By Dave Babbitt – Special to the Sydenham Current
Over the several years that I’ve had the privilege to pen this column, I’ve mentioned some of my greatest musical experiences from both a performing standpoint as well as that of being an audience member.
Every once in awhile I start reminiscing and attempt to rank my experiences but it’s an impossible task, with one exception that I will get to.
Amongst my greatest playing memories would have to be the opportunity to play the Vice-Regal Salute for Governor General Lincoln Alexander, playing the Star-Spangled Banner by myself at centre field of the Pontiac Silverdome, the opportunity to lead and play with the Brass Factory for our Salute to the Bob Jacks Orchestra in 1995, and every playing of the Last Post.
On a weighted scale, each of those experiences I will rank as… equal.
However, the apex of my list of my favourite moments in music is an easy choice, and that is the many opportunities I’ve had to make music with my family.
Many families develop mutual interests in a particular sport or other activity such as fishing, boating, motor sports etc. that they take part in and enjoy together.
For me and my family, and likely not shockingly, it’s been music.
Now to be clear, I do not come from much of a “musical” family.
My mother took piano lessons as a kid and learned to play Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” by rote, but that’s all I ever heard her play. It became a running joke between us.
My sister Patty also took a few piano lessons as a kid and all she could ever play was the first three measures of the hymn “Shephard of Love”. I still tease her about that to this day.
My father loved music but was never involved in creating it other than the occasional crude attempt to sing-along with Johnny Cash.
My younger brother Doug played the trombone from elementary through high school, but was forced to leave that behind as he pursued a celebrated career with the OPP, and then my youngest brother John, who I had a bit of influence over, like me, took up the trumpet in school.
Doug and I had numerous opportunities to play music together for several years including at church, in Brass with Class, and in the school concert bands.
John and I were separated by enough years that we didn’t go to school together but we played together in the first iteration of the Brass Factory big band. Strangely enough, he became a music student of mine briefly when I took over from Andy Botai in 1984.
But like Doug, John had to leave his brief musical life behind as he pursued his career with the RCMP.
Myself, I took up the trumpet at W.T. Laing with Bob Jacks in 1967 all based on my love of the music of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
Skip over my personal musical journey between 1967 and 1995 to where I married my wonderful wife, Clare and eventually expanded our family with the birth of our two sons Ryan, and Andrew.
Clare was a member of the Brass Factory big band, originally as an excellent alto saxophone player before eventually moving on to the baritone sax chair.
After Ryan and Andrew came along, in time we did the dreaded parental thing of enrolling our boys in piano lessons.
Having grown up not playing the piano but having to teach music theory in my classes at WDSS, I was fully aware of how important the keyboard is to a well-rounded knowledge of music is, how much it easier it makes learning music theory due to the visual nature of the keyboard, and how much easier it makes picking-up another instrument.
As I say, the keyboard is “logical” and due to its layout, one can actually see how chords are built, scales are constructed, the size of intervals etc.
I believe that every capable child should take piano lessons at some point.
The boys took lessons with Susan Laycock who was a masterful teacher and very patient lady!
In time, each of our boys had the opportunity to take-up a wind instrument at A.A. Wright elementary school.
Dad’s influence caused Ryan to take-up the trumpet, and Mom’s influence had Andrew take-up the alto saxophone.
I was of course able to assist them at home, and they both excelled at their newfound interest.
As they went through high school, “dad” of course became their music teacher.
I don’t think that I was hard on them, but that is for them to say.
As they embraced the instruments, the four of us we began playing together in church services.
That provided feelings I cannot express in words.
Meanwhile, little did I know but Ryan and a wonderful young lady who played alto saxophone in his music class had eyes on one another. I was oblivious.
Fast forward several years. Liza and Ryan are now married, and I have both the most wonderful daughter-in-law and another great saxophone player to add to the family band!
In the meantime, my brother Doug retired from an illustrious career in the OPP and is back in Wallaceburg.
When I put out the call to start the Wallaceburg Concert Band in 2016, Doug pulled out the trombone that he hadn’t touched since high school, got back on the bike so to speak, and is now a fully engaged member of the WCB and joins the other five of us when we play in church.
For each of our Wallaceburg Concert Band shows, we display a pre-concert video that shows pictures of each person, what instrument(s) they play, what positions of responsibility each person holds within our organization, and their roles in concert preparations.
Each, and every time, after watching our pre-show video, someone will inevitably make a comment about how many Babbitts there are in our band.
I always joke that it is my way of keeping riff raff off the streets of Wallaceburg, but the reality is, I’m blessed to be able to make music with my family and have the privilege of conducting them in the Wallaceburg Concert Band.
On top of that, Clare, Ryan, and Andrew are also part of the Brass Factory big band.
If my parents were still alive today, I know how proud they would be of everyone, and it’s not lost upon me just how unique and privileged my situation is.
Now as for my sister Patty, she supports us at our concerts and I’m searching for a band arrangement of “Shephard of Love” so she can join-in the first three measures with us.
Only THEN will the family band be complete!
