Customer Reviews

American Band: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I happen to be a parent from this particular program whose son graduated before the book was written. I read initially to open the "mysterious" "how" in the world did this man, Max Jones, consistently get these kids from summer freshman band camp, to marching a complicated show with fabulous, entertaining, difficult, music, marching, color guard, and a total show that always brought the state finals crowd to their feet.

What inspired those kids, how could he chew out the entire band without raising his voice? Why did he command such respect? What were his real goals for these kids? We knew some of them when our son arrived at Taylor University just wanting to audition for the Jazz Band for the love of music, but was majoring in business and computers. Mr. Jones had called ahead unknown to us the Chair of the Music department and told him to keep an eye our for our son as he was a good kid and musician he'd want to have in his program, as a bass trombone player.

This book shows how an excellent music program is not just about music, it's about making kids who will become excellent parents, workers, students, parents. He taught leadership, perserverence, teamwork. There are also several students who were highlighted. Their stories are remarkable and touching. You will be swept into their lives. Prepare to be totally caught up in a story that isn't just about a band, a community, or kids. It becomes a spiritual experience, it's compelling. My husband cried at the end. Now that's a book! It's inspirational. It's too bad they did not include the DVD of the state fair show,final show, and the next year's that was in a way a tribute to Max . I'm trying to get my hands on them as we speak from friends at church!

I have not completely read the book yet, BUT KEVIN from San fran, could benefit from konwing of what he is talking about. First, Concord High School, is not in Concord Indiana, but the town of Dunlap. Second, the fact that Concord is a Class "B" band has nothing to do with their quality, but with the size of their school. I am a 1978 grad of concord and just might know what I am talking about. The fact that the school has been to ever holiday parade at least once and several on numerous occasions might speak to their quality. Kevin before you go slamming someone, get your facts straight. I would put the band and the successes of their members up against your town and their successes any day

This book truly captures the incredibly serious, irony-free world of competitive marching band. There really are no superlatives too strong for a sport(?) where the audience is expected to throw babies (figurative babies, of course), if they are particularly moved by the field show. It takes either total immersion, or saint-like objectivity to write about band without making fun of it, and this book succeeds at that.

The author also met the challenge of showing the diverse motivations/attitudes of the individual bandos, even when they contrasted with the brilliant esprit de corps of the group. It's true she spent a lot of time on just one student, but really, that guy (or girl) is in every band. They each have their own unique leadership styles, but that charismatic figure that amazes everyone is practically a fixture in any halfway decent band. The atmosphere tends to cultivate them, and I thought it showed real discernment to identify and explore that character in the book.


On a personal note, I couldn't believe Grant transferred from "Ann Arbor" to Calvin College. Seriously... you can be Christian anywhere, but there's only one Michigan Marching Band...

having actually marched in the 2011 state finals this is a great book in my perspective and gives people not in marching band a new insight in marching bands. i also was able to relate to this story in many ways. and for kevin in San-Fran class "B" means absolutly nothing about the bands ability because all ten bands in that class beat out at least a few class "A" bands that did not manage to compete at state, im very pleased with concords results, but every class "B" band worked their butts off to get that far and saying "just class "B", is insulting to what i would think to be all of us in class "B".

I think the book idea is great and if you know the particular people involved, it could be a good read. But I had a problem keeping my interest while reading, I just wasn't that interested in getting into the kind of detail about these kids as the detail presented. I couldn't finish it, but I feel as though I should finish the book because I paid list price. I did read another band book and found it fascinating from a historical standpoint, but for this book, I just wasn't interested in the lives of the kids, I'm really more interested in the band as a whole. Don't decide to buy the book on my preview, but if you're not really interested in reading about these kids particular lives, don't get the book.

I took issue with the lack of correct fact checking in the book. I was a graduate of Concord High School and a proud member of the Marching Minutemen from 1982 until 1986, one year under Mr. Jones and three years (seven, really, as I was in the program from age 10) under Joseph Beickman.

I quit counting the casual misstatements after 10 or 15 major ones caught my attention. I railed against her demeaning and flat-out derogatory comments about Joseph Beickman, who built the program that Jones inherited, was deeply beloved by the community and his students, and has been highly decorated by many professional organizations far more qualified than Laine to make a judgment as to his competency or the quality of the program he ran. I refer the reader to pages 71-76 of the book.

The absence of community input and presence of constant and continuous error (some of which was trivial, other that was major) pertaining to the story's setting and the way that marching band competition is administrated in the State of Indiana at the high school level, distracted me from the story, which should have been the focal point. What a disappointment! If Laine calls herself a journalist, SHE NEEDS TO CHECK HER FACTS!

What a compelling, engaging text. Ms. Laine really creates a beautiful story about a topic "outsiders" would rarely have interest in. Part embedded journalism, part biography, partly spiritual, this book really captures the essence of the great all American activity that is marching band. It highlights the personal struggles of the students as well as the heights of their achievements. This book is very personal and moving. I loved it!

A well-written book makes a topic I would not have thought interesting very engaging indeed. Although the band is well-covered, I and others may find the profile of students in a changing town more compelling.

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Kristen Laine when she came to my high school in New Hampshire to meet with my former band director. I knew right away that this book what be a hit, but never did I expect this. She truly pays tribute to young musicians, their trials and tribulations in an extremely demanding field, and the passion they bring to music.

This is a beautiful and sensitive book about the inner lives of high school students and the adults who try to guide them. It is a portrait of a town and how demographic and economic changes over the decades manifest themselves in the institution known as marching band. It is also a compelling story, with engaging characters. It gave me a fascinating look into a world to which I would otherwise have had no access.