Kon'nichiwa! The musical sound of this traditional Japanese greeting will long bring back memories of a wonderful cultural exchange between Montana and Japan. In early July, MSU's ensemble-in-residence, the Gallatin Woodwind Quintet, toured the Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan. This tour presented the opportunity for MSU faculty to share the gift of music by performing concerts in five different Kumamoto cities and coaching local music students.
The quintet performed in Takamori, Mifune, Tamana, Kumamoto City, and Arao. The audiences included junior and senior high school students, university students, and the general public. A live performance by an American woodwind quintet was such an unusual event that local reporters attended most concerts. At least twice the quintet was featured on local television news broadcasts, and at least two Japanese newspapers covered the events. At the concerts the quintet members often introduced themselves and their instruments in Japanese to the delight of the audiences. Then, at the end of some concerts, Japanese students would read a painstakingly written thank-you in English. Their English was much better than our Japanese.
Much of the programming, which featured American music, was requested by the Japanese hosts months in advance. Quintet arrangements of ragtime, swing, blues, and jazz mixed with original American compositions and European standards such as a Bach fugue to create a diverse and educational musical experience. The concerts also featured an original composition by quintet member Alan Leech, Japanese Song Fantasy on Melodies by Rentaro Taki. Perennial American favorites such as John Phillip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever involved the audiences as they clapped along to the beat.
Teaching Japanese students was another segment of the tour. Many of the schools have bands similar in composition to American bands, and even though they have the full complement of woodwinds and percussion, the Japanese refer to them as "brass bands." At Takamori Junior High, Kumamoto Gakuen University, Tamana Girls High, and Mifune, each of the members of the quintet spent time with students of their own instruments, coaching them in a master-class approach. Teaching a musical instrument to non-English speaking students can be a daunting task. However, by demonstrating on the instrument and with occasional assistance from translators, the quintet members managed to break down the communication barrier.
Staying with host families, a practice known as "homestay," made the trip a true cultural exchange. While in Japan, the five Montana musicians were housed and fed by local Japanese families, providing the opportunity to experience local culture at a much deeper level than typical tourists. Shoes stayed at the door, since the Japanese do not wear them in the house. At mealtimes, everyone sat on the floor Japanese style. Futons on tatami mats comprised the bedding. While starting the morning with miso soup and pickled plums is more startling than toast and eggs, these Montana musicians enjoyed trying the many varied culinary offerings.
Before traveling to Japan, the Montana group heard horror stories about Japanese foods such as poisonous blowfish, raw eggs, and raw horse meat. After arrival, the breadth of Japanese cuisine turned out to be both varied and delicious. No one was left hungry after any of the meals, which featured such foods as tempura, sashimi, wild chicken barbequed over an open pit, unagi (eel), and dengaku. Even beer was plentiful, from the Japanese Kirin label.
Of the many welcoming parties and banquets, the most memorable was sponsored by the Tamana music teachers on the last night of the tour. First the Bozeman musicians performed a short version of their program. Then during another wonderful Japanese dinner, everyone was able to get acquainted. After the meal, the Japanese music teachers sang some traditional Japanese songs, including one by Rentaro Taki, and a version of "Beautiful Dreamer."
The Gallatin Woodwind Quintet consists of MSU faculty members Karen Leech, flute; Lorna Nelson, oboe; Gregory Young, clarinet; Alan Leech, bassoon; and Greg Notess, horn. Original contacts and arrangements for this musical tour were made through the assistance of Shoji Shimada, a Japanese high school English teacher from Kumamoto who taught in the Bozeman and Belgrade public schools the past two years. He made most of the arrangements while still in Bozeman. Then, with perfect timing, he returned to Japan just a week before the quintet's arrival. He accompanied the quintet to all of the concerts and was always on hand to help with last minute problems. His knowledge of Montana culture and the Japanese musical and educational scene smoothed the way for an efficient tour.
The quintet met many people who had been to Montana, including some former students from Montana State University. Tim Kluesner, an MSU graduate, guided and translated for the quintet in Mifune. Tim, from Kalispell, taught English for the past three years in Mifune and is now the State of Montana's new Japan representative. He is already working on connecting Montana products with Japanese importers, and he is knowledgeable about trade issues and marketing situations.
The warmth and generosity of the Japanese people will long be remembered, and the quintet hopes to see at least one of the Japanese music groups tour Montana sometime soon.
