Yokota Airmen teach music to Japanese students

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Val Gempis
  • Air Force Print News
MATSUYAMA, Japan --  The sweet sound of harmony reverberated throughout the cavernous city hall here April 15 as Air Force musicians shared their knowledge and experience with more than 100 Japanese high-school students during a music clinic.

Airmen from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia at Yokota Air Base, Japan, perform during public concerts, ceremonies, recordings and parades. They provide professional music products and services for military functions, recruiting efforts, and local and international community-relations events.

The music clinic was one of the community-relations events.

“This is a wonderful way to engender a positive response and feelings toward the United States and the U.S. Air Force that these students will hopefully remember for a long time,” said Staff Sgt. Keith Fitzgerald, a trombone player. “These [students] are the next generation, the next leaders of this society.”

The band’s 20-person jazz ensemble, called Pacific Showcase, has been touring southern Japan for the past two weeks, holding concerts in various cities, including stops in Kobe, Okayama, Fukuyama and Hiroshima. The Airmen said their work with music education is an important way to reach students, parents and educators.

Staff Sgt. Terry Grace, a string bass player, said he was impressed by the strong musical backgrounds of the students.

“They learn quickly. They have natural skills and great feel for music,” he said.

Through an interpreter, Sergeant Grace explained to the students the proper fingering techniques of an upright bass. The students laughed and giggled as he used humor to demonstrate how to properly position hands on the fingerboard. They were eager to learn and asked technical questions.

“You can’t help but get excited when you see them smile,” Sergeant Grace said. “This [is] one of the reasons I came to Japan. I love to interact with people, and I love to teach.”

Staff Sgt. Marshall Gentry, a percussionist, said the students were a little shy at first, but after watching him use gestures and humorous body language, they began to warm up to him.

“I want them to have fun, learn, and also to have a good experience working with Americans,” said Sergeant Gentry while demonstrating how to play a snare drum. “Plus it’s always great to get a different viewpoint about music other than what they learn in school.”

After spending an hour of one-on-one time with the students, the band gave a concert for more than 1,000 people in the packed auditorium.

One of the students was so impressed with the band’s performance, he wanted to join the Air Force band, Sergeant Grace said. He gave the student one of the band’s compact discs.

“You should have seen the look on his face,” Sergeant Grace said. “He looked like he just won a million bucks.”