As part of a special series titled “Have You Ever?,” hosts of NBC’s TODAY Show pushed their personal boundaries to try new experiences. Al Roker joined a maintenance crew as they climbed on top of the George Washington Bridge. Meredith Vieira performed on a flying trapeze.
Ann Curry, on the other hand, performed with a marching band. I’ve always thought she was the smartest host.
The segment, which aired on January 20, 2011, featured Curry observing, training, and performing with the Bergenfield High School Marching Band, from Bergenfield, New Jersey. After trying out the sousaphone, mellophone, cymbals, timpani, and flag, Curry selected the bass drum. Following some brief musical and marching instruction from students, she joined the band for a run-through of “Who Loves You,” the closing number from their 2010 field show production.
I spoke briefly with Brian Timmons, Bergenfield’s director of bands and associate director Jeff Brown about their TODAY Show experience.
Scott Yoho: How did the TODAY Show happen to pick your school?
Brian Timmons: They reached out to the United States Scholastic Band Association, the USSBA, which is the circuit we perform in, and they recommended us. We’re right outside of New York City, so that made it a little bit easier. Also, having a web presence may have made us more visible.
SY: How much preparation time did this take?
BT: They contacted us with pretty short notice. We only began planning this in early January. Then we had to move the taping day twice; once because of snow and another time because Ann was still on a world news assignment. We finally settled on Jan 13, and the taping took almost the entire school day.
SY: What was the best part of the experience?
BT: For me I think the highlight was her interaction with the kids. She was really kind, friendly and warm.
SY: I think they did a great job of capturing that interaction. Okay, here’s the big question: Do you use SmartMusic?
BT: SmartMusic is part of the future of the program. We’ve gotten on board this year. Particularly with the marching band, because it’s such a large band, I think SmartMusic can have a really strong role, in helping with assessment, and helping the kids learn the music somewhat independently from us.
SY: Clearly you can’t meet with all those students individually to make sure they’re playing all their parts.
BT: Right, that’s where it can work in for us. Right now we have SmartMusic stations at strategic locations around the music classrooms. Our goal is to get more of the kids to get home subscriptions, because anytime an assignment is due, kids are lining up outside the door. It looks they’re trying to get Bruce Springsteen tickets.
[Remember, this is New Jersey]
SY: Anything else you'd like to add?
Jeff Brown: While we were certainly excited for the opportunity to showcase what we are doing, when we got to see the video, I think everybody agreed that we liked the fact that it represented a really good pro music education spot.
SY: I agree. I think it offered a great a peek at the precision, discipline, and fun of the marching band experience. I’m told the Bergenfield High School Marching Band is also going to appear in an upcoming feature film.
BT: That’s right. We did a taping in for that back in December, prior to the TODAY Show. The movie doesn’t come out until November – it’s called Tower Heist, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy.
SY: We’ll be on the lookout for that, and once it’s released we’ll check back and get the inside story on that experience as well!
I’d like to thank Brian and Jeff for their time and great work. What do you think of the video? Please share your thoughts by clicking on “Comments” below.
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