Bill Sweeney

Giving Thanks

While we missed Jill and her family, words of thanks and gratitude were plentiful at the Sweeney Thanksgiving this year.  There were not enough ways, however, to express our joy at having Dad at the dinner table.

 

   

Confounding, Indeed

Greetings. No news is good news. We've all been too busy celebrating other life events to fret about dad. He's doing great. In fact, mom and dad hosted eldest grandchild Nora's graduation party last weekend at their house on the pond. It was a beautiful gathering, thanks to everyone's hard work. A special thanks to Jill and Tara for making the long trip (again!). It was so great to have everyone together. It was, of course, a great blessing and honor to have dad with us on this special weekend, something that did not seem imaginable a few months ago. I'll add some more photos from the party to the galleries.

Regards, Lauri

A Message from Bill, Written from Home!

I have never been one to buck the odds, but it seems that the same persistent determination that so many of you have remarked upon has helped me to prove my prognosis wrong.  I have confounded the doctors and hospice volunteers, and I am now counting each new day as a gift. 

I am deeply humbled by the Arlington music community's outpouring of support.  It has been a great source of strength for me, Linda, and the girls. Thank you!

With enormous appreciation,

Bill

A Brief Update from Tara

Against all odds, Dad managed to weather the infection that spurred the prompt launching of this site.  For several interminably long days, it seemed unlikely that he would get the chance to hear all the news and letters from his friends, colleagues, and students.  And while the prolonged period of uncertainty and waiting that we are now facing brings its own hardships, we have been given a little extra time to read Dad the letters that have poured in, and most of all, to reflect on the significance of those stories.

As with all of you, the Arlington music program defined my high school experience.  But it also defined my childhood.  It was not always easy to share those fun-filled and stressful adolescent days with my father (he always knew what I was up to and whom I was with), or in turn to share my father with all of you.  An infamous family story is that Dad actually dropped our mother off at the hospital when she was in labor with Lauri and left to conduct a concert!  (He made it back to the hospital in plenty of time though!)

When having a parent as a teacher, it is nearly impossible to see him or her through any other filter than dad or mom.  When Dad pushed a student hard in rehearsal, we all knew he was doing so to get the most out of the performance, to help you excel, and to show you that the impossible was in reach.  Yet when I was the target, I was quick to blame that Dad was picking on me for staying up too late the night before, for talking too long on the phone, or because he knew I had not practiced all week.  I was a little slower than the rest of you at internalizing all of the lessons that Dad readily offered in rehearsals.  And now, hearing how he has affected so many, I understand even more fully how fortunate I have been to have him always at my side, cheering me on (or pushing me forward), throughout all my life endeavors.

So beyond providing support to Dad in hearing how his life and actions have made a difference, your unbridled and selfless words have been an unexpected gift to me.  I've learned stories I had never heard (a special thanks to Jim Dalton '78!) and have been able to reflect on my own private memories through a slightly new lens.  I would not trade a single experience I had with Dad as my teacher (humiliating or otherwise), and I am especially grateful that now, with your heartfelt words and memories, I have so many more ways to tell my young children about their grandfather.  So I offer yet another, very humbled, thank you.

I'd also like to extend a thank you to Mr. Szabo for helping us reach so many of you and for the latest wind ensemble recording that I've added to the list below.

Tara Sweeney

Our Heartfelt Thanks

To the Arlington Music Community and Beyond:

When we started putting the word out two weeks ago that Mom and Dad needed some support, we could not have imagined the response.  Nor could we have imagined the tremendous joy and comfort the responses would give dad and all of us.  In addition to the nearly 50 posts now on the message board, dad has received an additional 75 or so long, wonderful emails. We have printed each one, and the collection is an awe-inspiring testament to a life well lived.

We have tried to respond to emails, but your generosity of spirit and outpouring of concern and appreciation has outstripped our capacity to personalize our responses. We ask for your understanding as we abandon that futile effort and simply say THANK YOU here and now in this public space.

