Posted by glennled on September 22, 2015
When school started this fall at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell, there was a new faculty member in the music department for the first time in 15 years. Welcome to Mr. Charlie Fix, Band and Orchestra Director. Mr. Fix has a Masters Degree in Music Education from Florida State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin. Like his predecessor at Skyview, Mr. Fix is a trumpeter!
Mr. Fix has previously taught at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, Carlsbad Unified School District in California, and Mount Vernon Community Schools in Iowa. He has taught music at all levels, elementary, junior high, and high school, in addition to teaching as a graduate assistant at Florida State.
Here at SJHS, he has three para-professional assistants to help with the 1st and 2nd year elementary bands. One teaches flutes, one teaches clarinets and saxes, and the other teaches brass–that’s me!
Posted in Skyview Junior High | Tagged: band, brass, Charlie Fix, orchestra, Skyview Jr. High School, trumpeter | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 21, 2015
My 25th private trumpet student wanted help this summer to prepare for entry into the 7th-grade band at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell this fall. You see, last year he was a sixth-grader in the 1st-year band, whereas most of his classmates had started one year earlier and were then in 2nd-year band. This fall he is one of them. But they have had two-year’s experience, whereas he has had only one. Along with some other band students, he’s skipping 2nd-year band. Summer lessons were his way to catch up, as much as possible, with his peers.
His first trumpet lesson with me was on 8 July. That’s when I learned he is of Vietnamese ancestry. His grandmother, who lives with his family in Bothell, got out of South Vietnam in 1975. Welcome to America! I was there as a Navy man in 1965-66. That’s how I qualify for the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), and that’s how I became the bugler for VFW Post 1040 in Lynnwood. I have a special tie with this student.
He’s a good player with a bright future. He says he likes the sound of the trumpet, and it’s lightweight and easy to carry. He learns quickly and has a nice, solid tone. Best of all, he has a great attitude and practices often! He’ll do fine in 7th-grade band—indeed, I predict that he’ll become one of the leaders in the trumpet section.
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: band, bugler, lesson, Skyview Jr. High School, tone, trumpet | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 20, 2015
Posted in Recitals | Tagged: band, bugle, Carnegie Hall, Inglemoor High School, lessons, recital, The Chicken Dance, trumpet, Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat Major, trumpeter, wind ensemble | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 19, 2015
After 15 successful years as Director of Instrumental Music at Skyview Jr. High School in Bothell, Mr. Shawn McGinn is leaving for California in the coming months.
He conducted his final elementary school bands concert on 27 May at the Northshore Performing Arts Center (NPAC) at Bothell High School. The two bands (1st year and 2nd year) are comprised of students from nearby Crystal Springs, Canyon Creek, and Fernwood elementary schools.
The 1st year band played Bang the Drum All Day (I Don’t Want to Work) by Todd Rundgren, arranged by Michael Story.
As guest conductor, I then led the 2nd year band in playing Andromeda Overture by Mark Williams.
Finally, both bands joined in playing William Tell Overture by Gioacchino Rossini, arranged by Andrew Balent.
The concert concluded with a jazz trio jam session featuring piano, tenor sax, and flugelhorn, played by Mr. McGinn.
Posted in School Concerts, Skyview Junior High | Tagged: Andromeda Overture, band, concert, flugelhorn, jazz, music, Northshore Performing Arts Center, Shawn McGinn, Skyview Jr. High School, William Tell Overture | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on September 17, 2015
Glenn (Taps) and Robert (Echo)
It was the same this year but not the same. Same national holiday, same place, same participating organizations, same order of events, etc. But when it came to 
sounding “Echo Taps,” this was the first time that one of my trumpet students, Robert, was ending his senior year in high school and planning to attend college in the fall. Farewell to Inglemoor High School in Kenmore and hello to Washington State University in Pullman–a big leap for a young man!
This is the second time he sounded “Echo Taps” with me at this place–please see my post of 19 June 2014. For more about Memorial Day, please see my posts of 18 August 2015, 1 June 2013, 2 June 2012, and 3 June 2011 in the Archives (left).
