Solid Gold Sound Club Newsletter

Solid Gold Sound Club Newsletter
The official UCLA support organization for the UCLA Bruin Marching Band
Band Alumni Reunion
Summer 2010
UCLA vs. Arizona October 30th
The 11th Biennial Band Alumni Reunion will be held at halftime of the UCLA
vs. Arizona football game on Saturday, October 30th at the Rose Bowl.
Plans call for the rehearsal to be held on a parking lot adjacent to the Rose
Bowl beginning 3 ½ hours before
game time (yet to be announced).
Immediately after the rehearsal, we
will have hundreds of items from the
Band’s Adidas allotment as free giveaways to all band alumni who attend!
We will be sending out registration
forms later this summer, so mark
your calendars and make plans to be
there! “Halloween” will be the theme
of the show, so bring your costume!
The alumni who travel the furthest
distance and who represent the earliest UCLA class will also receive
Alumni Flutist Becca Gottlieb, former
awards. There will also be prizes for Flute Section Leader and member of
the Band’s Recruitment Crew at the
the best costumes!
Representatives of the Earliest Class Paul
Hill and Kim Strutt with Jennifer Judkins
and Gordon Henderson at the 2008 Band
Alumni Reunion
2008 Band Alumni Reunion
At our Band Alumni Reunion In
2008, we had over 180 band alumni
present, one of our best turnouts ever! Let’s make 2010 even bigger!
Assistant Director Jennifer Judkins
Steps Down as Assistant Director
“After 30 years as Assistant Director with the Marching and Varsity Bands, I am
finally stepping away from this position into a full-time academic appointment in
the UCLA Music Department. For many years now, I have been working with the
Band, and at the same time teaching graduate seminars in Research Methods and
Bibliography, and coaching D.M.A. students with their dissertations. Although I
truly enjoy each area, I am going to take this opportunity to pursue my passion,
which is aesthetics - the philosophy of the arts – and to advance my own research
and writing in the philosophy of music.
I have had amazing experiences – many Rose Bowls, many Final Fours, two Hong
Kong trips, numerous commercials and films – any one of which would be a career
highlight at any other college. As I think back on all of the crazy/exciting/frustrating/rewarding things Gordon and
I have put together over the years, I’ll always be thrilled that I had this opportunity to represent this outstanding
university so visibly, and to try to give back some of what UCLA has given to me.”
— Dr. Jennifer Judkins
Donations
In order to cope with the current budget-cutting environment on campus, we are continuing to ask for your help
with contributions by using the enclosed remit envelope or by clicking on the “Donate to the Band!” tab on our
webpage, www.band.ucla.edu
DONATIONS OF ANY AMOUNT ARE WELCOME ($1 on up, but add as many zeros as you like!). On the
Band’s “Donate to the Band!” website, it also gives you the option to make a donation with monthly installments
over a year (minimum of $10 per month, or $120 total).
Your donations will help with scholarships, instrument and equipment purchases, travel, and hiring staff. Recently,
it helped send fourteen of our drumline members to participate in a festival in Nagoya, Japan, and we have also
used this fund to buy a number of new instruments. With Jennifer Judkins moving into a full-time academic position in the Music Department, we are getting less than half of her previous salary to fill in with part time replacements. We are hoping to be able to hire a new full-time Assistant Director in the near future, but we will need you
help to achieve this goal.
UCLA Trumpet Professor performing with the Band at halftime of the UCLA vs. USC Football game
Sousaphone Player Vanessa Houseman
Alumni Spotlight – Michael O’Gara, Drum Major 1982-87
“The band was absolutely the highlight of my time at UCLA.” says
Mike O’Gara, Drum Major 1982-1987. “Some of the highlights
include leading the band for halftime at the USC game my freshman
year, and being on the field when we won three Rose Bowls and a
Fiesta Bowl.” His time in the band still plays an important part in his
life. “The friends I met from the UCLA band remain my closest friends
today.”
After almost 18 years as a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s Office Mike was elected judge for the Los Angeles
Superior Court in November of 2008. “The election was a long and
difficult process. I couldn’t have done it without the help and support
of my wife and my friends from the UCLA band.” Mike’s best friend
from band was his campaign treasurer and former band members
assisted with the campaign. Many displayed yard signs, helped with
communications, donated money, and some helped secure key endorsements. “I really was fortunate to have met some wonderful people during my time in the band. These friendships continue to influence my life
in many ways.”
When not in court, Mike enjoys time with his wife Melissa and their
two children Michael and Katie. “My wife and I are very involved
with our kids’ activities - soccer, scouts, skating, and music lessons.”
He’s hoping for a future UCLA band member or two. His six-year-old
daughter is already working to be a member of the flute section. “I had
Golden Girl Joyce Parr and Drum Major
a fantastic time at UCLA because of the band. Most of my life revolved Michael O’Gara moments before the start of
around it. I hope my kids have as great a college experience as I had
the 1986 Rose Parade
thanks to my time in the UCLA band.”
