five minutes past the start of rehearsal, but I quickly sensed this was a very fine wind-band. Their level of musicianship was extremely high, and they rehearsed challenging literature. Their conductor, Toni Scholl, was a fine conductor. I noticed immediately that his conducting was clear, precise, and utilized a style that we call "focal point conducting." Mr. Paynter happened to be a big proponent of this conducting style in many situations, and as I watched Herr Scholl lead the band, I thought of Mr. Paynter.
As the band was about to take a 20 minute break from rehearsal, Herr Scholl acknowledged Reimund's and my presence in the room, and explained to the band that I was a visiting conductor from the United States. Reimund had obviously shared details of our ongoing exchange with the conductor, and even though I was not able to understand the conductor's German, I was able to pick out enough words to understand I was being introduced and that the exchange program was being explained. The band applauded our presence, and many band members welcomed me as they began their break.
Toni Scholl immediately came to personally welcome Reimund and me, and - in very broken English - said he was happy I was attending his rehearsal. I congratulated him on the fine work I had heard, and told him that I learned from Reimund that he attended the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago a few years ago. From this point on Reimund had to play translator, but our conversation continued. I asked him if he had ever considered applying with his band to perform at the Midwest, and to my great pleasure he said that he planed to make an application to play for the December 2008 convention. This of course gave us many things to talk about, and he asked if I might be willing to explore connections with the Chicago Police Department on behalf of their band in hopes of developing a tour to Chicago in 2008. Explaining to him that I didn't have any direct connections, I promised him I would work hard to see what I might be able to find in the way of support.
Herr Scholl then asked me if I would like a tour of their band's rehearsal facility and offices. I enjoyed the chance to see several rehearsal and practice rooms. At the end of one hallway he said, "Come ... this is my office." As we stepped into his office I noticed several conductor's scores on his desk, one of which was an arrangement of music from Porgy and Bess. He noticed me looking at it, and immediately picked it up and thrust it toward me saying, "Go ahead ... have a look." When I opened the score my jaw hit the ground. I was staring at a John Paynter-marked score. The symbols, the colors, the sweeping crescendi and decresendi, and even the letters of the dynamics looked like JPP's style. I then asked him where he had learned his system for marking scores, and he told me that he had a wonderful conducting teacher in The Netherlands who had taught him, and then ... he picked up two thick red and blue grease pencils and showed them to me. He then went on to explain that it was through this teacher that he had come to understand "focal point" conducting. I knew right there, without having to ask anything further, that Herr Scholl and I were connected through John Paynter without having ever met previously.
But of course my curiosity got the better of me, and I used Skype to call Mrs. Paynter this afternoon and tell her about my experience this morning. It was so good to catch up with her. She is of the opinion that Mr. Paynter knew Herr Scholls mentor through his association with WASBE (World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles) many years ago. She said he met many conductors in The Netherlands through his work with WASBE. I remember that Mr. Paynter was the President of WASBE during my time at Northwestern.
I've spent a lot of time this week reflecting on how fortunate I am to have music in my life, and all the places it has taken me. I frequently tell my own students that "music will take you places," and my own experience certainly lends truth to this assertion. This really resonated with me when I watched the beginning band practice on Monday morning, in a building that was originally a 1546 German castle, and heard Reimund say to present day eight and nine year olds - after introducing me - "If you keep playing your instrument, maybe you will go to America some day." When I think back on all of the opportunities I have had since I was their age - because of music - I feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to study music in school ... and eventually study how to teach it with Mr. Paynter. This trip - and my relationship with my friends and colleagues in the Musikschule, are of course another example of these incredible opportunities, and how they are connected through a community of music-makers.