All photos by Nancy MacDonald unless otherwise marked. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Martin Spani, USMC (Ret.), Master of Ceremonies
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“Welcome,” by Nicola Smith, Mayor, City of Lynnwood
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“God Bless America,” Northwest Jr. Pipe Band, Kevin Auld, Director
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Jim Smith, former Lynnwood City Councilman, sang “Ballad of the Green Berets” and “America the Beautiful”
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Myra Rintamak, escorted by Frank Martinez, lays the Gold Star Mothers’ Wreath
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Glenn Ledbetter, “Echo Taps,” 5-25-’15. Photo by Janelle Squires.
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Glenn Ledbetter sounds “Echo Taps” on Getzen Field Trumpet (bugle)
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Glenn, Robert, and his parents
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Three relatives…
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Comrades gather around the flag
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: Assembly, bugle, echo taps, Getzen Field Trumpet, Inglemoor High School, To the Color, trumpet, Washington State University | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on August 18, 2015
To pay tribute to our nation’s fallen service members, the Veterans Resource Center, headed by Chris Szarek, of Edmonds Community College (ECC) hosted its second annual Memorial Day ceremony on its campus on 20 May.
The U.S. Navy provided the Color Guard, while VFW Post 1040 of Lynnwood provided the Honor Guard. As this post’s bugler, I closed the ceremony by sounding “Taps” at the Flag Pavilion (please see video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PurAkAAgBU&feature=youtu.be).
For coverage of last year’s event, see my post of 17 June 2014. Below are photos of this year’s event, courtesy of ECC Veterans Resource Center and American Legion Post 234, Mountlake Terrace, WA. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: American Legion Post 234, bugler, Chris Szarek, Edmonds Community College, Mountlake Terrace, Taps, U.S. Navy, Veterans Resource Center, VFW Post 1040 | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on May 5, 2015
Fernwood Elementary School, Bothell
For his first lesson at his home in Bothell on 26 February 2015 , my 24th trumpet student played for me from the instruction book, Progressive Beginner Trumpet by Peter Gelling. He’s a sixth-grader at Fernwood Elementary and in 2nd year band at Skyview Jr. High School. I asked him what first attracted him to trumpet. “It’s loud,” he said, so it stands out among the other band instruments as a leader, “and I like that.”
What does he like about playing in the band? He likes being amongst his friends, and he likes playing music, although it does not come easy for him. He wants lessons to improve his tone and play higher notes. He’d like to continue in band at least all the way through high school. He knows the music is only going to get more complicated, so he wants to be able to handle it.
His Dad is confident that his son will master the trumpet because he has determination—once he sets out to do something, he sticks with it and gets it done. Mom was a versatile musician in high school. She played tuba, trombone, saxophone, and oboe, and became a drum major in her school band.
That’s what I like—motivated trumpet students who are determined to become their best!
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts, Skyview Junior High | Tagged: band, Fernwood, lesson, music, musician, notes, Peter Gelling, Skyview, tone, trumpet | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on May 4, 2015
Washington District 1 and Northwest Little League Champions, comprised of Pacific Little League All-Stars, played in the 2014 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Is there a future Seattle Mariners baseball star in the Pacific Little League? The huge crowd in Lynnwood on 25 April 2015, might reasonably hope so, given the exceptionally strong performance of its All-Stars last year when they played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Celebration of their significant accomplishment highlighted this year’s Pacific Little League Day.
Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler, sounds “To the Color”
And for the fourth year in a row, I was privileged to participate by sounding “To The Color,” this time on my new Getzen bugle, while Girl Scout Troop #44193 presented the colors to the hundreds of players and their fans at Harry H. Moore Field, Lynndale Park.
Every season opening is filled with excitement and hope, for “every day is a new day, with no mistakes in it,” as Anne of Green Gables says in the movie. For more information about and photos of the very special Pacific Little League, this venue, and this annual event, see my previous blog posts of 22 May 2012, 26 May 2013, and 7 June 2014.
Unless otherwise identified, these photos are by Carol Sheldon, Michelle Corsi, and Nancy MacDonald. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
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Echelbarger Fieldhouse at Harry H. Moore Field, Lynndale Park, Lynnwood, WA
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Color Guard, walk-through rehearsal prior to the ceremony
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Glenn Ledbetter organizes Girl Scout Color Guard before ceremony begins. Photo by David Pan, Editor, Lynnwood Today.
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Parade of Players – 1
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Parade of Players – 2
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“My first drone!”
