Band of the Pacific brings music to Trailside

  • Published
  • By David Bedard
  • JBER PAO
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The face of Staff Sgt. Tom Salyers, U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific Northern Lights Brass, beamed beat red as he belted out Al Hirt's frenetic "Green Hornet."

The Airman masterfully breathed out the theme song's staccato, almost machine gun, rhythm to the delight of hundreds of Trailside Elementary School children huddled in the school's general purpose room to hear the band's Music In Our Schools performance.

"Every superhero needs to have three things before they can really be a superhero," said band member Staff Sgt. Jeff Dahlseng,of the Pittsburgh trumpeter.
 
"First of all you gotta have some theme music, and Tom is pretty lucky because he plays his own theme music.

"Every superhero needs a trusty sidekick and Tom has (Tech. Sgt.) Mike (Van Arsdale)," he continued, pointing out the saxophonist from Akron, Ohio.

"And every superhero needs a villain ... this is (Master Sgt.) Brian Jenner."

He gestured toward the Yukon, Okla., native's massive baritone saxophone to the gasp of the students.

"The villain always has the largest instrument in the band," Dahlseng said with a satisfied grin.

The Lowry, Minn., native said the performance was part of the band's efforts to promote MIOS throughout the month of March, with ensembles Top Cover, the Dixie Band and the Brass Quintet performing at schools throughout the Anchorage School District.

"We go into primarily elementary schools and middle schools," Dahlseng explained. "We play concerts for the kids to expose them to a high level of musicianship and also a high level of professionalism that they can see in all branches of the military."

During the concert, the band played selections from everything from "Spongebob Squarepants" to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust."

"We try to provide a wide range of various musical styles," Jenner said. "There'll be some jazz. There will be a little military march music, some rock and roll and popular music."

Jenner said the band aims to help students who are interested in pursuing music to broaden their artistic expectations.

"It gives them a chance to hear what it's really supposed to sound like," he said. "It gives them a chance to hear it in a professional setting. I think it's important to expose the children not only to the beginning band book and the joy of that, but also what's out there and what (music) might lead to."

Jenner and Dahlseng said they both began their music careers at age five or six on the piano at the prompting of their parents, but progressed to a brass instrument on their own initiative. Dahlseng said he picked up the trombone in the fifth grade.

"Parents often push (music) at a young age," he said. "But at some point - to get to where we are - we had to decide that's what we wanted to do."

Dahlseng said children are often fascinated with the more technical aspects of music, with several references to special instruments and techniques peppered throughout the concert.

"They all know what a trumpet is and they all know what a saxophone is, but they maybe didn't know that you could do all of the different things that we're doing on our instruments or that there are three different types of saxophones," he elaborated.
 
"They probably don't know the whole range of what's possible on a trumpet, but when they hear Tom play, they think 'Wow, I didn't know the trumpet could go that high, that fast or play that many notes.'

"It opens their eyes and might light a spark for something they might want to follow further in the future."

Linda Bender, Trailside music teacher, said art in general and music in particular are critical for the development of elementary school children.

"Studies of brain activity in children and learning capacities show that anytime a student takes on arts class - be it music, be it visual arts - they're testing higher, they're showing great brain development, and it crosses to both sides of the brain," she said.

Bender said MIOS also serves to expose students to troops whom she regards as the best in their career field.

"For the band to come in like that - of course they're absolutely outstanding musicians in their own right - and for the kids to hear a quality program like that ... it makes a big impact on them," she said. "It's also a great tie-in for our military presence here in Anchorage."

Jenner said the appreciation goes both ways, because he thinks MIOS is one of the most rewarding programs the band promotes.

"It's nice to be able to do this for a living and provide that live music," he said. "People seem to really enjoy live music and we're happy to be able provide it."