A Q&A with Several Fulbright College Alumni Championing the Robert M. Bright Band Scholarship
Four Former Students of Music and Razorback Marching Band’s Robert M. Bright…
Jerry A. Young (B.S.E. 1974),
Charles “Chuck” Goss (B.S.E. 1975 and M.M. 1977),
Eric Mason (B.S.E.E. 1975),
and Patrick L. “Larry” Patton (B.S.E. 1976)
…are leading a committee dedicated to creating scholarships for future students in honor of the man who brought the group together years ago, and still has a major positive impact on their lives today.
In this conversation, the quartet talk about their favorite memories of Bright, how he encouraged them to follow their passion for music, his spritely sense of humor and unending enthusiasm, and the life-long lessons he taught each of them.
They also discuss how the Robert M. Bright committee is working to raise $50,000 to endow a scholarship in perpetuity to honor Bright and “his great work that laid the foundation for the monumental success of the wind and percussion area and the university bands back in the 1970s and beyond,” said Young, the committee’s chair.
The scholarship, which will be awarded annually, will go to a sophomore, junior, or senior student who is studying a brass instrument, shows exemplary leadership qualities, and who is maintaining at least a 2.50 grade point average.
“It is our hope that having this scholarship appear on the resumé of future select Fulbright College and Department of Music graduates will enhance their professional pursuits, as well as ease their financial burden while they are working to complete their degree,” Young said. “Of course, having Mr. Bright’s name associated with the award also cements his legacy in the annals of the institution.”
Read on to meet some members of the committee, and learn how you can get involved, or make a donation, too.
Q: Can you tell us a little about how you met or have worked with Robert “Bob” M. Bright and what he means to you?
Jerry: I had a phone call from Mr. Bright in March of 1970. I was a high school senior, and I had no idea where my life was heading. He ordered me to drive to Fayetteville (I am from Ft. Smith) to visit with him about my future.
My entire life changed as a result of that visit with Mr. Bright, and he enabled everything that has happened for me since, both professionally and personally – it was the pivotal moment that made all the difference.
Chuck: My first experience with Mr. Bright was vicarious, through my mother. Allow me to explain: As an avid “bandie’ at North Little Rock High School, I was pondering my college future, and most of the bandies around me traditionally attended Tech or Henderson, especially those with a career in band music in mind. (I was always a huge Razorback fan, but that had no big effect in this situation.)
However, on a Tuesday night in February 1970, shortly after All-State, as I lay sick on the couch in the den, Mr. Bright called my house. He spoke with my mom for at least two hours, and I was going to be a Razorback. Of course, I had to make a visit and audition, and after those things went well, my immediate fate was sealed.
I had some experience with former students of Mr. Bright through high school band, so I had an idea of what to expect, but once I got to know him as an applied teacher and conductor, well that’s why we are here 50 years later with indelible memories.
Eric: Mr. Bright recruited me. In the spring of 1970, he visited my high school and heard me, and the rest of the horn section play. I remember him saying he would like to bring the entire horn section to the U of A. He succeeded with two of us. I later paid a visit to the campus. On that very day I told Mr. Bright I wanted to be a Razorback.
Larry: Bright (We students all called him by last name as he did with us) came to the U of A in 1969 when I was a sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. But all through high school in Fayetteville I had heard his name.
When I first met him in the U of A Band building, I found him “initially a bit abrasive!” which was my mistake – I misunderstood his “aggressive enthusiasm!” and began taking trumpet lessons from him and the experience immediately was a “SEA CHANGE” for me! He was the first teacher I had met who taught by word and DEED. That said, he would play a passage of music and expect me to emulate him.
In that first lesson, he immediately diagnosed my major playing problem … my tone quality (i.e. “sound”) was poor. From the very beginning he fixed that problem and my evolution as a well-rounded player accelerated with warp speed. I was totally hooked on my new teacher! Also, we would talk when not playing and he was not opposed to conversing about me and how my life was going – a first for me! During these “talks,” I was impressed by his laser focus on me and what I was saying.
You see, I grew up with adults who would listen “at me” vs. “to me.” It became evident that Bright cared about his students. Outside his teaching studio, his good humor was truly infectious. Good natured banter with Bright became a way of life for his students. He encouraged us to “barb him” in this way; I wholeheartedly complied. Shortly after my first semester with him, I changed my major to music.
Q: How has your involvement in Razorback Marching Band and with Mr. Bright helped shape your post-college life?
Jerry: Even though I played the biggest instrument in the Razorback Marching Band (RMB), the sousaphone, with a group of fairly rambunctious individuals, as a freshman I was a pretty quiet and shy person. The camaraderie and spirit of the RMB that all of us from all generations have experienced was there from the very beginning, and fast friendships were formed that still exist after 50 years.
