MY MUSICAL EXPERIENCES DURING HIGH SCHOOL
WAlter L. Elden, P.E. (Ret)
It was during high school, Miami Edison Senior
High School, that my music experiences really exploded.
Sophomore Year Activities
First, as I entered the 10th grade, I signed up for the mixed chorus
and the orchestra. Somehow I got delayed a week before my schedule
allowed me to get to my first orchestra class and when I did, then
music Director Fred McCall (later to become Director of Bands
for the University of Miami) assigned me to the Concertmaster's
seat, in the orchestra, a position I never relinquished throughout the
remaining 3 years of high school. The remarkable thing about this was
that I had never met Director McCall before then and he had never heard
me play the violin before either. What I surmised happened was that my
former Junior High School music teacher, a former violin player
herself, must have given Director McCall a "heads up" on me and my
abilities, as he said that "he had been looking for me to show up",.
when I arrived and he seated me.
10th Grade Symphony Orchestra - Miami
Edison Senior High, 1948
Walter Elden, Concertmaster
1947 High School Orchestra in Performance
Walter Elden, Concertmaster
During my 10th year, our band and orchestra went to the state
competitions, held in St. Petersburg, Fl. There, an All-State Orchestra
was formed, made up of the top performers from throughout the state of
Florida. I was selected to serve as one of 4 of the Concertmasters, on
a rotating basis. We would rotate sitting in the honored First Chair
position for each work performed. At the competiton, I remember our
band performing its chosen work to be judged on. It was the Final
Movement from Dvojak's Symphony #8, The New World Symphony. Its
performance was the finest I had ever heard any band play of a work, up
to that time. It was just terrific. I performed a solo in the State
Competition and won a 1st Division Rating. Our band and orchestra each
won 1st Division ratings as well.
At New Year's time, in 1948, our band participated in the Orange Bowl
festivities, which consisted of marching in the New Year's parage and
performing at halftime in the Orange Bowl. Director Fred McCall invited
me to be one of 4 bandsmen, to march at the head of the band in the
parade, carrying our school banner, and then during halftime at the
Orange Bowl football game, we pulled the Orange Bowl Queen and her Maid
of Honor around the football field, as shown in the photo. The Maid of
Honor at the time was engaged to marry Dean Martin. This experience
provided me with a closeup of how a halftime show at the big time level
is produced and executed.
After running for the position of Superintentent of Schools and losing,
Fred McCall was
appointed Director of Bands at the University of Miami in 1948 and
held the
post until his retirement in June 1971, at which time he was awarded
the title
of Director Emeritus. Under his
instruction, The Band of the Hour received its name.
At a halftime show at the Orange Bowl in 1948, the band was
playing Henry Fillmore’s “The Man of The Hour” march.
The announcer spoke over the public address system, “‘The Man of
the Hour,’ played by the ‘Band of the Hour’!”
This has been its official name ever since.
Summer Band Camp at Florida State
University, First Year
In between the 10th and 11th and then the 11th and 12th grades, somehow
I was fortunate to be given enough money from my parents (where money
was scarce) to be able to attend summer music camp at Florida State
University (FSU). There, students from all across Florida came together
for an intensive 6 weeks of music training. I performed the first year
in the orchestra and mixed chorus, and served as the orchestra's
Concertmaster. This gave us the opportunity to meet other students who
played a variety of instruments. One recreational activity we engaged
in was playing basketball. At the end of the session, each organization
performed at a concert. During some evenings, we would go to the
auditorium and listen to the school Organist perform some of the best
of Bach's organ fugues. It was quite a sound.
Junior Year Activities
As Fred McCall had by this time moved on to the University of Miami as
Director of Bands, we were assigned a new Director, a Mr. Richards. He
had come to us from a small school in a rural part of South Florida.
The bottom line is that he was no Fred McCall and that year, our entire
music program for the band and orchestra fell from its previous
excellent state ratings. We were all very disappointed and our future
program did not look very promising. Then things turned around.
I had continued my interest in playing basketball when I moved into
high school. I went out and made the "B" team that first year, along
with friends whom I had played with through Junion High. But at the
start of the 11th grade, I decided to concentrate on music, so I
dropped basketball. Several of my former teammates, went on and made
Big 10 Conference, equivalent to All State, at that time. One later
went on and played at the U of Miami.
Summer Band Camp at Florida State
University, Second Year
By the time I attended the FSU summer camp the second year, I had made
up my mind that I wanted to be in the band during my senior year.It was
evident, that by participating in all the Fall football games, that is
where all the fun was, and besides, I wanted to learn something about
band music, if I ever was going to become a decent Music Conductor. So
I
looked around to find the instrument I could learn the quickest, so I
would make it in the band. I chose the Sousaphone, or Tuba as it is
also called. I
checked one out, took it to FSU with my violin and that summer I was
that time in the orchestra (again its Concertmaster), the mixed chorus,
but this time the concert band as well. I also played a solo over a
Tallahassee radio station at the beginning of summer camp to kick the
series off for the camp. Photos were taken of the orchestra and band,
in the new performing bandshell at FSU, as shown.
