AMIS in Aberdeen

As I came into the job here at ASB one of my goals was to successfully coach at least one student to be accepted into the international high school honor band, something not yet achieved at ASB. As the audition process came and went last year, everything happened so fast with our transition to India that nothing came of it. We were better prepared and better equipped (thanks to SmartMusic!) to work towards this goal this year and with six applicants, two were accepted. The ten-month process came to fulfillment this past weekend in Aberdeen, Scotland where students representing 42 different international school and 36 countries came together to form the international honor band.

AMIS, which stands for the Association for Music in International Schools (but also means 'friends' in Frech), puts together honor bands, choirs, jazz ensembles, and string orchestras throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. With so many international music departments unable to fill out a proper concert band or mixed choir due to high student turnover or small size, for many students these weekends are the only musical experiences that they will experience that mirror a standard public school ensemble in the U.S.

Additionally, the guest conductors that come to work, Craig Kirchhoff from the Univ. of Mn in this case, provide a valuable professional experience for the young musicians as well as rejuvenating professional development for us teachers. In short, the ten months that we worked towards this goal, the three-day weekend was an outstanding learning experience for the students and myself.

On the other hand, it was great to be back in Scotland again. You will remember that Rachel and I were there for just six days on our Europe Trip in July of 2011 and we loved it.

Of course another great benefit of these festivals is the chance to reunite with friends and make new ones. I got to spend some quality time with my good friend, the band director at the international school in Dhaka, who I have collaborated with for two years on the SAISA festivals.

While Aberdeen is not the quintessential tourist experience in Scotland, it did provide us with an outstanding castle, a few nice pubs, and a gorgeous city beach on the North Sea. It was a welcome break from the humidity of Mumbai.

However, I found myself missing the bright colors of India. All of the buildings were pretty grey and with just a few patches of green grass (with some admittedly beautiful, freshly-bloomed daffodils) there was a distinct lack of color, especially in the way that people dressed. The time made me appreciate the wonderfully fresh and exotic palette that it is India.

Either way, beginning in late April, I will once again begin the process of coaching students for the audition and hope to help even more students earn the honor of playing at next year's band in Dubai.