Dedication Page
This page is dedicated to Band Directors, both current and past, for without their instruction and dedication to music education, this band would not exist.
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Personal Dedication
This is dedicated to Mr. James O. Hissom, affectionately known as "Sir".
Sir was my band director from the 5th through 12th grades in the North College Hill school system in Cincinnati, Ohio. Because of his patience, I was able on occasion to blurt out a few acetous licks on my trombone. My assumption is that he must have had some hope that one day this rancid din might someday bear some assemblance to music.
As the years progressed I learned to actually read music and to actrually play through it and get at least half of the notes right. Also, my arms got long enough so I could open my trombone spit valve without using my foot!
I learned much from Sir: how to read music, when to play loud and when to play soft, how to breathe correctly, when and how to put oil on my slide, and all the other mechanics necessary to get benign sounds out of approximately nine feet of bent innocuous brass tubing.
The most important thing I learned from Sir, by way of his contagious enthusiasm, was the love of music. Music is a quality of life determinant. My quality of life is exuberant because I play and love music. You, Sir, taught me this!
Thank You.