The Rowdy Brass Band's recent appearance at the Denver City Jazz Festival highlights the growing impact of CMU’s music program on a larger stage.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) has been progressively growing their Music Department in multiple ways by showcasing a multitude of skilled groups. The Rowdy Brass Band originally began in 2016 as a way for brass musicians to showcase their talents on a regional, state and even national stage. Founder, Director of Bands and Professor of Music, Jonathan Hinkle, PhD, began this band in hopes to bring light onto CMU’s beautiful campus and music program.
This past summer, Hinkle and the Rowdy Brass Band were invited to perform at the Denver City Jazz Festival. The festival showcased multiple walks of talent in front of over 11,000 fans who gathered at Denver City Park. Performing popular music accompanied by CMU related pieces, the Rowdy Brass Band put on a show for its largest crowd yet. The band also shared the stage with the Gorilla Fanfare Brass Band, who is a prominent, professional band in the Denver area. The Gorilla Brass Band helped propel CMU into this professional setting as they have been doing multiple gigs and events with them, which eventually led them to CMU’s prestigious invitation to attend the this year’s festival.
To prepare for events like this one, the Rowdy Brass Band prepares about an hour's worth of music, which comes out to 13 to 15 songs. These songs are all fully memorized and choreographed. The fan favorite band is skilled at solos, complex notes, key changes, meter changes, style changes and overall is accustomed to memorizing challenging and engaging music. Therefore, it is keen for Hinkle and his group to go over what they play consistently to prepare for a large festival, or even a small brewery.
“By the time we played on the Denver City stage, those students had played those 15 songs, probably 700 times,” Hinkle stated. “I mean, not even joking. You know, terms of habit. It’s autopilot.”
The group rehearses two or three times a week, in order to put on a good series of shows for their tour. The same academic year, the band had over 30 gigs before taking the Denver City stage.
This hard work from a small group of students showcases a lot from the music department. CMU has turned into a powerhouse for musical arts that translates into forward-facing experiences, and Colorado is beginning to take notice. The Rowdy Brass Band helps serve as a strong recruitment tactic for the music department, being one of only two collegiate brass bands in the country and the only one in the state of Colorado.
Due to this, the quality of students coming to CMU specifically for its music department has skyrocketed. Yet, so has the quantity. Many come just to be a part of the Rowdy Brass Band; however, there are very limited spots. With quantities rising, this inspired Hinkle to create the Mesa Brass Band – an additional band that offers even more participation opportunities for students interested in being a part of the Rowdy Brass Band.
From auditoriums to festivals, the Rowdy Brass Band features a great collection of skill, fun and creativity within the music department at CMU. Recruitment, entertainment and professionalism are all notable characteristics the band possesses. Hard work, determination and camaraderie are pursued behind the scenes. The Rowdy Brass band contributes to this university in many ways and helps put a national spotlight on Grand Junction.
“The Rowdy Brass Band, among some other things, are really changing the reputation of CMU, of our music program, of Grand Junction, of this community, of the Western Slope.” said Hinkle.