By Brian McLaughlin
The idea for a charity concert was hatched by school band conductor Daniel Hawes and school principal Theresa Ganley, both of whom felt the need to work together with their students to somehow help out in the wake of the terrorist attacks.
We decided we would put together a concert and collect donations from the audience, said Hawes, but we wanted to make sure our contributions would go directly to a family in our own community that was affected by the tragedy.
Hawes and Ganley needed a charity group that could help them organize their donations. They found Project Liberty, a group sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Center for Mental Health, which provides free crisis counseling services to persons, families and groups most affected by the September 11 disaster. Through Project Liberty, Hawes and Ganley learned of a family in Valley Stream who had lost a family member in the World Trade Center attacks. Hawes decided the concert would be dedicated to that family.
The students were very enthusiastic about the project, and very excited to help, said Hawes.
That enthusiasm came in handy once Hawes and the band had assembled their mammoth repertoire. The concert was made up of more than 22 pieces of music, including such fan favorites as the themes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Beauty and the Beast, as well as the jazz classic, Night Train.
The evening began with an introduction by Lynbrook's director of fine arts, Juan Ros, who was recently given the educator of the year award. Afterwards, Ganley surprised Hawes by reading a poem that his students had written in praise of him.
Before beginning the concert, Hawes spoke about the role of an educator in the newly-volatile environment that the presence of terrorism has created. I now realize that our most important task [as teachers] is to utilize our abilities to help members of our community. He added that he was proud of his students because they were not living in fear, but making a difference.
The program began with a moving 13-minute long medley of patriotic songs including the Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, and the official songs of the U.S. Armed Forces, with each one being performed by a different section of the band.
Throughout the entire set, which contained such highly contrasting numbers as the stern March of the Men of Harlech and the light-hearted pop-hit Hang on Sloopy, Hawes maintained an intense and deliberate conducting demeanor, broken only when he left the podium for a moment to tune up the timpani drums.
The crowd was also treated to several Level II NYSSMA selections by small groups of players from each instrument section. Hawes accompanied each group, and piano accompaniment was provided by West End alumnus Steven Cuevas. A surprise solo was given by fifth grade trumpet player Thomas Moran, an All-County Division I student who played his Level III solo Hocus Pocus.
For their finale, the band chose the rock tune Celebration by Kool and the Gang. The song was specially arranged for the band by Hawes, as was Night Train, Hang on Sloopy and the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
By the end of the concert, West End had raised a reported $800 in ticket proceeds and audience donations for the victim's family.
As an added bonus to the evening, Lynbrook School's director of fine arts, Juan Ros, was able to hire an engineer from Music Matters, a company that specializes in recording school concerts and events for CD production. The West End Band hopes to have their charity concert CD's available for sale by mid-June. The CD's are $13 each and are available for pre-order at West End. All profits from the sale will also go to the family the concert was performed for.
