Students Charlie Apy and Matthew Smutny were selected to participate in the North Central Intercollegiate Band (NCIB) this past April at the 2024 College Band Directors National Association’s (CBDNA) North Central Conference. Hosted at The Ohio State University, the conference held concerts of various groups as well as seminars covering aspects of music and music education.

Apy and Smutny were nominated for the intercollegiate band by Dr. Ryan Scherber, assistant professor of music education and director of bands at CWRU, and instructor at the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM). Having been selected by CBDNA members, the two students were able to take their talents to Columbus for a three-day experience with seven performing ensembles, over twenty presenters, and nine sessions.

Rising Senior Charles Apy

Charles Apy, who is double majoring in music and physics, had an exciting finish to his junior year at CWRU at the CBDNA conference. Apy plays an indefinite number of percussion instruments including mallets, drums, and marching percussion sets. Music has been a part of his life since he was only six years old taking piano lessons before he shifted to concert percussion in middle school. 

For Apy, the most enjoyable part about the NCIB process was seeing his progression through a piece from the first run through to final performance. Attending the CBDNA conference allowed him to meet percussionists from a sprawl of other universities. 

“There were some incredible percussionists there, and it was a nice feeling to know that I was keeping up with them,” says Apy. “Everyone there had a sense of confidence that was really special.”

Working with internationally renowned composer Dr. Gary Hill was a notable experience for Apy, since Hill was able to help the intercollegiate band progress with such challenging pieces in a very short amount of time.

Recent Graduate Matthew Smutny

Saxophone and piano player Matthew Smutny was intrigued by music from a young age. His mother’s horn that always sat in their attic at home sparked his curiosity. In fifth grade, Smutny’s own musical practice began. His favorite part about playing instruments is being able to perform in groups where you’re exposed to other talents because there’s always something new to learn. This fascination followed him through his senior year at CWRU as a biochemistry and music major.

“There haven’t been many CWRU students in the NCIB in recent years, so it was great to be able to represent the school,” he shares.

Smutny was particularly enlightened by composers Augusta Reed Thomas and John Mackey’s approaches to music composition, since he had been studying jazz with Paul Ferguson at CWRU.

Smutny also enjoyed the CBDNA conference’s ability to draw parallels between interpreting the structure of dog agility courses and how a conductor leads an ensemble. They brought out dogs at the session, making the presentation even more favored with this unanticipated element.