Sergeant 1st Class Darren Siegerdt has played clarinet around the world.
From Germany to Hawaii, he and his horn have been there — with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band.
Now, Siegerdt hopes to inspire young musicians in the Historic Triangle who share his passion for brass and wind instruments.
This winter, the Williamsburg Youth Orchestra is launching a new middle school brass and wind ensemble. Siegerdt, who is stationed at Fort Eustis, will lead the initiative.
“I love performing, but teaching is in my blood as well, and I’ve missed it,” Siegerdt said. “Now that I have more free time, I wanted to find a way to utilize my recently acquired knowledge and skills.”
The program is open to clarinet, flute, oboe, trombone, trumpet, French horn, tuba and percussion students in public, private or homeschool education.
An Army musician with a ‘knack’ for his grandfather’s instrument
Siegerdt’s musical background stretches back to fourth grade.
He picked up the clarinet after his mother convinced him to play because his grandfather had also played clarinet “back in the day,” he said.
“Turned out I had a knack for it and have played now for about 29 years,” Siegerdt said.
Before joining the Army in 2005, he earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Siegerdt also recently earned a master’s degree in music education from the University of Florida.
Siegerdt has taught in many locations over the years, including two years of high school band, choir and music appreciation classes in Illinois.
As a member of the Training and Doctrine Command Band, he has also played abroad and in the U.S., including Atlanta, Fayetteville, N.C. and now Fort Eustis.
The band serves as an outreach asset for the organization, according to its website. Soldiers are selected from a highly rigorous audition process and are known as some of the finest musicians in the Army’s music program.
“The army has broadened my musical skills with arranging, improvising and experience with jazz and even popular music,” Siegerdt said. “That’s not something many students are taught early on, and shedding light on the endless possibilities is something I hope will inspire the musicians I work with.”
Giving aspiring brass and wind musicians more attention
The Williamsburg Youth Orchestra already has options for young musicians, but the organization wanted to attract more band members, according to Orchestra Manager Tanya Song.
Right now, students play in a symphonic orchestra, which includes string instruments and brass, as well as smaller chamber groups.
The new brass and wind ensemble will serve as a “musical training ground” for Williamsburg Youth Orchestra’s high school-level symphony orchestra, Song said.
While playing in a symphony orchestra can be a unique experience, Siegerdt believes a brass and wind ensemble brings more to the table: It is “essential to learning well-rounded musicianship.”
“Having these homogeneous section sounds, just like the large sections of a symphony orchestra, teaches students to listen in different ways,” he added.
While chamber groups function at a smaller and more individual level, the organization struggles to recruit brass and wind musicians due to marching-band season, according to Song. The goal of the small brass and wind ensemble is to give young musicians closer instruction on their instruments and offer a rehearsal season that is more accessible.
“Sometimes the band program is only for a limited time, without individual attention,” Song said.
Putting free time to use
The board has wanted to create this ensemble for a while, Song said, but only Siegerdt’s help make it possible.
Siegerdt contacted the organization looking for ways to get involved and teach, he said.
“Now that I have more free time, I wanted to find a way to utilize my recently acquired knowledge and skills,” Siegerdt said. “I looked up the WYO, hoping to just help with running some sectionals for the woodwinds, and they presented the idea of their wind and brass ensemble initiative.”
The brass and wind ensemble will not be in session for the typical full season, which goes from September to April, Song said.
Instead, the ensemble will meet on Mondays from January to March. This shortened time period gives young players more chances to participate.
No audition necessary
The ensemble will have about twelve members, according to Song. For the symphonic and chamber groups, students usually audition, but for this ensemble, students simply have to fill out an application and pay the tuition.
Tuition for the year is around $180, according to the organization’s website.
The fees contribute to facility rentals, sheet music and conductor fees, Song said.
WYO offers tuition assistance. Interested students may contact Song or fill out an online application, which involves a series of financial questions to help determine a student’s monetary needs. Song and other members of the board review the applications to see who should receive tuition help.
This year’s ensemble is only a pilot program and Song said she hopes to see it expand to a full season next year.
“I really want to see what the turnout is for this fledgling program before I settle on a program, but I hope to tailor the music selection to allow for the students to be challenged while igniting a spark of excitement as well,” Siegerdt said.
Registration for the program ends on Dec.18. Rehearsals will begin in January.