Indiana native pens 'Brass and Glory' for inauguration
Jan. 31—Alex Tedrow grew up in Shoals, Indiana, playing guitar and hoping to one day become a rock star.
"I listened to a lot of Green Day. I wanted to be the next Billie Joe Armstrong," said Tedrow, who serves as one of three staff arrangers for the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" and composed "Brass and Glory," a new fanfare that played during President Trump's recent inauguration in Washington, D.C.
How a kid from that tiny Martin County town of less than 700 switched from rock to classical music happened by chance.
"When I was in high school, I had a chance to go to an orchestra concert and I was hooked," said Tedrow, who worked at a gas station in town to pay for music lessons, instruments and other music-related opportunities. "Not living that far from Indiana University gave me the chance to attend concerts and take lessons from some of the grad students there."
His work, both at that gas station and in the classroom, paid off. Tedrow earned the Lilly Endowment Community Scholar award which paid for his tuition and books at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.
"Without the Lilly scholarship, I never would have been able to pursue music like this as a career," said Tedrow, who who earned bachelor's and master's degrees from IU in composition and music education.
It was around two years ago, Tedrow, who worked with IU's Center for Rural Engagement and served as associate instructor of music education, composition department coordinator and as a faculty member with the pre-college Jacobs Academy, won the audition to be a staff arranger with "Pershing's Own."
"My job is one of the best kept secrets," said Tedrow, who said the selection process to become a staff arranger required several mock projects as well as a willingness to enlist. "We are considered active duty military but we are based in Washington, D.C. I've enlisted for four years and can re-enlist when the time comes."
"Brass and Glory," was originally scheduled to be played by the "Herald Trumpets" from the balcony during Trump's inauguration celebration but due to the weather, it was instead performed in the Capitol.
Originally taking just two or three days to compose, "Brass and Glory" was played after Trump's inauguration speech.
Tedrow's work doesn't end once the inauguration is over.
"I also write and arrange music for concerts and ceremonies for our nation's leadership in the U.S. government and military and I regularly write music to be performed at the White House," he said, adding he is also tasked with transcribing and verifying national anthems for performances when heads of state for foreign nations visit Washington, D.C.
Band Coat of Arms
Tedrow's uniform looks a bit different than that of others serving in the Army. That's because those involved with "Pershings Own" have a unique uniform.
The creation of the Coat of Arms for the Army Band was authorized in late 1964 and was created at the Army's Institute of Heraldry.
The band's distinctive insignia, or coat of arms, consists of three parts:
The Shield: It contains eight red and white stripes that allude to an octave in music.
The blue border represents that the band is the chief musical organization of the entire Army.
The sword and the baton indicate the band's mission of supplying military music.
The small gold and black shield symbolizes the band's Rhineland Campaign Honor received during World War II.
The Crest: It contains a laurel wreath, a symbol of honor and prominence, formed in the shape of a lyre to symbolize music.
The large white (silver) star symbolizes that the band is the "Band of the Chief of Staff" and also represents General Pershing's founding role.
The bugle horn, one of the earliest instruments used for martial music, is used to denote a military marching band.
The Motto: The motto is the scroll containing the band's official designation, "Pershing's Own," which signifies the band's founder, General John J. Pershing.
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