Word: minicucci
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...world away from the Burger school, an oasis of learning located in a neighborhood of burned-out buildings, where sporadic gunfire is a regular event. "We have people in Mercedes and Jaguars from Connecticut and New Jersey out in front of the school buying drugs," says Tom Minicucci, the director of the senior steel band. "It is like the bazaars at Marrakesh...
...Shimizuishi wasn't registered for the class. He had helped set up the stage in the gymnasium the night before, stopped by in the morning to observe the course and happily filled in when a set of drums became free. Minicucci stands up front and briefly describes the history of the drums, then demonstrates how to use the mallets. He breaks down the playing into melody, harmony and beat, and tells each player what to do. They give it a try. Slowly a tune emerges from the jumbled, tinny cacophony that reverberates throughout the gymnasium. He takes the players through...
...concert is the main event of the day. Twelve hundred students, faculty members and friends fill the gym and squat on the floor as the Burger band members take the stage. "I won't know if you like it unless you make some noise," Minicucci announces as he tells the audience to move closer. The band starts with Love Is in the Air and Minicucci quickly works up a sweat as he bounces, points, claps and raises his hands to the beat of the music. The players wield their mallets in unison, pounding out a strident, pulsing beat. A number...
During The Tide Is High, a long line of students snakes around the gym. They then high-kick through New York, New York. When Minicucci calls for the 1991 Choate Rosemary Hall steel band, the audience yells and chants the names of various performers as they make their way to the stage for a fast-paced and well-performed rendition of When the Saints Go Marchin' In. "There was pressure," Shimizuishi admits as he leaves the stage to the cheers of his classmates. "I was afraid I would mess up, but it was fun. It went well...
...band concludes with a rousing rendition of the Choate school song. The exhausted Burger students quickly rejoin their new friends. Some make plans for future visits. Others go off for a game of basketball, a meal in the dining hall or a final look at the campus. Minicucci and Hofler try to relax and prepare for the drive back to the Bronx. They are already talking about next year's concerts and, as always, their hopes for the future of their students...
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