His chambers in the courthouse is filled with UCLA memorabilia, including a treasured photo that shows Mike
standing alone in the middle of the Rose on the 50-yard line during the 1984 Rose Bowl. The photo was taken by
a 1919 alumnus who was at the game, and it is a daily reminder of his time with the band, “While I enjoy what
I do in court, I often wish I were back in front of the band with my friends in the Rose Bowl. You just never get
that kind of rush in the courtroom.”
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael O’Gara
The O’Gara family visiting Yosemite
UCLA Drumline Trip to Nagoya, Japan
During the first week of May, 2010, fourteen members of the UCLA Drumline traveled to Nagoya, Japan to serve
as the featured performers at the 27th Annual Ekitopia Festival. Funding for the trip came from the Ekitopia
Festival, the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Student Opportunity Fund, and the UCLA Bruin Marching Band
Fund. The Ekitopia Festival is held each year during Japan’s Golden Week, which includes the Emperor’s Birthday,
Greenery Day, Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day and Children’s Day. In addition to the performances in
Nagoya, the Drumline members were able to take a sightseeing trip to Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto.
The UCLA Drumline performed its four-minute routine four times along the parade route on two consecutive days,
which was well received by the audiences lining the streets. You can see a video of the performance by clicking on
the link of the front page of the Band’s website – www.band.ucla.edu
Never heard of Ekitopia? It is a word formed from the Japanese word for train station, “eki”, and “utopia.” The
parade is one of several cultural events sponsored by merchants in downtown Nagoya located near the central
train station.
Percussion Teaching Associate Kelly Flickinger with the mascot for the
400th anniversary of Nagoya Castle
Members of the Drumline waiting in line for dinner at
Nagoya’s favorite sushi restaurant
Sightseeing trip to Kyoto
UCLA Drumline Trip to Nagoya, Japan
The Drumline at the dress rehearsal in downtown Nagoya
A section of a poster that was plastered all over downtown Nagoya. Also pictured is famed trumpeter Eric Miyashiro who was
also featured during the festival
Scenes from the 2009 season
The Bass Drum section featured on “Manhattan Love Story”
Trumpeter Brandon Buccowich
The Sousaphone Section during the Pregame run on
The Band and Spirit Squad at the rally before the Stanford game in
Palo Alto
Color Guard member Angela Chen
Pregame at the Rose Bowl
Trombonist Wesley Mercado leading
the Band in an 8 clap following the
UCLA vs. Oregon football game
Trombonist Sarah Diringer
Alto Saxophone Section Leader
Torin Waters
Postgame Concert at Stanford
This Fall’s Halftime Shows
This fall the Band will perform four different shows. The first is the annual Band Day show where they perform
alongside thirty high school bands at the Washington State game on October 2nd. In addition to performing traditional UCLA songs, the combined bands will also perform the hit song “Bad
Romance” by Lady Gaga.
At the Cal game in Berkeley on October 9th, the Band will perform songs by the
highly popular English alternative rock group Muse including “MK Ultra,” “The
United States of Eurasia,” “Resistance” and “Knights of Cydonia.” Next up is the
Halloween-themed 11th Biennial Band Alumni Reunion on October 30th described
in this Newsletter’s opening story.
On November 6th, the Band will bring a cartoon theme to the Rose Bowl for
the Oregon State game. The opener of the show will be “Zero to Hero” from
the Disney animated movie “Hercules,” as arranged by William Plenk in his fifth
season with the Band as a Teaching Assistant. The next two songs, “Friend Like
Me” and “The Flintstones” will feature our new Band Juggler Nick Smith, a junior
transfer theatre arts major from South Lake Tahoe and the younger brother of the
Band’s first Juggler Chris Smith who graduated three years ago. The closer music
is “Hungarian Rhapsody #2,” which has been heard in several classic cartoons
including those from Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry and the movie “Who Framed
Roger Rabbit.” TA William Plenk
is also designing the drill formations
for this show.
The UCLA Dance Team
performing to “Wild Wild West
For the USC game on December 4th, the Band will bring the Muse
show for its premiere performance in the Rose Bowl. Hopefully
the Band will have the opportunity to take one of these shows to a
major bowl game!
All Drumline arrangements are being written by Kelly Flickinger, a
D.M.A. candidate in his fourth year as a Teaching Assistant with
the Band, and Matt Altmire, a former band member who has served
as our primary percussion arranger for several years.
Bass Drummer Nathaniel Chin
UCLA Band Program
Dr. Thomas Lee
Director of Bands,
Conductor of the Wind Ensemble
Professor Gordon Henderson
Associate Director of Bands,
Director of the Bruin Marching Band
Keith Kupper
Assistant Director of the Bruin Marching Band
UCLA Bands
Box 951616
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1616
(310) 825-3835
www.band.ucla.edu
Email: [email protected]
Solid Gold Sound Club Board of Directors
Gary Bittner
Richard and Kathy Martin
Peter Dames
Michael O’Gara
Rebecca Gottlieb
Mary Park
Michael Hanson
Jeff Pickett
Nancy Ishiki
Matt Sonefeldt
Joe and Heidi Hardman
Brad Sraberg
Chris Holbert
Kim Strutt
Rob Joyner
Andrew Yonce
Ron Logan