Reflections on the Life and Legacy of John Meling

7 Apr 2013

Today, during our concert at Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center in Palatine, IL, dedicated to the memory of long-time Illinois Brass Band member, John Meling, IBB Music Director, Stephen Squires took a few minutes to reflect on John's life and legacy.

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Today the Illinois Brass Band performs with more soul, more commitment, more fire in our bellies, and a lot more love for music — largely because of the influence of the man who used to sit in that chair over there. Today we are celebrating the life of John Meling through the type of music he loved and remembering a man whose palpable devotion to that music, to brass banding, and in particular to the Illinois Brass Band, will leave a positive legacy for years to come.

John was not just a fan of brass bands — although he knew more about the genre than anybody I ever met. Oh yes, and he could keep you occupied for hours sharing CDs, stories, videotapes, YouTube performances and memories about players and bands, what they said, what kind of horns they played, who the good conductors were, who won which competition which year, etc. etc. As a matter of fact, everybody knew that if John called you, the question that immediately came to mind was not If you had a few moments to talk, but if you had a couple of hours to chat about brass bands. And I LOVED that about John — anybody who has that kind of passion about ANYTHING really has found one of the huge keys to happiness. And that was one of the main characteristics that John had — he was a happy, positive and selfless guy. As I was saying, John was not just a fan of brass bands. Even more impressive, in my view, was his personal commitment to improvement as a musician. That, I think was his greatest gift to the Illinois Brass Band. He had discipline and a tireless desire to work. He showed, even in the toughest times of his life, that you can pick yourself up, you can work hard, and you can find real fulfillment in achievement. Just last summer, John prepared and performed a very demanding solo with us at our summer concerts, I knew it took everything he had to do this, and yet he played beautifully. This program today would have thrilled John — it is super difficult, super demanding and taxing on the chops, and it took A LOT of work to prepare. It was at times like these that John shined. As we prepare to compete in the North American Brass Band Association competition next weekend, I really give John the credit for teaching me the benefit of taking the band to competition. I really get it now, John — it's not in the winning or losing, it's in the journey. Bottom line, John understood better than I that tackling extremely demanding music is a needed path for any group to improve and excel.

Plain and simple — John loved to practice his beloved euphonium. One of the first things that came to mind when I heard that John had passed was that there would be one less practice room available in heaven that evening. Also, as many of us knew, John was a career teacher of science, both at the high school level and later in his life at the college level. I know that it gave John a cheap thrill to be able to talk to his doctors, and KNOW ALL THEIR MEDICAL VOCABULARY! The young players in the front row over there can tell you a little about what happened when John the musician and John the teacher got anywhere near a young player. When the rest of the band was on break, those guys were getting drilled on their parts and non-stop lessons from John!

John will be missed, as a husband, step-father, teacher, band member, and in my case — friend. As we became closer as friends he unfortunately picked up on one of my degenerate, fraternity boy traits, a love for poker. But no, he didn't just want to play, he wanted to read every book I had on the subject — his favorite being "Poker for Dummies". Yes, John was self-effacing, but a dummy? Not even close. John, on behalf of the Illinois Brass Band, we raise a Jack Daniels on the rocks and sincerely thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and for every note you played during a life well-lived.

Stephen Squires
Music Director
Illinois Brass Band

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