Music First, New York Second
By:  Natalie Wong

Hi, my name is Natalie Wong and I am a sophomore Music Education major and a member of the piccolo section. This summer, I was an intern at MusicFirst, which is a company that helps music teachers utilize technology in the classroom through an educational software platform. My job took many different roles. I digitized scores of music onto the computer (shout out to anyone who used Habits of a Successful Musician as a method book in middle school, I inputted the entire paper score into the computer), created new content based off of individual state’s All-State requirements, “tagged” existing content (which is a fancy way of saying I just filtered through music/lesson plans to see what was outdated and needed to go), and double-checked new music about to go onto the platform to make sure it was ready for the public. Now, if this doesn’t sound exciting enough, the company is in Manhattan, so I got to live in New York City for the summer. This was pretty cool to me, as I have lived most of my life in the suburbs outside of Washington D.C. I got to walk to work every day, spend weekends in the nooks and crannies of the Big Apple, and navigate the ins and outs of city life. This being my first summer after going off to college, I would say it definitely helped me expand my horizons beyond UConn’s rural atmosphere. Highlights from this summer include going to my first pride parade, watching Broadway shows, eating great food, and having a resume booster (jokes aside, I’m extremely grateful I had this opportunity and I would do it all again in a heartbeat). Some not-so-fun moments from this summer include living in an unconditioned NYU dorm (plus side to this being I didn’t spend a fortune on rent for an apartment, but 90-degree days were killer), getting blisters the size of Texas from all the walking, and having the summer fly by before I could believe it. All in all, it was a summer full of music, city living, and lots of fun.

From Camp to Camp
By: Samantha Swistak

Participating in the joy created at Camp Horizons for my second summer in a row thus far has been a gift to my life experience. Camp is a place I work to provide people with developmental disabilities opportunities to create and build relationships, to participate in many typically limiting activities, and to build independence. Every day I come across teachable moments for my campers, but every hour my campers teach me something. Camp isn't just a place for me, it's a feeling of empowerment, a feeling of genuine respect, kindness, and patience. We focus on the individual, and all the minor details are just as important as the bigger details. While at camp, I help with teaching arts and crafts lessons. The experience can be overwhelming, teaching seven classes a day, with thirty people in a lesson... but it has also taught me persistence, organization, and further patience. Camp has helped me to become a better person and in hindsight a better band member and musician as well. I can transfer nearly everything I've learned from Camp to band. We work together and must accept differences and be patient and respectful of eachother, our musicianship, our technique, our experiences. Horizons made me realize that to find joy in something is incredibly important and that has helped me realize the joy I find in marching band. The energy is incredibly powerful, three hundred people who feed off eachothers' intensity and spirit makes for an awesome ensemble. I think what I like so much about both Horizons and the UCMB is that both have an ensemble energy that is so joyful and have a power that could move mountains.

My Passion for Advocacy  
By: Owen Logios 

This summer, I was a Summer Intern for the Tyler Clementi Foundation, a non-profit organization who’s work is focused on combating bullying in schools, based in New York City. I have been able to create data profiles of the organization’s growth, and facilitate our Youth Ambassador program. The TCF Youth Ambassador program connects youth around the country who all have a passion for advocating against bullying. Being able to work with young people who are passionate about making a change in their community is such a rewarding experience. I cannot wait to see all of the amazing work they will accomplish with our program. Working at the Tyler Clementi Foundation has given me the opportunity to blend my passions for both data analysis and advocacy, and provide resources for others to use when learning about bullying prevention.

The UCMB is not the only marching music group for two members of the band. Kailey Bousquet, a junior from the trumpet section, along with Carrie Costa, a sophomore in the piccolo section, are both fifers in the Connecticut Patriots Fife and Drum Corps. A fife is similar to a flute, but fifes are made out of wood, have holes instead of keys, and are also in a different key. Before joining the Patriots, Kailey played and marched with the Windsor Fife and Drum Corps starting at age six and Carrie was with Colonel John Chester Junior Ancient Fife and Drum Corps since she was thirteen. Both have parents and/or other family members that are in the Patriots as well, and Kailey and Carrie have known each other since they were little kids. Each were also competitive fifers until competitions ceased in 2013. They would compete with their corps, in smaller ensembles or individually throughout the state and New England. This summer, was a special and busy one for the Connecticut Patriots. The corps made its debut at the Deep River Muster (a muster is a gathering of a bunch of fife and drum corps, and each corps will march “on stand” (on stage) and perform a few pieces, then march off) back in July of 1978, and this year on July 13-14, the CT Patriots hosted the National Muster as a means to celebrate the corps’ 40th anniversary. The Patriots have a sister corps from Basel, Switzerland called the Rhine River Rebels and they made a trip to the United States this summer. Both corps travel to the other country about every four years. The Patriots, including Kailey and Carrie, were in Switzerland in 2016 while the Rebels were in the USA in 2018. Fife and drum corp is one of America’s longest traditions, and surprisingly not many people know about it, but, there is still a large community of people who are involved in it because of the memories it creates, the opportunities it opens up, and the shared love of music and performing.