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Carolina Brass, An Interview with Tim Hudson

Judy Nelson | June 2009



    "Balance is always a problem with brass groups,” says Tim Hudson, founder of the  Carolina Brass and an ardent believer in the value of chamber music ensembles for students. “Getting a homogenous sound – a group sound – with high school chamber ensembles is difficult because most of the time students are just trying to play the right notes in the right rhythm.”
    During masterclasses Tim talks to students about  the difference between simply reading the notation in a part and the ability to create music from the notation. “In an ensemble you play the music, and it’s gone,” he continues, “in a sense there is no product. Students have to learn about the process of music making and that includes correct breathing, playing in a relaxed manner, and being very focused. It means listening across the ensemble and learning the parts of the other players as well as your own.”
    Through the years Tim has done his own share of listening across ensembles from his trumpet stand. After earning music degrees from Indiana University, the New England Conser­vatory of Music, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, he worked as an artist/educator performing in United States and abroad with such conductors as Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, and Leonard Slatkin. He is currently professor of trumpet at Gardner-Webb University, plays frequently with the North Carolina Symphony, and freelances through the southeast.
    In 1997 Tim came up with the idea of starting a professional brass quintet – Carolina Brass – which now includes a percussionist. He regularly commissions composers to write for the ensemble, adding to an ever-growing library of over 300 works (“We rarely buy music,” he says). It is a musical treasure trove from which he designs some 130 performances each year. About half the concerts are organized through the ensemble’s Arts In Ed­ucation program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade in addition to college residencies that include a concert, private lessons, and masterclasses.
    The primary goal of the Carolina Brass is getting more people, especially students, excited about music. During concerts the ensemble members share the spotlight as they talk to audiences, relate information about the music and composers in between pieces, or guide students through musical interpretations during brass quintet masterclasses.

School Audiences
    When the Carolina Brass performs in a school, Tim finds out the ages of the students and then tailors a program specifically for them. “For young audiences we might play one movement from several contemporary pieces, each lasting about two minutes. It is just enough to give everyone a taste of the work; and then we talk about the fundamentals of music – pitch, tone, melody, harmony, and dynamics. Music majors in college will hear a program of serious literature, pieces with unusual harmonies or odd meters that will challenge their ears.
    “We like to interact with audiences in different ways. Educational programs include an an­tiphonal piece, such as Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzona per Sonare #4 or my arrangement of “O, Come Emmanuel” for winter holiday concerts. We musicians go out into the audience to play, whether the program is in a large auditorium, a small band room, or a gymnasium, whatever best suits the school.
    “The ensemble members walk right beside the students so they can see and hear the instruments up close, which is a treat for children who have never before seen brass instruments. Before each piece a member of the ensemble talks to the students about the music and gives them an idea as to what to listen for. Fortunately, we are all music educators and have children of our own, so we are accustomed to holding students’ attention at each age level. Elementary students are always an interesting audience, especially when the ensemble has a question-and-answer session after a performance.”

Sitting in on a Band Rehearsal
    During visits to high schools and middle schools, Carolina Brass members may sit in during a band rehearsal and play the students’ parts with them or they may stand and play over the students’ shoulders as the percussionist joins in. “We often talk about the new dimension in sound that results from adding percussion. For eighth-grade musicians we might talk about the importance of good rhythm or ask students to imagine what Bach was thinking about when he wrote a certain piece. ‘Why did he write it in this way? Ok, if that is the case, should you bring out that part from the others?’ We ask questions that make people think about the music.
    “For a session with a high school quintet or concert band, we may ask when a piece was written and what was going on in the world at the time. ‘Oh, this was written in 1695. Were there airplanes and cars then? No. In fact, the world was a quieter place; instruments in general weren’t as loud as they are today. Even though the dynamic level in the music is forte, it’s not the forte you may think of; a forte was softer in the 1600s.’ We’ll explain the difference between a forte in Mozart’s music and a Mahler forte.”
    Sometimes a high school band will watch as members of the Carolina Brass coach a quintet. The session becomes similar to a round-table discussion because of the interaction between the members of the Carolina Brass, the school’s quintet, and the band students; and there is music education going on because students can apply the chamber-music information to their work in band, orchestra, or choir.
    “College residencies are a favorite of ours because during masterclasses with the school’s brass quintet we can delve into the music more thoroughly. To get the players thinking about their sound and balance, we might comment, ‘What do you think about your performance? or What would make it sound better?’
    “Even at this level we often find that some students are working to get the notes and rhythms right, maybe adding just a forte here and there. I tell them that if they play all the right notes in all the right rhythms and there is no inflection, then as far as I’m concerned, they missed every note.
    “Making music is so much more. It’s a conversation – a dialogue. We explain that playing is a musical conversation that players have. If musicians are not articulate with the music, then they are not dramatic in what they are doing and they will lose listeners.”