All of this “drew me out of my shell” and formed the foundation for the confidence that allowed me to be successful in my career. Mr. Bright was also an important ingredient in confidence building and served as a role model. He held us responsible to be able to play our parts in brass choir and intimately know the material for his brass methods course.
We knew that we would hear about it if we weren’t prepared and didn’t want to disappoint him. Corrections were always made in no uncertain terms, but also with the clear message that he cared deeply about us and our eventual success. I tried to approach my own teaching in higher education the same way.
Chuck: I must say I was rather introverted throughout my life, until I was able to “prove” to myself and others that I was worthy of acceptance. The band, obviously, is such an environment where, due to the constant togetherness, hard work, and common goals, one could not help but become close with a large number of people.
Then, through Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, we got even closer with a select few as “brothers and sisters.” I was lucky enough to have some success as a trumpet player and that gave me opportunities that I never would have imagined – including playing the solo National Anthem at some football games and being a part of establishing the Jazz Band Program. Mr. Bright allowed me the freedom to branch out doing something I enjoyed.
Here, I must admit that I did not go on to become a band director or a trumpet teacher as did many of my compatriots. However, I did eventually, through an interesting set of occurrences, become a choir director at the United Methodist Church I grew up in, and remain in that position after 34 years, constantly remembering and using musical ideals and concepts (phrasing, tuning, counting, etc.) I learned from Mr. Bright, and still playing the trumpet regularly. Most importantly, after a few years with Mr. Bright however long ago, transposing to play along with the hymns is a piece of cake!
Eric: Because Mr. Bright recruited me, my high school sweetheart, who played the flute, also auditioned to play in the band. She was awarded a scholarship and later earned an Associate Degree in Nursing from the U of A. We have now been married 47 years. We share many memories of marching band and other ensembles.
Larry: Bright recruited Eldon Janzen as U of A Band Director. Under Eldon’s baton, the band transformed into a well-run, disciplined, and accomplished music organization. Having been there the two years prior, I can attest to how much we needed Mr. Janzen!
I can also say that Bright’s most profound personal influence on me was communication. He taught me how to communicate with students and adults and to REALLY LISTEN. This ability has served me well ever since.
Q: What was one of your favorite memories of Mr. Bright and your time at Fulbright College and why?
Jerry: My undergraduate work in Fulbright College shaped me for success – both the dedicated faculty and my student colleagues were influential. We worked hard together – and played hard together. The fact that nearly 50 years later we are working together to honor Mr. Bright speaks volumes about how much our experiences meant.
My favorite memories of Mr. Bright center around rehearsing and performing in his brass choir and mid-morning coffee sessions at the café that existed in Brough Commons in the early 70s where he regularly held court with both faculty and students. Both were inspirational and shaped my approach to teaching at the college level for years to come.
Chuck: My second-most favorite memory of Mr. Bright is the sign on his studio wall, reading “Due to the lack of trained trumpeters, the end of the world will be postponed!”
My favorite music memory was from the 1976 MENC convention, I believe in Atlantic City. The “big finish” for the Brass Choir was the Symphony for Brass and Timpani by Herbert Haufrecht. In the finale, entitled “Jubilation,” Mr. Bright, in his excitement, kicked it off at a tempo of about 10 beats per minute faster than normal. In addition, there was an accelerando towards the end and, man, were we moving along.
I vividly recall the exhilaration and, yes, jubilation as Mr. Bright executed his final, very familiar cut-off move. It was a moment I shall not forget!
Eric: I was in the brass choir he conducted. He arranged for us to accompany Schola Cantorum on some of their pieces. In the summer of 1971, we went with them to New York City and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. to celebrate the university’s centennial. It was a wonderful trip that I have never forgotten.
Larry: I was a junior at the U of A and Bright asked me if I wanted to “work the door” at the upcoming All-Region Band tryouts for trumpets. Having said yes, I met Bright at Springdale High School several days later and helped prep the classroom for said try-outs. Co-judging with Bright were Herbert Lunday (Fayetteville High School Band Director) and Jerry Boseman (Elmwood Jr. High Band Director at Rogers Elmwood.) Both these men were Bright’s former students and knew him well.
Those three sat in mid-classroom in student desks while I ushered each high school trumpeter into the room and told him/her what piece(s) of music to play for the judges followed by a sight-reading piece. (i.e. a piece of music unseen by the students beforehand.)