There is some peace that comes with stopping aggressive treatment and turning one's focus to remembering, reconciling, and finding meaning.  While the love of Linda, his girls and his grandchildren has been an ever-present source of support and comfort, this virtual trip through his years of dedication to his students, to the making of music, and to the music education profession has given him tremendous satisfaction, joy and peace. No matter how tired he is, he is buoyed by the letters and posts on the blog.  And quite honestly, they help us to remember what is important as we struggle with our own sadness and the exhaustion that comes with caretaking and decision-making.  When letters arrive, we all stop and breathe and provide comfort and find comfort.  So, please, feel free to keep them coming!

The Arlington community has given us a tremendous gift, and saying thank you hardly seems adequate. We are deeply humbled and tremendously appreciative of the time and care you have all taken to wrap Dad in the loving arms of a community. And we have appreciated the laughs too –- from the reliving of pranks, to the recounting of embarrassing moments, to funny videos of your kids.  And make no mistake about it, he’s still remembering all the stupid things we all did that we’d rather forget, and the side commentary has been much fun too.

We'll do our best to post any major updates on the blog, and we will also continue to add music, photos and other material as it becomes available.

Sincerely,
Lauri, Jill and Tara

PS Please feel free to email dad privately if you would prefer that to the open message board: wsweene1@rochester.rr.com

Mr. Holland's Opus

In March 1996, when the movie Mr. Holland's Opus was in theaters, one of dad's former students from his days in New York Mills wrote a column for the Utica Observer-Dispatch about his Mr. Holland.  Since there have been numerous references to Mr. Holland in posts and emails, it seems only fitting that we post the 1996 article here as a PDF: Mr. Holland's Opus column by Dave Dudajek.

Play with Me, Grandpa

After Bill retired from Arlington, he became a full-time grandparent, spoiling Nora, Will, Ryan, Caleb, Rachel, Milan, and Leela with his enthusiasm, sense of humor, and endless love.   Below are a few video clips that capture Grandpa Sweeney at his best. 

Grandpa Tells the Orchestra Adventure Story.wmv

Here is a clip of Grandpa making up a crazy story about a little boy named Ron who experienced a series of laughable misadventures while playing in an orchestra.  The storytelling was in Puerto Vallarta in February 2006, when Milan was two-years-old.  Unfortunately, we missed the best part of the story on video--when Ron fell into a tuba.

Curious George.wmv

Grandpa reads to Rachel and Milan, September 2005.

Arlington Wind Ensemble

Here are some of the best recorded performances of the Arlington Wind Ensemble, straight off Bill's ipod.  Unfortunately, I don't have the years of the performances or full citations.  But I trust we can all hear ourselves in this music and remember the experience of making it.

After a Gentle Rain

Chance Symphony

Children's March

Distorted Images

Liturgical Dances

His Honor

Fantasy Variations

Hymn of St. James

Incantation and Dance

Lincolnshire Posy

Molly on the Shore

Othello

Persichetti Symphony

Scherzo for a Bitter Moon NEW

Putza

Shakata

Sol y Sombra

 

 

 

Marching Band in 80s

I recently discovered that people have been posting videos of the marching band on youtube.  Of course, dad knew they were there and was already enjoying them.

1984 Admiral Marching Band Part 2

1985 Admiral Marching Band

1987 Admiral Marching Band Part 1

1987 Admiral Marching Band Part 2

1988 Admiral Marching Band Part 1

1988 Admiral Marching Band Part 2

Welcome

Greetings friends, family, students and parents.  I had hoped to get this site built up a bit more before making it public, but dad's health has taken a turn for the worse, and we'll have to build this as we go.  I thought it would be fun for dad and all of us to have a place to send messages, share memories, and post photos.  Please visit the Message Page to contact Bill or send him a private email at wsweene1@rochester.rr.com.

UPDATE:  The dozens of emails that have come in as well as the posts on this site have provided hours of joyful reading and storytelling, filling dad's hours with wonderful memories and the opportunity to know that his work and life live on in so many of us.  Please keep them coming.  Your stories have given so much to us all.  As letter after letter came in from music teachers who had once played in dad's wind ensemble, I asked him if he had any idea how many music teachers came out of Arlington.  He estimated 100, plus many more professional musicians.

If you have photos, audio tracks or memories you'd like posted on the main page, please email me at laura.brophy@gmail.com.

As the coming days permit, Tara and I will continue to add photos of family and from Arlington.  We've come to realize that we have very few photos of dad at work, so if anyone has one, we'd love to get it.

Lauri Sweeney Brophy