The Ballad of John Ware

On June 4, Henry Wise Wood High School hosted its final concert featuring its Concert Band and Wind Ensemble. John Ware Junior High School’s band, which I am a part of, was also featured. About 300 students gathered to play the piece called The Ballad of John Ware, which was being played for the first time. It was a commissioned song composed by Elizabeth Roam, who watched the whole concert over Skype.

The concert was kicked off by the Henry Wise Wood Concert Band playing five songs (The Voyageur, Frasers Grove Suit, Don Pedro and Scherzo). John Ware also played their pieces of music. Henry Wise Wood H.S. Wind Ensemble and some grade 10 students played Rhapsody in Blues, which is one of the longest pieces – 14 minutes! Despite its length, the song still captured audience’s undivided attention throughout the piece!

These students have performed in front of hundreds of people in the past, but for many of them it was the first time performing in such a large group. It is very hard to keep in time with the conductor and make sure everyone is together. Henry Wise Wood students received this piece less than two weeks before the actual concert. Everyone rehearsed for the first time together two hours before the concert. When we were rehearsing, we were frequently confronted with time lags. The two ends of students were not together – the worst that could happen in a band. When it came to the actual performance, magically everything went right! The hard work of students, the band teachers both at John Ware and Henry Wise Wood, support from the schools, encouragement by the parents and audience and the work of Elizabeth Roam all paid off.

So who is John Ware?

John Ware was a very famous African-American Cowboy. When the labour conditions were harsh, apartheid was raging in the society, John Ware was a cowboy who was perfect in every sense. Horse riding, archery, wearing hat, doing tricks with horses, horse races and many other things were pinned with the name of John Ware. He was part of the first Calgary rodeos, when all the cowboys got together to see who can ride the horse faster, which can stay on the bull the longest and whose horse is the best. This is now known as the Calgary Stampede!