Fathers and sons bonding in band

By BRENDA S. EDWARDS
Staff Writer

Four fathers and their sons in The Advocate Brass Band are celebrating Father's Day today by performing at the Great American Brass Band Festival.

It's not unusual for relatives to be members of town bands, said Vince DiMartino, who plays the cornet alongside his 16-year-old son, Gabriel. "What's happening with the Advocate band has happened throughout history, and since our band is a historical band, more than one family member plays."

Most small-town bands had only 15 or 20 members, and they recruited fathers and sons to play. Old rosters show people were related, but do not tell how. Many have the same last name, DiMartino said.

"It's not unusual for musical families to have succession," said 52-year-old DiMartino. "Gabriel has been around the cornet from the time he was born." The young DiMartino is currently a senior at Interlochen Arts Academy, a famous arts high school in Michigan.

"I've been doing trumpet solos for the Advocate band since I was six years old," said Gabriel, 16. He began full-time in the band three years ago.

After high school, Gabriel wants to attend Centre and study under his dad or attend Eastman School of Music in New York. Later, he wants to teach and perform with his trumpet in a band or orchestra.

The fathers and sons in The Advocate Brass Band have diverse backgrounds.

The DiMartinos are both musicians, while Don Johnson is a retired firefighter and his son, Don III, plays in the Marion County High School band. Larry Woolums is a retired band director in the Mercer County schools, and his son, Chris is a music teacher in the Lincoln County schools. David Finley and his son, Jonathan, of Louisville, work for state government.

The DiMartinos played with the Spanish Brass in a concert in Germany last November and they may play with them again today.

"We celebrate as we go," said DiMartino, adding that he and his wife, Patti, also are celebrating their second wedding anniversary today. "It's special to me."

DiMartino is thankful for his time with his son during band practice and performances. With families
involved in so many activities, their schedules are usually varied, he said. While musicians usually perform at night, other activities are during the day.

"We practice 10 times a month, then spend time talking and doing other things together," said DiMartino. Looking ahead, DiMartino said 20 years down the road, they could be still playing together and maybe with a grandchild in the same band.

The good thing DiMartino sees about playing together is that both understand what the other one does. "You can see how it fits together. Since Gabriel plays, he better understands about a musician's life and what music does for people."

DiMartino thinks his son can learn by watching actions of other band members. "Activities in a town band are important because the person next to you may have played for 50 years. You learn things that are not possible to learn in a high school band."

DiMartino said it's traditional for a band player to pass his love of the art on to his son or daughter.

"We're lucky to be doing this together," said DiMartino. "Otherwise, he'd be doing something else."

Gabriel said being a musician and working with his dad "is better than playing football. There's also less injuries," he said.

"My father was in the military," said DiMartino. "He did tap dancing and entertained with the American Legion. "I started playing the cornet when I was 12 years old. I'd play and he'd tap dance."

The Woolums

Larry Woolums, 55, who spent 20 years as band director at Mercer County High School, joined The Advocate band in 1988, the year he retired. His wife, Sue, and son, Chris, joined the band later.

Woolums plays the cornet and his 31-year-old son plays base trombone. The rest of the family also is involved in music. His wife plays the cornet in the Advocate band, and daughter, Rebecca is a pianist.

"The highlight of our summer is being at the Brass Band Festival," said Woolums. Friends join the family for the weekend event.

"We're expecting a big day. We've been at all the festivals through rain, shine, heat and all." They plan to spend Father's Day listening to the music.

Woolum said his family has always been involved in music. When he was band director, son Chris helped keep up with the music and get ready for performances, and Mrs. Woolum was always along.

Chris said his dad invited him to band practice one night and that got him hooked. Then Chris' wife, Kim, who plays the clarinet, joined. Both teach music.

"The band has been a real experience with me," said Chris, who finds the activity a family affair.

Being involved in music has been a great family thing, said Larry Woolums. "It gives us a chance to be together and enjoy the music."

"We've had great times with musical experiences," said Woolums.

The Johnsons

Don Johnson Jr. had not played the trumpet for 20 years when his young son, Don III and daughter, Maria, began playing in the Marion County band.

"I decided I needed to show them how," said Don Jr. With the help from their father, 15-year-old Don III, a cornetist, was named first chair and lead trumpet in the all-state jazz band, and 17-year-old Maria, who plays the flute, was named first chair in the all state band this year.

Don Jr., 45, helps his children with reading and musicality. Don III's knowledge of music has gotten
him scholarship offers from several universities.

However, Don Jr. said: "I hope my kids don't go too far away from home."

Don Jr. joined The Advocate Brass Band five years ago and his son joined him three years later.

Don Jr. said they spend a lot of time together. "I thought when my son got into his teens he'd go into
sports or hunting. But with his playing the cornet, it's got me back into playing again. We're having a good time together."

"I teach him to play, and that's no problem; he listens to what I have to say."

The elder Johnson said students in the band get involved and are part of a team, and that seems to help them in other areas of study. "It's good unity and a good way to learn to work with people. It teaches you to be part of a group; it's a good learning experience."

The Finleys

Jonathan Finley, 23, became a member of the Advocate band while attending Centre College. He has been in the band four years and got his dad interested after he'd been in six months.

"They needed a trombone player and my son knew I had a trombone and assumed I could play," David Finley said. "I hadn't played in 28 years."

Jonathan said his dad practices more than he does and took four classes at the University of Louisville to brush up a bit.

The father and son team enjoys their time together in the band.

"This is one of a few things that we do together," said Jonathan, whose job keeps him on the road.

"This is something we have in common," said David Finley. "It's a good hobby to have and share with a lot of wonderful people."

Jonathan went to music school for a while, then transferred to Centre to study economics. He talked with DiMartino about playing music, and he told his father to show up for rehearsal.

Copyright  The Advocate-Messenger
This article first appeared in the June 17, 2001, edition of The Advocate-Messenger

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