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Demonstrating how to make a sound on a bugle (with mute in bell)
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Standby….
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Color Guard awaits the command, “Present the Colors”
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Color Guard, Girls Scouts Troop #44193, in position during “To the Color”
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“To the Color” by Glenn Ledbetter, VFW Post 1040 Bugler
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“Star Spangled Banner” by Jaymie Studioso
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Reciting the Little League Pledge
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2014 Washington District 1 and Northwest Little League Champions – Robley Corsi, NW Regional Coach of the Year
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Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling throws ceremonial first pitch
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: bugle, bugler, Getzen, Girl Scouts, Little League World Series, Lynndale Park, Mayor Dave Earling, mute, Pacific Little League, To the Color, VFW Post 1040 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on May 4, 2015
Getzen Field Trumpet, M2003E, with B-flat tuning slide
Getzen Bugle with 3C Mouthpiece and Carrying Case
On 17 February 2015, UPS delivered a carefully wrapped package from Getzen Company, Inc. of Elkhorn, Wisconsin directly to my front door. Instantly, I knew what was inside—my new Getzen Field Trumpet!—commonly known as a bugle. I played it publicly for the first time with the Honor Guard, VFW Post 1040, on the following Saturday at a graveside service at the IOOF Cemetery in Monroe, WA. It’s sonorous!
I bought model M2003E with a clear lacquer finish. It bears logos for Getzen and Bugles Across America (BAA) and a special etching on mine: John 15:13. As you know, that’s where Jesus says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
The bell is one piece, hand-hammered yellow brass. Like all Getzens I’ve ever played, it blows easily, with minimal resistance, and the tone is solid and rich. I bought the extra G tuning slide, too. I plan to use the G tuning slide for “Taps” and “Funeral March” and the B-flat slide for most other bugle calls. The U.S. Army and Navy use at least 67 bugle calls.
In addition to being Post Bugler for VFW Post 1040, I am also a member of BAA, a national organization that furnishes live buglers for military funerals, memorials and ceremonies. The designation, “American Heritage Elite,” is given by Getzen to those field trumpets purchased by members of BAA. See http://www.buglesacrossamerica.org. For more about Getzen instruments, see http://www.getzen.com.
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Getzen Carrying Case
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Bugle with G Tuning Slide
Posted in Ceremonies & Celebrations | Tagged: BAA, bugle, bugler, Bugles Across America, field trumpet, Funeral March, Getzen, Taps, VFW Post 1040 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on May 3, 2015
Royal Theatre, Victoria, B.C., Canada
My, oh, my, how they saw love in Scotland and Italy in the early 1800’s! Sir Walter Scott published his novel, The Bride of Lammermoor, in 1819, and Donizetti produced his opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, based on the novel, in 1835. It’s said to be a drama tragico written in the bel canto tradition. What’s that? Well, to me, an opera novice, that sounds like the opera is a tragedy, probably turgid or melodramatic, in which the singers belt out a lot of fast-moving notes over an extremely wide range…i.e., a very sad story told through very difficult, sometimes beautiful music.
Gaetano Donizetti, c. 1835
So, what happens? Sure enough, three protagonists die in the third act, one by murder, one by suicide, and one of a broken heart that induces insanity. That’s early 19th century love for you! Only the villain, Enrico, survives. As he manipulates others in his own struggle for power, casualties fall dead on the stage, one by one, including his helpless sister, Lucia and her two suitors, one of whom she loves passionately but tragically. In the end, Enrico is forced to see what he has wrought, and his pain and guilt hang heavily and darkly over the final scene.
My wife and I have now seen two operas in Victoria, B.C. (see my post of 2 June 2014, regarding Richard Strauss’ Ariadne Auf Naxos). We saw this second opera on the evening of Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2015. It was performed in the Royal Theatre by Pacific Opera Victoria with the Victoria Symphony and the Pacific Opera Chorus. Lucia di Lammermoor is generally considered Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti’s masterpiece among his ~75 operas.
Posted in Professional Concerts | Tagged: Ariadne Auf Naxos, bel canto, Gaetano Donizetti, Lucia di Lammermoor, music, opera, Pacific Opera Chorus, Pacific Opera Victoria, Richard Strauss, Royal Theatre, Victoria Symphony | 2 Comments »
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 