Thoughts on Commissioning, Programming
    Tim commissions most of Carolina Brass’s music. In fact, he doesn’t remember the last time he bought a piece of music. He is a strong believer in seeking out the finest composers and commissioning them to write. “Arthur Frackenpohl is working on an arrangement of Carmen, and Jim Stevenson, another composer, will write a piece for us next year. Mark Scearce is also composing for the group; it is a commission the Carolina Brass plans to share with the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild for a grand reopening of the North Carolina Museum of Art. Other outstanding composers we have commissioned include Gwyneth Walker, David P. Jones, and Stanley Hoffman.
    “As far as programming, some musicians decide on a program and take it wherever they go. It works in many cases, but not every time. For me, I’ve always considered programming from the perspective that musicians are basically entertainers, whether they perform classical music, jazz, or pop. Some musicians lose sight of that. What we try to do through the Carolina Brass is entertain audiences – have some fun – while educating them at the same time.
    “In schools we start out with a wonderful arrangement that Arthur Frackenpohl created of ‘Carolina in the Morning,’ a tune everyone loves. If we are in another state, such as Bristol, Tennessee, we just adapt the words: ‘Nothing could be finer than to be in Bristol in the morning.’ We make it work everywhere. Elementary school programs may include an arrangement of “Frère Jacques” with the children singing it in a round; later we play a canon with our instruments so they better understand the idea of one voice following another voice.
    “For concert audiences we might begin with a nice rendition of Take the ‘A’ Train, then turnaround and perform an arrangement of a piece by J.S. Bach followed by a more contemporary work that might be more difficult for some listeners’ ears. Actually, we’ve found that some people become quite interested in contemporary sounds once they have a taste of it. A program may go from one genre to the next or from one century to the next. Sometimes the music is in chronological order, from Medieval and Ren­aissance works through to the present, sometimes not.
    “Some programs feature popular music or Jewish music by Jewish composers. Outdoor programs usually have lighter music, such as the Broadway tunes on our CD My Favorite Things, which has Jack Gale’s arrangements from West Side Story, Sound of Music, and The Phantom of the Opera.
    “Programming should excite listeners, whether they are primarily seniors, college students, or children. At the very least if audience members don’t play an instrument, good programming should stir people to become interested in music so that, if nothing else, they continue to support music. One thing I do at each concert is get up on my soapbox for 30 seconds and talk about the importance of attending concerts – supporting the arts – because doing so provides jobs for artists and enhances the lives of everyone present.”

Student Chamber Ensembles
    Tim emphasizes that every school music program should include small chamber music ensembles because of what they do for the students, the band program, and the director. “If you have a brass quintet, a woodwind quintet, and a small percussion ensemble, just those three groups, then all of a sudden the playing ability of the concert band improves. The quintet members will probably be among the top players in the band anyway, but if you can get some of your other strong players motivated to practice and improve, it motivates other people in the section to improve.
    “It doesn’t mean someone playing third chair isn’t motivated or can’t play. It simply reflects the fact that students are in 9th grade instead of 12th grade and lack the experience and ability of upper classmen. School concert bands really do well if its members also play in a brass or woodwind ensemble.”
    Tim says that once students have the experience of playing in an ensemble, it becomes easier for them to learn their parts as well as the other parts, so they know exactly what is going on in the music. They learn to listen across the ensemble. In rehearsals a trombone player on one side of the room knows he has to listen for the second alto sax on the other side of the room because their parts may be doubled. Students also learn to rise to the occasion through chamber music because they realize they can’t rely on another player whose part doubles theirs.
    “Student musicians are encouraged by the other players. The better a student plays individually, the better he will play in a chamber music group, and the better the group will sound. As a result, the better a chamber ensemble plays, the better the band or orchestra will play.
    “Directors who lead orchestras but don’t have a string quartet or string ensemble should talk to their principals and ask for some way to include this in the curriculum. If it doesn’t fit in during the day, then make it an after-school activity. I know some music programs that schedule string quartet rehearsals before school begins and brass groups after school. I can’t say enough about how important it is to include chamber music ensembles as part of the music program.”

