“This is really important for the people on this (VA) campus for us to come and do this, and for my students it’s a great education for us to come and offering this service,” Rinnert said. “It’s really special. It’s more than patriotic. We feel that it is a service to our community and for these veterans. This is how this band functions, we do artistic things but we do them in service to others.”
The hour-long concert featured a wide variety of marches, patriotic pieces and popular tunes, highlighted by the Armed Forces Salute, which includes songs associated with each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
For junior percussionist Joshua Johnson, performing in the concert carried extra meaning. Johnson is a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
“It’s an awesome experience,” he said. “I love giving back to the veterans, showing them that we all care, showing that we support them. We see their faces light up when their anthem comes up in the Armed Forces Salute. It’s by far my favorite concert.”
“Being able to play for veterans on Veterans Day, there’s no better feeling,” senior saxophonist Richard Pollock said. “This is the second year I got to do it and honestly it’s one of the biggest things I’ve been looking forward since last year.”
Following the concert, the VA hosted a reception for members of the band to interact with guests and residents of the VA Hospital facility.
The Mountaineer Brass Band is the only traditional British brass band in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, and one of only a handful of university brass bands in the U.S.
To see photos from the concert, click here.
To watch video highlights of the concert, click here.
To learn more about studying Music and upcoming performances at Mansfield, go to music.mansfield.edu