Mr. Wampler's Home Page: CLC

Welcome to the Elkridge Elementary Band.

Here's what I look like when I clean up (Not often).

Current PINK Schedule as of January 1

May 13 is A Week and the Concert is May 15

Students at Solo and Ensemble April 2013

Great Job to Everyone that Played!

Chromatic Venture was recorded by the Washington Winds and will be on sale at Barnhouse Publishing this year. Here's the recording for 5th grade:

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FREE VIRTUAL METRONOME!

Helps students stay in time!

epresenting us at the

Howard County Elementary Honor Band this Springsay a whisper is loadEmily

Mr. Wampler Cleaned Up.d

nd Don'ts.sis like Math, Science and Social

Studies. You can't put it on hold during the busy time of year, like a sports season or a busy time of year. I encourage parents to schedule it like any school subject. Three times a week for beginners is the minimum for the first half of the year to succeed.

Mini performances are your way of encouraging your child. Playing for Grandma over the phone is a performance and a reason to prepare. Have your child play something you you once a week. I'm sad to say that often I've spoken to parents who are not sure what instrument their child plays.

There are so many free performances of bands in this part of Maryland that it is a shame to miss the opportunity to attend some. Check out Music Links for some of the Community Band and Military bands. Often churches have brass quintets at Christmas and Easter and Community Orchestras include Winds and Percussion in their ensemble. We are between the Baltimore Symphone Orchestra and the National Symphony and there ate tons of performing venues of shows and musicals that are superb.

Do consider private lessons with some of the very musicians who perform for these very groups. They teach at the local music stores and often will come to your home as well.

[Image:101512theoesn't decide when to do homework and when to do projects. Playing an instrument is a physical accomplishment that involves a constant improvement through practice. It's only playing when the work is done.

Don't let your child leave the instrument at school. It doesn't belong in the classroom and the classroom teacher does not have time to make sure your child is doing his/her job.

Don't let siblings play your child's instrument. Many of the broken reeds and bent keys are the direct result of older and younger siblings getting their hands on the instruments. Make the rules clear about who plays.

Don't let Dad get out the pliars and vice grips to get out a stuck mouth piece. I have an expensive mouthpiece puller that can do that without destroying the lead pipe. Really. Just bring it into school protected as well as you can and watch me work my magic.

Wait until we choose an instrument if you are a beginner, please.

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NOT SO HIDDEN AFER ALL, I'Loan Form 2012.doc if you need an instrument for no cost for the year. Instruments go to those students who would not otherwise be in band because of financial difficulties. The donations this year will be used to purchase a new french horn, because our horns are probably 20 years old.

Fill out and email to:

and please send a check in an envelope made out to:

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This is the eery County, MD and more below.

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MontgomeryMVCB) is a non-profit, all-volunt

nsored by the Montgomery Village Foundation. The band has provided quality musical entertainment for Montgomery Village and surrounding communities since 1979. MVCB welcomes area musicians of all ages to dust off their instruments, rekindle their love of playing music, and join the band! (Auditions are not required.) The musical season commences Labor Day week and concludes with a Fourth of July Parade and Concert in MV. During this period the band performs many indoor and outdoor concerts. MVCB currently has about 70 members.

[ http://www.montgomeryvillagecommunityband.org/ ]http://www.montgomeryvillagecommunityband.org/1980 to provide an outlet for residents in and around Annapolis to prepare and perform band music. The band includes members that have many levels of musical experience, with an age range that exceeds 75 years from the youngest to oldest member. Bay Winds’ repertoire includes a mixture of marches, classical transcriptions, Broadway show music, big band jazz, Dixieland jazz and serious contemporary music. Bay Winds is conducted by Russ DeVilbiss, MUCS, USN (ret.). In addition, Mr. Richard Albright and Ms. Anne Kramer, both accomplished band directors in the Anne Arundel County schools, will conduct at this Maryland Band Day concert.

The Williamsport Community Band m summer of 1998. From that summer day in the park in 1998, the band has grown in number and in quality of musicianship. The band boasts a membership of 50 to 60 excellent musicians from all walks of life. Members come from the Tri-state area – Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. All are volunteers and enjoy playing because of their love of music. The band presents two indoor concerts per year in December and May. During the summer months, the band performs concerts in the Tri-State area.

The Rockville Brassss Bands in the country, founded in 1976. Their membership is comprised of dedicated amateur musicians seeking to entertain audiences and promote the British style of Brass Band music performance. RBB has appeared in many venues over its long history, including the Music Center at Strathmore, the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Glen Echo Folk Festival, the Cleveland Park Street Festival, Laurel Riverfest, the Gettysburg Brass Band Festival, and the North American Brass Band Competition. RBB has a strong focus on community service and perform regularly at senior centers, schools, and public halls. The band’s music selections cover a wide range, including military marches, orchestral transcriptions, jazz, blues, and contemporary concert and brass band pieces. They also take pride in being a U.S.-based British Brass Band with a director who is from Britain.

