Band director has program on high

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      On a musical scale, Jason Boyden is a middle-C.
      "If (Johann Sebastian) Bach were alive today he'd be a jazz musician," the energetic 24-year-old teacher told Eldorado High School's band members, after directing them through a piece from the 16th century German composer and organist.
      "The middle-C has a wide range," said 17-year-old senior Lisa Clough, who plays the bass clarinet. "Mr. Boyden has that range. He has the ability to be truly great."
      It's Boyden's knowledge of music and his ability to pass it on that has his students crowing about a re-emergence -- albeit a slight one -- in the school's band program. Boyden, in his third year as director of bands, said the students are making the return to prominence easy.
      Eldorado's band and guard program opened with the school in 1974. As one of the city's oldest programs, it's carved a respectable niche, frequently being called on for local events and scoring well in local, regional and national competitions.
      In his third year, Boyden is just now rounding the program back into top form.
      "My freshman year we won almost every competition we entered," said senior James Cavan, 17, and four-year member of the band who plays the french horn. "It's taken a little bit of time for him (Boyden) to settle in. But now that he has, he's really helping us get better."
      Boyden often uses breaks between songs to talk about composers and the times in which their music was created. Cavan said the added perspective makes for better musicians.
      "Music is supposed to evoke a certain mood and you're supposed to feel a certain way when you play," he said.
      For "I Am," a poem-turned-song written by an Iowa youth who committed suicide five days after penning the piece, Boyden used wind instruments to symbolize the climax and percussion instruments to characterize the denouement.
      James Willequer, an 18-year-old senior and four-year band member, said Boyden is good at tying history to the present. For example, he may relate today's rock music stars to classical artists of the Renaissance. Both were viewed as mavericks because their subjects often broached taboo subjects, he said.
      Lauren McAllister, another four-year band participant, credits Boyden with fostering her musical and personal growth.
      "He's put me in leadership positions and I have responded," the 17-year-old senior said, ticking off her list of accomplishments: drum major in the marching band, euphonium section leader and student intern teaching freshman tuba players.
      "If I didn't have wonderful students, I wouldn't be able to do those things," Boyden said.
      Nor would he have been able to coach the band to a first-place finish in the A-Class of the Las Vegas Invitational, an annual band competition drawing schools throughout the country's western region. Eldorado finished third overall, the highest of any Nevada band. He's kept the drum major and marching bands performing at superior levels.
      To increase his students' experience, Boyden periodically brings in professionals. One month, a Washington, D.C.-based Army band stopped by. Professional trumpeter Richard Hammargren has also shared tidbits from a decades-long music career which included performances with stars such as Elvis Presley.
      "I want to show them all the avenues available in the music industry, not just the performance end of it," said Boyden, a University of Michigan graduate recruited by the school district in 1995.
      Out-of-town trips let students measure their talent against talent-rich states such as California where, students say, more funds are pumped into band programs.
      Jessi Harris sees a return to prominence for the Eldorado band program. She credits Boyden's implementation of a team concept as a major factor.
      "He's taught us a lot about teamwork and listening to each other's music (while we play)," she said. "If you can hear yourself, you're playing too loud.