From Harrison’s Band Room to Center Stage

I was at kind of a seminal point in my life, and band and music just kind of became that home for me. Going into high school, it’s where I felt safe, secure – all those things that maybe I didn’t even realize I was feeling at that time. It was that place for me to just be, and I just really hung on to music and performing.”

Quinton Larion

By MEGAN BARRON

Cleaver Guest Writer

HARRISON – A golden roar swept through Shamrock Park on Aug. 8, enchanting Clare County with a poetic blend of emotive and collective tones for Clare County’s Summer Concert Series. The Mid Michigan Brass Band, joined by the transatlantic chords of England’s Pangbourne Band, wove a spellbinding melody, drawing hushed awes as bold notes danced into the evening’s stillness. The audience held its breath as a cornet soloist’s delicate melody wound through the venue, its sweetness lingering long after the final note faded.

Quinton Larion, the soloist, shone with heart and talent, distinguishing himself among an impressive, diverse group of musicians. Since 2022, the Harrison native has served as musical director, curating repertoire and directing rehearsals that bring together a diverse ensemble comprised of Dow retirees, chemists, and emerging local talent.

“The community aspect of music is what makes it special,” Larion said. “It’s not about each of us – it’s about doing something together as a group.”

A Harrison High School graduate, Larion is currently entering his second year as director of bands at his alma mater. His journey through music, sparked in Harrison’s band room, found a sanctuary that shaped his path home.

“I was at kind of a seminal point in my life, and band and music just kind of became that home for me,” Larion said. “Going into high school, it’s where I felt safe, secure – all those things that maybe I didn’t even realize I was feeling at that time. It was that place for me to just be, and I just really hung on to music and performing.”

Larion joined band in sixth grade under the direction of Joe Hellberg, crediting him with instilling a strong foundation in music fundamentals and fostering a genuine passion for music and performance. After Hellberg’s departure, another pivotal mentor, Seanne Pfeifer, took over the role. A Mid Michigan Brass Band member, she became a central influence, inviting Larion to sit in with the band during his sophomore year. He attributes his decision to pursue music to her guidance, recognizing her as the director who most inspired his career path.

“On those questionnaires that ask what do you think you could see yourself doing, I used to always write down computers and technology – which I still love – but sometime in my sophomore and junior year, something just changed in my brain,” Larion said. “I just couldn’t really see myself doing something outside of music. Whether that be teaching or performing or whatever, I just knew that music was my path.”

When Pfeifer was absent before Band Festival, a central spring semester event, and a musically trained substitute couldn’t be found, she devised an innovative solution. With the principal’s approval, Larion served as guest teacher under a substitute’s supervision.

“So, I had the experience to kind of lead the middle school bands and my own high school bands for a week or so, and that really did something,” Larion reminisced. “And I couldn’t see myself doing anything else from then on but teaching.”

Larion auditioned for several colleges, ultimately finding his home at Saginaw Valley State University. While touring the campus, the Harrison native felt an instant connection, as if the red-brick buildings and leafy paths already knew his name.

“I had this innate sense of ‘I am already home,’” Larion said. “They were the only one of all the schools I auditioned for that had us come down and talk to them after we performed our audition. SVSU took that time and it gave it that vibe of ‘we really are here for you.’”

At SVSU, Larion’s passion for music blossomed into a calling. Guided by former Mid Michigan Brass Band musical director Norm Wika, he honed his skills and still applies Wika's lessons daily in his classroom. SVSU’s music program, though smaller than some, brought global voices to campus, from masterclasses with international artists, to jazz lessons with Chris Glassman – a distinguished bass trombonist who later toured with Michael Bublé.

“That is what I think was so cool about SVSU: that they found these incredible people to teach us,” Larion said. “It wasn’t just oh, you can play that instrument, you’re coming and teaching. It was we’re going to find the best of the best to teach this group of people here. I at no point felt like I was getting instruction that was less than what I was hoping for.”

Despite challenges presented by COVID-related shutdowns and the resulting adjustments, his development as both a musician and educator continued to flourish. As sharing and exchanging instruments was not permissible during the semester, students collaborated to ensure comprehensive preparation for teaching all instrument families. During his student teaching experience, he worked under the guidance of an influential supervising teacher, Phil Bossenberger. Upon recognizing the slight gap resulting from pandemic restrictions, Bossenberger encouraged him to select and practice instruments outside his comfort zone when not leading class. This approach fostered a willingness to embrace vulnerability – a skill Larion now imparts to his own students.

As Larion enters his second year within the acquainted walls of Harrison Community Schools’ band room conducting and inspiring a new generation, he holds on to the surreal experience few get to share as both student and educator at his alma mater – the familiar echoes of the walls blending past dreams with present purpose.

“Music was a point of catharsis,” Larion said. “That’s why I love getting to teach it, because maybe I have that opportunity to be that for someone else. Even if it’s only one kid – I was one kid, and that changed me, and that’s more than enough.”

His classroom buzzes with middle and high school students, including his niece, a cornet player who mirrors his own teenage spark, performing in both Harrison’s band and the Mid Michigan Brass Band. Larion’s lessons go beyond notes, urging students to find passion – whether in music or beyond – strengthening Clare County’s musical heartbeat. His own journey, steadied by music’s embrace, fuels his mission to create a sanctuary where a trumpet’s call or a flute’s whisper can unlock dreams.

“The two things we need for music to keep happening is performers, but also audiences,” Larion said. “I think that if we can get more people invested in that community aspect of music, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about the students being invested, but also the audience being invested enough to keep coming back and keep watching and keep listening and keep supporting in all those ways. And whether that be the high school bands, the community bands in the area, Mid Michigan Brass Band, we need all of it to keep being supported. My goal is to just do everything I can to keep making good music and keep that audience investment.”

Larion dreams of a Clare County where music’s heartbeat kindles every student’s fire, weaving them one beat closer to their true path. His goal isn’t to mold future maestros, but to guide each student to discover and bring to life the song they each carry in their heart. In this band room, where Larion once found solace and a sense of home, he now kindles hope, note by note, for Clare County’s musical future.

© Clare County Cleaver