The Rockville Concert. Troy, Jr. as its original director and is currently director by John Saint Amour. The band is supported and funded by the City of Rockville, Maryland, through the Department of Parks and Recreation. Band members volunteer their services with rehearsals taking place once a week throughout the year. The band members "in their other lives" have various backgrounds including the sciences, medicine, music, teaching, and computer technology. All types of music are played by the band including classical transcriptions for band, original compositions for concert band, Dixieland, marches, selections from Broadway musicals, and music from the big band era. The band performs about 16 concerts each year.

The Bel Air Commual organization that is sponsored by the Town of Bel Air Parks & Recreation Committee. The band exists so that the musicians of Bel Air and the surrounding areas have the opportunity to continue to so what they love to do, to make music. Through a partnership formed with Harford Community College (HCC) in 1969, students of HCC have the opportunity to play in the band and receive college credit. The BACB performs numerous concerts throughout the year including a Spring & Winter concert, a benefit concert, for the Bel Air Memorial Day ceremonies, and a 4th of July concert to name a few.

The Olney Concert Band (OCBsed band formed in 1985 and currently in its 26th season. OCB offers a challenging outlet to local musicians of all ages (from high school to long-retired adults) who enjoy the thrill of making music together. The band draws its membership from the greater Olney area as well as other parts of Montgomery, Howard, and Prince George's Counties and surrounding areas. OCB provides free entertainment and exposure to the Arts, and forms an integral part of the program at community festivals, celebrations, and charity events. The band also performs for residents of assisted and independent living facilities who may be unable to travel to, or afford to pay for, other musical performances. OCB prides itself in performing a wide range of musical styles such that audience members of all ages and backgrounds can experience a personal connection to the performance.

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rmerly used by the 3rd Grade.

Try the newly updated Kennedy Center Website:

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d ofThe Elkridge Elementary Schoolou to our school. Mr. Steven Wampler, Director of Bands, is our director and has over 30 years of experience as a teacher and performer. He is also a composer and has composed over 15 band and jazz pieces for the EES Ba30.

And that is all of the third person speaking I will do on this page!

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I compose music written for the bands at Elkridge. Pieces like The Furnace Inn March, The Ebony Rag, Colonial Dance

and Elks Pride have become very popular with the students. If you go to Howardpub.com, you will see my music for sale.

Elementary band is taught as a Pull-Out during Specials and Content Subjects.

Students are scheduled for 1/2 hour lessons, twice a week with a 4 week rotating

schedule. This means that they will usually only miss 1/2 of an hour once a month.

Students in band and strings have been shown to maintain their academic standing and

even improve with the added stimuli of music lessons. Playing an instrument is a

life experience and is many student's bridge to Middle and High School.

Commitment is an important part of playing an instrument. Talent takes everyone but

so far. Mozart, the child prodigy, always complained that everyone assumed his

musical skills were easy to him, when in fact his father Ludwig Mozart worked him

mercilessly. Expect a minimum of three 20 minute practice times a week at home.

Students do not enjoy playing in instrument when they lag behind their friends! Set

up a time, just like home work to practice. Ask your child to play their latestsongs.

Elkridge ES is blessed to have an active PTA who work tirelessly to provide

instruments and materials for students who have financial difficulty. If you are

one of those families, we are able to provide instruments and materials of

instruction for no charge, or for anything you can afford. I have school trumpets,

Trombones, Baritones, Flutes and Clarinets. Don't let money stand in the way of

your child's chance to be a musician. Parents need to contact me via telephone,

email, or a note from home.

After students with financial needs are taken care of, you may apply for a school

instrument. Email, phone call or a note from home and let me know if you are

interested. There is a Repair/Replacement Fee of $40 for the school year. It's

used to maintain and replace instruments.

Books cost $9 for Woodwinds and Brass and $10 for Percussionists. Do not buy books

at the music store! I will buy them for you and save a return trip to the store if

you get the wrong one!

Rebecca Borden Hutton, My Great, Great Grandmother

Her son was Charles

was Thelma Jane Hutton who married Leonard S Wampler, Sr.

Their son was Leonard Wampler, Jr who married Dorothy Mae Greaves and I was their third

(and favorite, no matter what they say) child.

Charles Virgil Donahoe who was married to Bettie

nnie Lee Donahoe who married Charles Lee Hutton.

Charles Virgil Donahoe was a soldier in the Civil War.

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LS Wampler, SR (R), My Grandfather with Cpl Ficquett in St. Nazaire, F

ed in WWI together.

