My Experience Filming the Alumni Band Documentary

By Jonathan Barr

When digital filmmaking program director Neil Rutland asked me to join him in shooting a documentary about the ENMU Alumni Band, I had no idea what I was getting into.

At most universities, the alumni might play pep songs in the stands during homecoming games, but at ENMU, alumni return to rehearse and perform challenging material in a concert setting. Percussionist Kelli Stroud-Morrison (BME 06) explained, “I think it goes to show what a high quality education we had and how much we valued that education.”

That high quality music education at Eastern owes its foundation to Mr. Floren Thompson, Jr. who came to ENMU in 1950 and taught and directed for over 30 years. In the 1980s, when Mr. Thompson retired he was asked what he would like as a present. Horn player Mary Lu Brooks (MA 61, BME 59) recalls, “He quietly said, ‘What I would really love is to have a band of all my alumni and all my people that are here now, and have the alumni come back and give a concert,’ and that’s what we did.”

Before they knew it, the ENMU Alumni Band was formed. In addition to putting on a great concert every two years, the group has funded many scholarships and donated to name the new band room in honor of Mr. Thompson.

I strongly encourage ENMU musicians to participate in the 2014 ENMU Alumni Band Reunion beginning Thursday, June 19th. Go to the ENMU Alumni Band Facebook page or contact the Music Department for more information.

What I thought would be a weekend experience of filming, has grown into a strong personal connection with the ENMU Alumni Band. The gathering is something precious and rare in today’s world.

The 28-minute documentary, Alumni Band, will be available for purchase in June. Each DVD will cost just $10 plus shipping, and the net proceeds will be split equally between scholarships for music and scholarships for the digital filmmaking program. For more information, please email Jonathan.Barr@enmu.edu.