When I write, I have something to say – I just choose sounds to say it.  I write music that (I hope) the students would enjoy playing, the audience will enjoy hearing, and that conductors will enjoy teaching. Sometimes I get inspired by words spoken or written, an image, or people.  In the case of American Visions it was all three.  Read the fourth verse to the Star-Spangled Banner – I read it in the spring of 2007 and finally understood what my grandmother went through when her only son (my father David J. Weller) went through when he left for Vietnam.  “Oh thus be it still when free men shall stand, between their loved homes and the wars desolation!”.

I remember having one real in-depth conversation with my father about his time in the military – I asked him what it was like.  He replied “Guy, I hope you never have to find out.”  War is an atrocious event, and freedom, our freedom, has been paid with the lives of many young patriots.  My dad served in 1967 for people he never met or knew, and some – like his two sons – were not even born yet.  I went to parades on Memorial Day and Veterans Day growing up – I said the pledge, I sang The Banner – but I didn’t understand until age 34 what had been done for me by my father and countless others I never knew and will never know.  We are a blessed nation, indebted to our men and women who serve and protect.  American Visions became an outpouring of thanks and love from a grateful and fortunate son.  How could I not write this piece for my dad? I knew purpose when each of my four children had been born, but I knew musical purpose in 2007.  In a span of four weeks beginning in February, American Visions was born.

My vision of America I owe to my parents – work hard, do something you love, love family, love friends, have faith in God at all times, honor your country, respect the men and women who serve – they have always shown me those qualities.  My dad is my first musical role model; he is my friend, and a patriot.  I wanted to write a piece that celebrated those things.  American Visions is what I hope our country will be – a vision for which David J. Weller would be proud.

The opening fanfares came first – mixing and shifting meter came very naturally.  The trumpet trio in the middle – the only clear My Country Tis of Thee statement – was easy to write, the counter in the alto saxophone and flute took a bit longer.  After much laboring over the ending of the song, I finally went to bed one morning at 1:30 a.m.  After falling asleep (as the start of my day was only about 4 and a half hours away), I was dreaming about the piece being played by an ensemble to be annoyed by a metronome beating in the group.  I woke to realize it was my alarm clock beating in time – and it prompted the shift from 3/4 to 6/8 towards the end and allowed me to conceive the French Horn counter-melody (which I adore).  I sang repeatedly in the shower that morning, and frantically wrote everything down on paper before leaving for school – ended up almost arriving late that day – but I had it!

This spring as I marched down Constitution Avenue with the marching band at Mercer for the National Memorial Day Parade, tears filled my eyes for a good two blocks.  I was reminded what a fortunate son I am thanks to my father, David J. Weller and countless other men and women in the armed services.  I am humbled by the success the piece has enjoyed, and thankful that I could share this story with many others in music education.

Pick your artist and they have skeletons in their closet – I am not sure there is a musician alive who can say they are completely clean, honest, and devoid of some sort of crutch – except maybe Brittney Spears…just checking to make sure you are still reading.  Thinking about Mozart, who definitely died too young – was his personal life a detriment to others? Perhaps to his family, but to others I would guess no.  What about Liszt? My recent work at Kent State (which has been burying me lately – sorry for the long stretches with no new blogging) has involved a lot of reading about Beethoven.  The one side of him that I never really connected with him is how he elevated the expectation levels for the performers, the music being created, and the audience.  He elevated his position to that of being the “superstar” of his day and probably had to endure some unkind public critiques at one point of his career.  We know he had a temper, but what was his conduct like when nobody was watching him?

But another side of Beethoven was the advancement that music can have strong ethical content.  Once that concept was accepted, then the world owed the composer a living.  The composer would create a serious and intellectually respected masterpiece that would outlive its day and the impetus which led to its creation (Longyear, 1988).  But did it mean it created more ethical musicians who created it?

One part of Reimer’s 3^rd Edition of his Philosophy of Music Education was his open questioning “should it be claimed that the point and purpose of music education is to create more ethical human beings?”.  He outlines 5 dimensions that are clearly part of our responsibility as music educators to impart to our students.  By doing so in the unique way that music can, these values – which so many of us can extol – make the musical experience a life changing one.

Read on in Chapter 4 and you won’t be sorry.  The value of trust, competence, cooperation, respect, and courage cannot be measured in our programs by trophies and plaques, but the people that move forward and contribute positively to society – no matter what their profession.  Another day we will discuss those five dimensions and the attitudes that can be cultivated from using the musical experience to not only make great musicians, but also make great people.

Longyear, R. M. (1988). Nineteenth Century Romanticism in Music (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Reimer, B. (2003). A philosophy of music education: Advancing the vision (3^rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.<–>

First of all, I am not saying don’t raise the bar. We must raise the level of expectations with your ensembles and individual students whenever possible. Often students look at expectations as a limitation, something that will be difficult to obtain. In my own work as a composer and arranger of band music, I find limits to be very necessary. Limits force me to be creative. Limits force me to be decisive. Limits force me to think and create a way to obtain my goal that at the onset of work I did not consider. We hear all the time about the untapped human potential people possess. Why does it remain untapped? My guess with some people is that upon hearing a comment that they have untapped potential, they do not seek any limits (expectations) to see if the statement is in error. It is much easier to say you have no limits in your abilities than to actually test them and find out.

Limits help to define what will constitute a success for ourselves, our students, and our ensembles. Once it is realized we should take time to reflect on what we have accomplished, analyze how we have grown as a person and in our abilities, and what we have learned through the process. But we have changed – and besides exceeding the limit or expectation that was placed upon us, we have raised the level of expectation for everyone who is around us. The process is not microwaveable (a rant for another day) as our society would like it to be. The next encounter we have in achieving success requires the same methodology as the first: planning and preparation, implementing new concepts to a new problem or goal, plenty of attempts and experiences. The one intangible that must be present each time in someone is that of tenacity. We must have the ability (as a good friend so eloquently put it) to “put our blinders on and plow on through”. Our eyes must be on the prize, the goal, our definition of success. Our focus should move us forward in such a way that is consistent with the quality of our goal. There are plenty of things that can become an unnecessary distraction and slow us down or make us weary. If all else is present, our tenacity separates High Honor Roll from the kid who never applied himself, All-Pro Football Players from 7th round draft picks, and Ph.D. from A.B.D. (now a doctoral student at Kent State, this is on my mind).

Does success have a price? Yes. Ask Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils last spring when they were upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Ask Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints this year after an 0-3 start. Everybody expects you to more successful the next time. That is not impossible. We must be honest with ourselves and the limits we set. We must decide upon goals worthy of our commitment. We must acknowledge that we will fail at some point in the process, and we must be willing to learn from failure. We must be willing to embrace the process anew each time, and we should accept that the process can be different each time.

The toughtest thing about being successful is that you must continue to be successful, and that can come with a heavy price. The most rewarding thing about being successful is not the prize (although it is pretty nice at times), but the process. It instills in us good habits that speak to the core of our character. Our colleagues, friends, and family begin to view us in a different light. While I acknowledge that the level of expectations that groups can set can be unhealthy, I speak from personal experience when I say they usually understand and respect the value system that has led you in this process. Success. Tough? Yes. Worth it? Yes.