The lady above is my Great-Great Grandmother Rebecca Borden Hutton Miller who lived during the time of the Civil War. Her son was Charles Lee Hutton who married Nannie Lee Donahoe, Daughter of Charles Virgil Donahoe. I have pictures of many more and lots of family history that can either mesmerize or bore you to death depending upon whether you are a hitory buff or not. That my introduction to me! I grew up in Orange, Virginia, right in the middle of where the Civil War was fought and have always had an interest in history from an early age.

Here is a picture of my Grandfather, L.S. Wampler (Rl

Ficquet in St. Nazaire, France. They served in France together during World War I

in 1918-19. My grandfather was a teacher and a principal in Virginia until he was

drafted to go to France. He never fought - he worked for the Remount Squadron,

supplying horses, because cars and trucks were still new! I have the very uniform

he is shown here with, his letters to his girlfriend, Thelma (Who I used to call

Grandma) and several items from World War I.

Cpl. Ficquet went on to become a school superintendent and has an elementary school

named after him. This picture was taken in the spring of 1919. I will have a

picture of me as well as some of my students throughout the year.

My grandfather went on to have a chicken farm in Scottsville, Virginia and he had

two sons, Norman and my father, Leonard. Later, he worked for the US Postal Service

in Alexandria, VA. He died the year before I was born. My father was being trained

as a fighter pilot at the end of World War II. Just before he was to go to Japan

for the anticipated "Battle of Japan," the decision was made to use

nuclear weapons and the war was ended. My father passed away in 2008 at the age of

86. His brother, Norman was in the Battle of Normandy, known as D-Day or Operation

Overlord on June 6, 1944. Norman was a career Army Officer and passed away in July

2010 in Warrenton, VA. He is buried in Arlington Cemetery because he was a highly

decorated Army Officer.

Here I am after skydiving in Orange, Virginia where my son Phillip and I are celebrating his graduation from high school.

May he rest in peace after his parachute didn't open after his second jump.

I grew up. I worked at

I used to ride race horses at the Round Hill Horse Farm from age 12 to

them and train them to race at the Charlestown Race Track in West Virginia.

Between racehorses and motorcycles, I got to see lots of Emergency Rooms!

The Montpelier Races take place every first weekend in November just a few miles from where I grew up.

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One of my first playing jobs was playing post call for the races.

What I do in my spare t

2010 World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio in Las Vegas.e Rio in Las Vegas

I have two sons in college and spend time at poker tables in

Atlantic City, Las Vegas and in

In fact, I played in the World Series of Poker

Final event in 2010.

I was on TV because I was at Phil Ivey's table on Day 2b.

Ivey is the top ranked poker player in the world. But in Tournament play, you play so many

e that you play against so many people that you win hands against many well known players. It's the hands you lose that you remember!

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One of my custom poker chips!

I also am an avid student of historf Ancient Egypt(Kemet

WWII.

I also study Tai Chi Chuan, known commonly as Tai Chi and Tai Chi Sword. I have a

sword collection that includes two Civil War swords, a Chinese Sword from around the

1870's, and my personal custom made double bladed Tai Chi Sword, made for me in

Taiwan. Too bad I can't bring them to school and share them with you!

My ancestor, Charles Virgil Donahoe War

and rode with "The Grey Ghost" Col. Moseby at various times. Another

ancestor, Lenard Hutton was a CSA soldier and was wounded during the Battle of Droop

Mountain. His nurse, Elizabeth Miller, married him and had a son, Charles, who was

my Great-Great Grandfather.

My Grandfather, Leonard Wampler, was a conscientious objector during the Great War,

known to us as WWI. In spite of that, he was drafted into the 327th Remount

Squadron in St. Nazaire, France. Leonard's Two sons, Leonard and Norman were

soldiers in WWII. My Uncle was at D-Day in Normandy, Day Three, Korea, and Viet

Nam. My father, Leonard was in the Army Air Corps which became the US Air Force.

My bio. A native of Virginia, I entered the US Army as a bandsman in 1976, attended the US Army School of Music at the Little Creek Amphibious Base in Norfolk, VA, and was assigned to Fort Hood, TX. I played Trumpet in the band, played Taps for hundreds of funeral services and was also a Flutist/Saxophonist with the band.

I conducted musicals like "Pippin," "Jesus Christ, Superstar," and "Hello, Dolly" and, believe it or not, was a choir director at up to 4 churches at a time. After leaving Fort Hood, I spent a year with Dr. Sterling P. (Dutch) Cossaboom before attending the University of CT in Storrs, CT. I taught at Spaulding HS in Barre, VT, Plainfield HS in Central Village, CT, Edison HS in Alexandria, VA and River Hill HS in Clarksville, MD.

And now I'm here in Elkridge, writing elementary band music and teaching 4th and 5th grade musicians. Where will I go next? Where the wind blows, I hope.

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