If you have never had the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the talents of the Nevers’ 2nd Regiment Band, you have missed out on a spectacular gift of music. Right now as I type, I hear the flutes and piccolos, oboes and clarinets, trumpets, trombones, saxes, French horns, tubas, percussion, baritone, bass, and bassoon, as they share music that makes my heart skip a beat. It calls to mind the years of playing flute in my own high school marching, concert and stage bands.
One of the Nevers’ Band’s missions is to maintain a positive relationship with Penacook/Concord residents as they provide free concerts and educational and scholarship programs for students pursuing music studies in high school and college. As one of the oldest active New Hampshire musical entities, they provide their services for many special occasions locally and throughout the state.
Every year they return to Rolfe Park in Penacook, directly across from where my family and I live. Generally, we sit on our deck to listen, or open the windows wide while relaxing to the music. This evening, we decided to spend a little time at the park, enjoying the closer experience of actually being able to hear the introductions of each song and some comments shared of band members.
The music brings back many fond memories. My high school band director, Mr. Ernest DeNopoli (who has since passed), was an amazing director who embraced each student, giving them opportunities to grow beyond what they otherwise thought impossible.
To allow me to participate in the stage band with my flute, I had to learn saxophone in order for me to play, as many of the stage band pieces did not have a flute score. With my drive to be a part of this group, and his challenge for me to learn the saxophone, I accomplished the task within a few short weeks. He also encouraged me to compete for the annual state competitions; one year I made district choir but not district band. What mattered most to him was not that I did not make district band, but rather that I tried (and by the way, they were extremely difficult pieces). He was proud to see that success was achieved for something I worked hard at achieving.
Mr. DeNapoli made marching fun when he introduced us to choreographed marching, so that during the times in which we were just marching and not playing, we would have something fun to do.
What was instilled in me, during those very memorable years of high school was that succeeding at something you had a passion for would require work and commitment. But, at the end of every day of trying to accomplish something new, in every piece of music we were given, there was pride and joy that I was able to participate in what others would never understand. Music was a part of my soul, and I was privileged to have the opportunity every day to express instrumentally as well as through voice.
Tonight brought back the memories of my past, as I sat and listened with respect to the talents shared by the many members of this band. My past is alive, and indeed the history of the Nevers’ 2nd Regiment Band continues to live on, long after it was established in 1861 during the Civil War.
It is an honor to be able to sit back and enjoy such sweet music that captivates my heart, putting a step in my soul while creating a smile of pure enjoyment.Fortunately for us, they play throughout the summer and within many communities outside Concord, presenting their musical talents throughout the summer, rain or shine. (They hold their concerts at the South Congregational Church in Concord on rainy evenings.)
May music be kept alive, in your heart, in your soul and all around.
For more of Laura Field’s writing, visit reflectivetapestryoflife.com.
