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Air Force band, singers inspire patriotism with music
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Whatever joy Master Sgt. Brett Miller derived from his brief return to the Mahoning Valley hit a high note while striking a major chord with those who heard him.
“It’s a huge honor to come back,” the Clarksburg, Md., man and principal French horn player said before taking the stage for Thursday evening’s United States Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants performance at Stambaugh Auditorium.
The two-hour show, themed “American Rhapsody,” before a nearly full house was the eighth of the two musical groups’ 10 performances through Ohio and Pennsylvania that make up their fall 2016 itinerary.
Miller, formerly of Boardman, received plenty of applause for a solo he played that was the highlight of a number titled “Air Force Excellence in Action.”
Miller, who attended Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music and who’s served 14 years in the Air Force, said his father, Larry Miller, greatly influenced his musical acumen. The elder Miller taught music for more than 30 years, mainly as Boardman High School’s assistant band director and music teacher at Boardman Glenwood Junior High School.
“I heard a horn every day of my life,” the younger Miller said with a chuckle.
During Thursday’s performance, the 184-member Air Force Concert Band entertained an audience of a few thousand with its rendition of several patriotic songs, as well as the famous George Gershwin composition “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Lending her vocal talents to the show was Senior Staff Sgt. Christine Germain of Washington, D.C., who joined the Air Force in 1995 after having earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from Bowling Green State University.
“I had no idea any jobs were available, until I was hired full time for music in the Armed Services,” recalled Germain, who is stationed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling military installation in Washington, D.C., which also is the concert band’s home.
Germain and the other Singing Sergeants members performed their musical adaptation of “An American Choral Songbook” as well as “Forever Plaid: Classic ’50s Hits,” from the Stuart Ross off-Broadway musical “Forever Plaid.”
Her experiences in the military musical unit also have deepened Germain’s appreciation of those who serve their country, she continued.
“It’s inspiring to be part of the military as a whole,” she said. “It’s given me a perspective on what people have given to our country and the sacrifices it takes for us to be in the Armed Forces.”
Suffice it to say that music easily flows through Senior Master Sgt. Bradley Bennett of Stevensville, Md., a Kent State University voice major.
“I did my first professional show when I was 7 years old with the Carousel Dinner Theater [in Ravenna]. I performed in ‘South Pacific,’” he said proudly.
Bennett added that his parents were music teachers and singers and that being on stage dates to his childhood.
The United States Air Force Concert Band lists as its major objectives inspiring patriotism and military service in citizens and honoring those who serve. The Singing Sergeants is one of six performing units under the band’s umbrella.