Bonding in Helmond
by Maurice Feldman
This week (July 5 - July 29, 1996) members of the Columbia Concert Band, forming the
Columbia Wind Ensemble, the Columbia Jazz Ensemble, and the Starvation Army Band, went
through a process of making music and friends. Our visit to Helmond completes the exchange
started by Jim and Marian Fozard last year in 1995 when the Columbia Concert Band invited
the PHILEUTONIA band to visit and make music in our home area. The music was good; the
friends were great.
Music making in the Netherlands began with an outdoor extravaganza on Sunday evening
July 7. In a beautiful setting, the people of Helmond came together to make and listen to
music. The title of the evening was the “American Night of the Proms.” Music
making began at 6:30 P.M. with a different group performing about every 20 minutes. The
evening concluded around 1:00 A.M.—a long night of music indeed. The next day, the
Columbia bands visited Amsterdam to make more music and sightsee. Wednesday included a
major concert in the Speelhuis and Thursday a trip to Den Haag (the Hague) with a concert
at Madurodam.
Anyway, the title of this article is “Bonding in Helmond,” so to proceed to
the bonding. Living and working together as we did for a full week brought the people of
the Columbia band very close together. We learned more about each other and gained respect
for all of the people in our group. We became much closer than we were back home where we
meet one night each week with very little social interaction. This week we interacted in
the best possible way to form a bond that will last for many years to come.
Music is a powerful force for good in this world:
it is a language that brings together peoples from many different backgrounds
and cultures. Our Columbia band musicians and families on this trip brought to
Helmond our love for music and people, and in return we received love and
friendship. To bond together is a good thing, and the Columbia Band should
strive to bring this message home to our fellow band members and friends.
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