Introducing Chamber Groups
    Tim believes the best time to begin chamber music ensembles is in 9th grade after students have had at least two years of lessons. They should understand the fundamentals of music and have a good embouchure, good note-reading skills, and understand rhythm. While not much literature is available for middle school chamber ensembles, there is fine literature available for high school students that even professionals can play. 
    “I recommend that middle school students play duets and work on their parts as a section or in sectionals. This happens naturally when the band director works with the flute section and everyone else has to be patient. Any work outside of class makes all the difference in improving the level of the band.
    “I would try to have groups with students of roughly the same ability, so as not to frustrate some players. A brass quintet might include a 9th-grade trumpet player who is quite good but just can’t keep up with a 12th-grade trumpet player. It can be frustrating for the 12th grader because there won’t be anything happening musically, and it can be equally frustrating for the 9th grader if the music is over his head and he can’t keep up. In some situations a director may want to have a young group and an older one. That would be fantastic. Of course, you can simply have a brass ensemble with all the brass playing together.”

Forming Carolina Brass
    During the 1995-96 school year, Tim had been living in Taiwan when he decided it was time to return home to North Carolina. He needed to create a job for himself to make the move and because of his experiences playing in brass chamber ensembles, he came up with the idea of forming a new professional brass quintet. Carolina Brass soon became a priority in his professional life.
    “I researched the market and contacted people through connections in the North Carolina area to see how viable a brass quintet would be. After looking at the pros and cons, I went ahead and chose people I knew personally – their playing and their personalities – for the ensemble. With a chamber ensemble, at least 80% of what the group does musically relates to the chemistry between the players. You can have the finest players on Earth, but if they can’t speak to each other, it doesn’t work.
    “It just so happened that some of the finest players in North Car-olina are also super people who I had previously worked with in some capacity. Every person I asked to join me in creating the Carolina Brass said yes. We’ve continued since 1997 with the same personnel – Bob Campbell on horn, David Wulfeck trombone, tubist Matt Ransom, and me on trumpet – except for several different players on the ad-ditional trumpet. When we started Antia Cirba was with us just for the first year and still substitutes on occasion. Then Steve Dube from Boston was with us for four or five years. He, too, occasionally flies here to fill in. Don Eagle then played with us for a season until we found Dennis de Jong as our permanent trumpet player.
    “Dennis and I trade off parts a bit, taking turns on who plays first and who plays second, although I tend to play most of the first trumpet parts just because that’s the way it worked out. Some groups have a specific first trumpet and second trumpet. Dennis and I are so compatible as players that when I hear our recordings, I sometimes can’t tell who is playing which part. We have individual playing styles, but when we come together as a group, we are able to match up our sounds and styles quite nicely.”
    For several years Carolina Brass performed as a brass quintet, but the members thought they were limiting themselves. Tim considered adding a saxophone player or a reed doubler who could play sax, flute, and clarinet, which was not entirely out of the question because he anticipated commissioning some pieces that would include a reed player.
After giving the matter much thought, he realized the most reasonable thing to do would be to add percussion. “With the abundance of music written for brass quintet in the last 25 years, it made sense because so many popular pieces, like ragtime, jazz, or Dixieland, can use percussion; and for much of the music that is written without percussion, we could find ways to add percussion, such as using finger cymbals in a Renaissance piece or a field drum for a Civil War-era work. The percussionist would not always play drum set, that’s for sure.
    “Further, when we commission music, many composers write for optional percussion. We’ve even request pieces where the brass players play some percussion. For one piece in particular we play bongos, cow bell, and quiro. After two years of working as just a brass quintet, John Beck joined as our percussionist.”
    When reminiscing about his career, Tim says he is fortunate to have such high-quality work. “Music is not a stuffy thing as many people think. If we can present music in an entertaining and fun way, that makes all the difference. People come up to us after a Carolina Brass concert as say, ‘On stage you look as though you are having the best time.’ I simply have to respond honestly, ‘We are.’”