About the Band of Mid-America
United States Air Force Band of Mid-America Concert Band, stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is a group of 45 enlisted professional musicians, under Major Daniel L. Price, who took command in July 2008.
Hearing "the level of professionalism" of the band convinced Price to join the Air Force in 1995, after 15 years as a professor and conductor in Dayton, Ohio.
"This is an excellent professional organization," he said.
The United States Air Force Band of Mid-America has a long history of entertaining the American public and promoting esprit de corps within the military and a heritage of performing many styles of music for people from all walks of life.
The band is the principal musical ambassador of Headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB.
Band of Mid-America is comprised of 60 full-time musicians.
The roots of the Band of Mid-America reach back to 1942 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. The band relocated to Scott AFB in 1944. Initially, it represented the Military Air Transport Service, then the Military Airlift Command, and now the Air Mobility Command.
The band has performed in New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, the Gulf Coast, Germany, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Barbados, Grenada, Guatemala, Venezuela, Bolivia and the Azores.
The band performs more than 400 engagements each year for audiences throughout the Midwest. Members perform live before hundreds of thousands of people, and for millions more on television and radio broadcasts.
The Band of Mid-America is often called upon to provide musical support for visiting dignitaries. It has had the distinction of performing for Pope John Paul II, U.S. Presidents and the Queen of the Netherlands, along with hundreds of other U.S. and foreign leaders.
The concert is at 7 p.m. and doors open at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are free at The Monroe Times or Wal-Mart.
Schneeberger said he almost always goes to see the USAF Band.
"They are outstanding - worth giving up a gig," he said. "They are incredible, professional musicians."
Schneeberger has seen the Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble twice and the concert band once before. The 18-member jazz ensemble plays traditional big band, swing and modern jazz.
The concert band's programs are drawn from established masterworks of the concert repertoire as well as contemporary works.
As a band director, Schneeberger said he really appreciates the presentation of the "serious literature" of music.
"It's not just a marching band; this is serious, heavy duty, thought-provoking music," he said, adding that the section parallels a symphony orchestra.
Calling upon his previous experience, Schneeberger said the performance is divided into two halves. The first part is educational and the second, entertaining.
Schneeberger likened the first half of the performance to having a good steak.
"I hope people aren't turned off by the first half," he said. "This is some serious orchestral music - really meaty stuff. Some might not like it.
"It's not ABBA," but it's not so heavy that people from Monroe aren't going to understand it, he said.
Schneeberger admitted his background and career as a band director causes him to critic the band.
"It's like a NASCAR race for a mechanic. There's the color and the pageantry ... and the crashes," he laughed. "I'm suppose to look for things like that."
Concerts attendees are likely to hear the music of contemporary English composer Philip Sparks as well as serious military marches, such as turn-of-the-century "Washington Grays."
"What they are playing is on the cutting edge of what is being written," Schneeberger added.
The second half includes singers and more modern selections. Schneeberger recalls a patriotic medley and a 1950s medley.
"There's something for everybody," Schneeberger said.
The program ended with a rendition of the Stars and Stripes Forever "that'll make the hair stand up on your arms," he said.
The United States Air Force Band of Mid-America Concert Band has performed for heads of state, before capacity crowds in their six-state touring area from the upper peninsula of Michigan to Oklahoma, and for U.S. troops at home or abroad. The Concert Band performs free civic outreach and recruiting concerts for audiences throughout the Midwest, playing more than 100 engagements each year.
"This is what is called, I believe, a second-tier band," Schneeberger said. "These are career guys waiting for a spot in the Washington band. So they really rip on it. This is some really heavy duty, doctrinal performance.
"Their job is to keep music for band alive - and they push the envelope."