The Frustrated Maestros Eastern Sharps & Flats chapter will host its 12th Music Camp in September.
By Bruce Taylor, F298785
July 2018
If you see people in white pants and red shirts at an FMCA area rally or international convention, chances are they are Frustrated Maestros. Besides the eye-catching attire, they share a love of food, fellowship, and the chance to make a joyful noise (i.e., music).
Frustrated Maestros Eastern Sharps & Flats is one of FMCA’s nine Frustrated Maestros chapters. Being a member of any of the nine is your ticket to participate in any Frustrated Maestros event around the country.
The Sharps & Flats chapter hosts Maestros from around the United States and Canada during the Great Eastern Area Rally (GEAR), October 3 through 7 this year. In addition, the Sharps & Flats will host its 12th annual Music Camp prior to the rally, in late September. The camp — the brainchild of Pete Eckert, Dave Ricketts, and Paul Justice — is open to Maestros as well as other musicians who are interested in getting to know more about the Maestros in a setting less formal than a rally.
Music Camp is a good balance between band and chorus members. Skill levels might range from music professionals to those who have not opened their instrument case in decades or sung a note since high school. As Dave Ricketts explained, “Experience is not a requirement. The love of making music is all that counts.”
Musical director Charles Marston described Music Camp as “a place to play and sing through anything the participants bring from their own libraries or anything they might find in the vast Frustrated Maestro repertoire. It is also a place to try something new — playing in a small group or combo or even trying out a solo in a very supportive, nonthreatening environment.”
The camp also offers the opportunity to learn from other musicians. Workshops, which have ranged from the rudiments of music theory to improvisation, may be led by our own members or by outside instructors. One year the Barbershop Harmony Society demonstrated their teaching techniques and the mechanics of their singing style. By the end of the day, we all were singing barbershop harmony. What a hoot!
Other group activities have included local concerts and even a field trip to a local marching band to show support for young musicians.
When camp ends, it’s hoped everyone had a great time and maybe learned something new.
The 12th annual Music Camp will be September 24 through 29 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. “Now is the time to dig out that instrument from the back of your closet, the attic, or the local pawn shop and get reacquainted with it,” said Bud Gallagher, president of the Eastern Sharps & Flats chapter. “If you are a singer, you might get your voice warmed up with the radio, the church choir, or the local karaoke stage. Join us in Gettysburg for Music Camp and consider following us to York, Pennsylvania, for GEAR the following week.”
For information about the Frustrated Maestros’ Music Camp, contact Bud Gallagher at bg@digitalantenna.com; (954) 648-1807. Learn more about all Frustrated Maestros events at www.frustratedmaestros.blogspot.com.