PORT ANGELES — When the Dallas Brass performed at Port Angeles High School on Sunday night, the group left behind a legacy of enthusiasm for music.
After the concert, the teens lined up with Dallas Brass posters, drum pads and autograph books to get the autographs of the six performers, and the buzz in the foyer sounded like the tail end of a major rock concert.
The lines for signatures went out the front doors, as exasperated parents waited outside for their students.
For those who might be surprised at the enthusiastic response to the classical musicians, students said Port Angeles kids are a different breed of teenager.
“This is a community and school that appreciates classical music and the arts,” said Kayla La Fritz, 16, a junior who plays trumpet with the high school’s Wind Ensemble as she displayed her poster with all six signatures.
As musicians, the group was amazing, she added.
The six-piece brass and percussion band, which travels the United States performing a wide variety of music, also teaches music clinics for middle school and high school bands, and often form mentor relationships with students.
“They’re very giving of their time. They want these kids to excel,” said Doug Gailey, Port Angeles High School band director.
“Hearing these guys play right up close, it’s revealing for them to know people who are relatively famous are just regular guys who happen to play unbelievably well,” Gailey said.
Dallas Brass also performed and held clinics in Port Angeles in 2010.
Gailey and the Band Boosters organized the event with only three weeks’ notice after learning that Dallas Brass would be in the area on a tour and had a date open.
In addition to the clinics, the Dallas Brass served as a fundraiser for the high school band’s trip to Washington, D.C., in April, where students will perform on the National Mall.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsula
dailynews.com.
