Western State Treasure: John Kincaid

I did this documentary last semester for my major film, and it screened on December 11. I have always been interested in Professor Emeritus John Kincaid and his influence on the WSC Music Department and the WSC Colorado Brass Band. This video is more about Mr. Kincaid than the Brass Band, but I am working on the Brass Band video currently.

[@lindataylor1635]

John Kincaid had a big part in us starting the Golden State British Brass Band in the Los Angeles area of California. We first started coming to the Colorado Brass Band, at the invitation of Ritchie Clendenin, about 2 years before we started our band in 1996. John was an immense help in suggesting 10 pieces to get our band going, as well as giving us an education in how Brass Banding started in England and everything we needed to know to get ours off the ground. He was so kind to answer all of our questions. We have been coming to the Colorado Brass Band every summer since our first meeting with John Kincaid and always learn so much to take back to our band, in California. Linda and Norm Taylor

[@harryhilgers5021]

This morning I went on-line to find John Kincaid. Why? I am looking for his advice on what brand/model E-flat cornet to buy. To my great and pleasant surprise I found this KZbin video about John. So I will need to add my 10-cents worth as to the incredible musical learning I obtained playing under John’s baton during the yearly one-week British Brass Band Camps at Gunnison’s Western Sates College. Here is how I met John Kincaid. By profession I am a (now retired) electrical-aerospace engineer. However, having been raised in the “old country” (the Netherlands) with music and with making instrumental music, especially brass music, I continued my “off and on” practice of my horns after I immigrated to the USA in 1968. My two sons were born during the mid-seventies and showed a very early interest in music. My oldest played brass, while my youngest played wood-winds and some violin. During those years I made sure that my sons had the best teachers (Joy Cayler for example) and had them play at the Catholic Institute of Music under Karen Caton as well as in Joy Cayler’s Brass-Beat organization. By now you are probably wondering what all this has to do with John Kincaid. Well, hang in and wait for the Grande Finally. To meet the sheet music and music instruments needs for my family I learned through Joy and Karen about Flesher-Hinton. John Thomas at Flesher told me once that over the years I had collected the thickest stack of purchase orders for a non-business music buyer. All my family’s sheet music and music instruments were bought at Flesher. Of course you can now see where this is going. Through John Thomas and Ken Anderson at Flesher-Hinton I learned about a British Style Brass Band “the Brass Works” doing weekly rehearsals in the Wheatridge area. So I auditioned and joined up. And this of course opened the door for me to become part of the yearly Gunnison one-week British Brass Band Camp directed by Maestro John Kincaid. So John, please know that I will be forever grateful to you (and Ken Anderson and John Thomas) for allowing me to play my Cornet under your baton. You are the best. They simple do not make ‘m like you anymore. Harry Hilgers.

[@filmmusiclove]

Harry Hilgers Thank you so much for commenting and sharing your story!