FSU Summer Music Camp Symphony Orchestra, 1947
Walter Elden, Concertmaster
FSU
Summer Music Camp Concert Band, 1947
Senior Year Activities
By the time I was a senior in high school, I had decided to make music
my career, and I wanted to become a music conductor. It could have been
band, orchestra or mixed chorus and any combination. I did not care. So
of 6 classes that final year, 3 of them were in music; orchestra
(Concertmaster again), mixed chorus and this time I played the Tuba in
the band (the photo shows me with my Sousaphone). I was the
only one out of over 2000 students to achieve that participation in all
music organizations in high school.
Walter Elden with Sousaphone (Tuba)
1949 and Performing in the Orange Bowl Game Halftime, 1950
12th
Grade Band - Miami Edison Senior High School, 1950
Walter Elden Played Sousaphone (Tuba) in Band
12th Grade Symphony Orchestra -
Miami Edison Senior High School, 1950
Walter Elden, Concertmaster of Orchestra
Orpheus Choral Group in High School, 1950
Walter Elden, a Vocalist
Mr. Richards was replaced by J. Howard Reynolds. Now here was a
remarkable Director of Band and Orchestra. At the time, he was all of
24 years of age, married, held a BS in Music from LSU and a Masters
from the
University of Michigan, and had been an officer in the US Navy. In no
time at all, he turned our music programs around totally and we were
back on top once again. He had a very strong influence on me at the
time, and in effect became a sustitute role model father for me. His
mannerisms
really impressed me, his music direction ability were terrific, and he
was a strict disciplinarian, something our band needed at the time. I
tried to mold my future direction on his mannerisms, which,
inconjuction with my prior decision to major in music and become a
Conductor, helped mold the direction I followed during the remainder of
high school and the year I was in college at the University of Miami,
before going into the US Navy for 4 years.
On one occasion, when some of us visited he and his wife at their home,
he took the time to show us his new, at that time (1950) high fidelity
system. With it, music just sounded so much better. It was evident that
there was electronics involved, something I knew nothing about at the
time, but that was to change in the near future. He not only played
great classical music through it, but also, and this may be a surprise,
"Country and Western" music. Its sound was just as great as classical,
and to this day, I enjoy both types.
After leaving high school, I lost tracy of Mr. Reynolds. But more than
50 years later, through some cleaver Internet detective work, I reconnected with him, and provide a story
about that chapter in my music life at this WEB page:
http://www.oocities.org/vieraeastmusic/reynolds.htm
High School Football Played in Orange
Bowl Weekly
I often wonder how many high school bands would love to be able to go
to and perform in the Orange Bowl. Well, my high school band did every
Thursday night. That was the day of the week our high school was
dedicated to play its football games and they were played in the Orange
Bowl. For those high school games back in the late 1940's, we would get
an attendance of between 30,000 and 40,000 each week. Our band would
practice all week getting ready a new half time show for every game.
Not only would we learn new music for the game, but a new half time
routine had to be learned. On football day, we would arrive at the band
room in the late afternoon, dress in our band uniforms, then Band
Director Reynolds would have us assemble outside and hold a formal
inspection of us, checking our instruments and uniforms. Then we would
board busses, ride 10 miles south to the Orange Bowl, assemble in our
seats, and play music during the game. At halftime,
One of the Miami Edison "Red Raider"
High School Bands Performing at Halftime
Band Trip to Havana, Cuba for Mardi
Gras
Our high school band got a real treat in February of 1950. We were
invited to go to Havana, Cuba and participate in their Mardi Gras. Boy
was that exciting. It took 6 Greyhound busses to transport us to the
Key West Naval Station, where we boarded a Cuban Destroyer, band
personnel, chaperons and our instrumts and luggage. It took us most of
the day to cross over and we arrived in Havana harbor. We were then
transported and housed in a Boys School. We were treated to tours and
sightseening and even got to go to Moro Castle, in Havana harbor. At
the right time, we marched in their Mardi Gras parade and then returned
to Miami. Here is a photo of 6 of us, taken when we were in Havana.
The girl I was with
was Jane Berry, whom I dated the remainded of our
senior year. She played second chair trumpet in the band. Later, she
would receive the Most Talented Award for band and I the same award for
orchestra, as it turned out.
State Band and Orchestra Competition
Held in Miami
In 1950, the State Band and Orchestra competitions were held right at
home in Miami, where our orchestra won a 1st Division rating. In band,
we prepared for our feature selection particularly hard and well.
Director J. Howard Reynolds challenged us by choosing Richard Wagner's
"Prelude to Die Meistersinger".
In addition to meeting daily for band
practice, we would add each Wednesday evening to our schedule and
worked on this Wagner Prelude. If you have ever heard it played, you
will realize that there are at least 3 major themes being perfomed at
the same time. I had the best part, that being the bass, played on my
Sousaphone. Well at any rate, we performed it at State and won 1st
Division. This work is about the greatest prelude ever written, in my
opinion. I plan to play and show it several times during the planned
Viera East concert series.
Graduation Ceremony Violin Solo
On the Sunday when graduation was helf, we had what was called the
Convocation
Ceremony. It was held in the high school auditorium. I had requested
and was granted the honor of performing a violin solo at that event. I
played the work "Poem", with piano accompanyment and performed it
before over 2000 in attendance, including our Senior Class of over 600.
A photo was taken my by brother, Guy, who was beneath me in the
orchestra pit, performing music for the occasion in the orchestra.
A photo of my girl friend at the
time, Jane Berry, and me is shown of us at the graduation prom. She
went on and got her degree in Education from the U of Miami, while I
started there, but went on a different track, because of world events
that were about to occur. .