A student came in to play who was totally unprepared for this audition. (A mistake from his own band director.) As I guided the student through each piece to play, it got worse and worse to the point where some of the passages were unrecognizable! At the beginning of this audition, Bright sat in his desk leaning forward to listen intently. Mostly his hands were folded in his lap under the desktop. With each succeeding piece “attempted” by the student, his head drooped visibly lower and lower. Knowing what was going through Bright’s mind, Jerry and Herbert were each struggling mightily to maintain composure.
Jerry resorted to looking out the window, and Herbert got redder and redder in the face struggling not to laugh. At the conclusion of this audition, I shut the door behind the student and turned around to see Bright’s forehead drop entirely to the desk surface with an audible “THUMP!”
At this point, all decorum was completely abandoned to riotous laughing. I would mention that at no time during the audition was the student exposed to any of these shenanigans; such would have been extremely discourteous and would have in no way been tolerated by Bright. Only when the student was outside the closed door in the bustling hallway full of students did the hilarity ensue.
Q: What advice would you give to students interested in following a career or life path similar to yours?
Jerry: My career path as a specialist in the tuba/euphonium area is becoming more and more difficult to duplicate because of lean budgets in higher education, but, as I learned from Mr. Bright on many fronts, difficulty does not equal impossible in anything.
Young folks interested a career similar to mine need to prepare themselves to be the best performing artist they can be while, at the same time, gaining expertise in at least one (and preferably two or three) other music and/or educational disciplines.
Most things that are worthwhile in life are challenging. One has to remember that – in the words of another of my important mentors – “there’s always room at the top!”
Eric: Unlike most of the members of the committee I was not a music major. My degree is in electrical engineering. Because of that degree I was continuously employed in interesting work for 40 years. My advice to other engineering students in the band is to stick with your studies and with your music interests.
Larry: Anyone who hears of a “noteworthy teacher” with a devoted following should RUN to said teacher’s doorstep. Any opportunity to learn from a teacher with a devoted (let alone fanatic) following of students must be seized at all costs. This was and is the case with Robert Bright!
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add or let readers know about Mr. Bright?
Eric: Only that I still interact with friends from the marching band I made over 50 years ago. Those friendships are priceless. Mr. Bright made a lot of that happen for me.
Larry: Bright has quite a personal history as a trumpet player who distinguished himself at Northwest University in Chicago. Likewise, he rubbed elbows with professional players of national and world renown. He played extensively with the Chicago Lyric Opera while in Chicago.
After Bright finished his tenure at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, he came to the U of A and immediately got to work in attempting to raise the quality of the wind music program. He personally recruited Eldon Janzen from Texas to be the new U of A Band Director, as well as other wind faculty such as Gerald Sloan from Arkansas Tech who became the first U of A trombone teacher. I believe he also had a hand in bringing Robert Umiker, an Eastman School of Music graduate, in to teach single reed instruments.
Bright has embraced multiple opportunities to tour with his brass choirs at multiple music conferences and conventions around the country. His ensembles’ skill and quality of musicianship were roundly embraced!
Jerry: Many former members of the Razorback Marching Band may not realize that Mr. Bright was the principal influence in bringing Mr. Janzen, upon whose shoulders the years of success of the RMB are built, to Fayetteville and may also not remember that for many years, Mr. Bright was “the voice of the Marching Razorback Band.”
YES! RMB = BOTH Razorback Marching Band AND Robert M. Bright! What better way could there be to remember those titanic contributions that have influenced our experience at the University of Arkansas than to contribute to this important scholarship?
Q: On that note, how can people get involved with the Robert Bright Endowment Committee or contribute to the scholarships?
Jerry: If you wish to contribute online, please visit https://bit.ly/Bright_Brass-Scholarship.
You can also contact Erin Cowger, associate director of development for the Fulbright College at (479) 575-8400 or by e-mail at erinc@uark.edu for more information. We would also remind everyone to check with your employer to find out if they might match your contributions to worthy causes such as this one.
Our committee and a small group of friends and associates have already achieved a significant start toward our $50,000 goal; however, we have some distance remaining to complete the journey.
We welcome the involvement of anyone whose life and career were influenced by Mr. Bright!
In addition to collecting contributions to the scholarship endowment, we are also collecting memories of Mr. Bright from over the years. What is your story relative to Mr. Bright and how he influenced you? What makes you smile when you remember Mr. Bright?
If readers were members of Mr. Bright’s trumpet studio, his brass choir, his brass methods class, or the band he conducted during his first few years at the U of A, we would love to hear from you and would certainly welcome your contribution.
All of the thoughts and stories gathered will be included in a book that will be presented to Mr. Bright when we celebrate the successful completion of this project in Fayetteville. We hope to see you in person there, too!
Please send your memories of Mr. Bright to Erin Cowger at erinc@uark.edu.