| "Too well-traveled"
My friends have always called me "Larry Dean." Not "Larry" or "Dean," but both names in a row! My father was a 26 year retiree from the US Army as a tanker (this fact severly changed my life, though I didn't figure that out until the last couple years). My mother came from Taiwan. I never knew how musically inclined her family is until I attended college and she updated me on my relatives and their musical fortune in Taiwan....lots of violinists and pianists! I grew up in Fort Hood, TX and Schweinfurt, Germany.
My brother, David, played the trumpet and he caught me in the garage with his ole Bundy Bb when I was 9. He handed me a beginner method book and did my best impression of him! I probably should have practiced way more from then and through HS, but I was always distracted by the same things that get every teenage boy. But, I managed to do well and decided to study music in college.
I met Jack Laumer (Texas State University, also see above!) at a weekend clinic for All State Audition music. He blew me away and quickly squelched any thoughts of going to UT in Austin. So, in 1994, I enrolled and was again blown away. The talent there was really great. I had a hard time making the Wind Ensemble, but my coaching in orchestral lit and transposition landed me the Prinicpal chair from my 2nd year and on. There was a time when I was going to give up the pursuit of music, mainly because I was confused as to why I could sit in the orchestra but not even get the last chair out of the Wind Ens.
It was at this point that I was selected for the ITG orchestra audition finals in 97. Again, I was blown away and probably shouldn't have competed up against Christopher Sala and Tony Prisk. They were the example of what serious grad students sound like. Their playing has never left my head. Also, it was in Sweden that I met the late Armando Ghitalla. We connected for a lesson the next Spring. I learned more about myself during that 2hr lesson then I did in all the time at Southwest Texas St (by the way, we all hate the name change to Texas St.) He was a wonderful and caring man. I loved the way his eyes lit up when I would actually play something right!
Like most musicians, I starved when I left school and after a lot of bad money decisions, I ended up selling all my horns one by one to buy bread. After I sold my last Bb, I found myself in the US Army recruiter station in San Marcos. 6 months, lot of miles marched, and thousands of rounds fired, I ended up in an Army band in San Antonio. One year later, I was in the sands of Baghdad, trumpet and rifle in hand.
Most would say that being at war is the worst a military musician can do. It WAS tough. But, with no distraction from TV and bars, I practiced more then than I ever have. Also, I proved to myself how much pressure I can handle. I've posted on this subject before so I'll be brief. I can still perform at a high level even after travelling with all my combat gear, get shot at, and hike around for my gig site. This experience in Iraq has greatly fueled my fire to hit the auditions again. See you out there soon!
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SSG Laurence C Dean
US Army TRADOC Band
Fort Monroe, VA
You have to be a SMAT Boy to transpose well! -William Vacchiano |