BonnerSprings.com

“Smile and make it happen,” Larry Berg told City Band members in a rehearsal prior to their Saturday night concert.

It’s a theme that comes up often as Berg talks about his eclectic group of musicians. From the novice to the professional, and the old and to the young, Berg has assembled a group that no matter what the music, always makes it happen and manage to put on a great show.

During the band’s one-hour rehearsal, which takes place prior to every show where the musicians see their music for the first time, the true sense of the assortment of members can be seen.

In the drum section, it looks like a picture of three generations side by side as they discuss that night’s music and help each other find just the right rhythm.

In the tuba section, a high school freshman sits next to someone Berg describes as “the finest tuba player in the Kansas City area.”

“Do you think he’s getting a lesson?” Berg asked rhetorically with the answer being obvious. “This boy is going to catch fire and become a really fine tuba player.”

With 25 of the 85 members who attend each concert being professionals, Berg said there was no doubt in his mind the purpose of the City Band reached far beyond putting on a good show for the community.

“We come from all walks of life,” Berg said. “But our common thread is we all love to play. We work together. It keeps the adults fresh, and it inspires the youth to be great.”

Despite seventh-graders sitting next to 80-year-olds and high school-trained musicians sitting next to university-trained musicians, rehearsals run fairly smoothly. All the players pick up the music with ease. If there is a rough section of one piece, Berg works his musicians through it, all the time encouraging everyone to have fun and do their best.

“Fun is our key word,” Berg said. “In baseball or other sports, there’s only so much a body can do. Music is one of the only places you can mix the young and the old and still have a good time doing it.”

The big show

The time to start the show has arrived. Instruments have been transported from the rehearsal location in the Bonner Springs High School band room. The audience has collected its ice cream from the ice cream social that takes place prior to every show and has set up their lawn chair and blankets. The musicians are in their seats under the gazebo of Kelly Murphy Park.

Only one thing is missing. A folder of music was left behind in the band room after a band member, who was attending a wedding in another state, unexpectedly showed up to play. Not to worry, however. Bill Turley, BSHS band director and city band assistant director, volunteered to retrieve the missing folder.

In the meantime, Berg took the opportunity to fill the audience in on the delay and use the incident to showcase the band members’ dedication.

“There’s a strong motivation among all our players,” Berg said later. “Music is a wonderful motivational tool.”

It’s that motivation, Berg said, that builds such a tight network of musicians in the entire Kansas City area. Berg, who plays in or directs four bands, said musicians enjoy helping musicians.

This couldn’t have been more true on Saturday night when six players in Berg’s clarinet section had to be absent from the concert.

“I made one phone call to a friend in Odessa, Mo., and she brought five clarinets, a trombone and a French horn,” Berg said. “We just have such a great network of friends.”

Passing the baton

The show ends, and following a loud and long applause from the audience, the musicians pack up their instruments.

The performance was a success once again, and Berg is relieved to move on to what’s next.

Berg has been directing the City Band since 1981, and while he may not be overjoyed about it, he’s started the search for a replacement. The decision came when he found out that he would need hip surgery, which has been scheduled for August.

The length of the recovery process is unknown, and it’s time to pass the responsibility to someone else, Berg said.

That’s why this year, Berg has cut his own salary to be able to bring on two assistant directors — Bill Turley, BSHS band director, and Aaron Hall, former Leavenworth High School band director. The two men are learning the ropes and just how much work it takes to keep the band going.

“It’s a lot of work, which I don’t think people realize. I spend about 30 hours a week on band stuff,” Berg said. “My replacement has got to have that commitment, and we need someone who has the pizzazz to make it work.”

It’s uncertain when the new director will take over, but Berg is determined to keep going as long as possible, even if it means directing from a chair for the time being.