Millikan
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Millikan Meant Music
By
Mary Jane (Braddock) Foster
Class of 1959
When Millikan High
opened in September 1956, most of us incoming sophomores already
were old hands at launching local campuses. Three years earlier,
I'd walked into the newly constructed Marshall Jr. High as a
seventh grader, and many friends there had inaugurated Stanford
Jr. High the following year.
By the time we met up again as 10th-graders at Millikan, we knew
what to expect: Walking gingerly on new cement paths freshly
laid around areas of dirt where lawns would be and trying to
find rooms listed on class schedules on a campus where no one
else knew, either. We all clutched a site map in one hand and
looked confused - even the seniors and faculty. The first Aries
shows roped-off areas with future lawns and some of the tiniest
twigs of trees and shrubs. With all those students, it's surprising
we didn't trample the plant life before it ever had a chance
to grow.
Because the school district was racing to house new enrollment
from our growing suburbs - and construction deadlines often aren't
met - our Millikan campus opened that fall with some areas still
unfinished. Most regular classrooms were complete, but the gym
and locker rooms, auditorium and other "extras" were
not, so girls' PE classes were held in the cafeteria (we snoozed
through endless, boring health topics), while the band and orchestra
found themselves rehearsing daily in the Home Economics department
as our music room was being completed. It may have been a toss-up
regarding who was more inconvenienced during this temporary arrangement
- the budding musicians or the future home economists.
I was a violinist in the orchestra,
conducted by Mr. Pappone. Michael Pappone (then Mr. Pappone,
later Dr. Pappone) was Millikan's instrumental music teacher,
and he was a dedicated instructor, intent on pulling together
a top-notch program. Like any good conductor, he wasn't one to
let the shortcomings of a cramped, inadequate rehearsal hall
stand in the way of building an orchestra. We crowded into that
classroom, tuned our instruments and got down to the business
of making music - Mr. Pappone made sure of that.
As days went by, it became an odd duet as we unavoidably serenaded
the Home Ec classes, and they in turn moved full-speed into their
cooking curriculum. We filled the air with novice versions of
Bach and Beethoven, while they retaliated with the aromas of
freshly baked brownies and cakes. Every Millikan student probably
looked forward to lunch time, but no one was more eager than
the starving musicians who rehearsed every day while food cooked
just down the hall - and completely out of reach.
Getting into the real music room that year was a real treat,
and within a few months we had a real rehearsal hall, plus a
great new auditorium for performances. No more crowding into
classrooms better suited to Betty Crocker than to flutes and
cellos.
To play in any musical ensemble conducted by Mr. Pappone meant
one Cardinal Rule: Watch the conductor devotedly and follow his
lead without fail. Period. No wandering attention, and no excuses
accepted. We had some great musicians at Millikan, but hey, we
were kids, and it wasn't that unusual to have someone stumble
into what should have been a pause, or fail to stop a note precisely
as he waved for a cut-off.
True to his passion about playing good music, Mr. Pappone's usual
reaction (especially for those who just couldn't seem to keep
an eye on the podium) was to throw his baton at the repeat offender(s)
in frustration. Usually the metal rehearsal baton hit the metal
music stand with a CLANG that startled everyone - although we
knew he wasn't trying to hurt anyone - but you never knew when
he would erupt when someone had ignored his tempo or bumbled
into a measure of rest for the umpteenth time.
The combination of hard work and dedication paid off, and our
Millikan Orchestra, even in its earliest years, gave some excellent
concerts throughout the year - and picked up a few nice awards.
When I graduated in 1959, the Aries noted that our orchestra
was "heralded as the finest orchestra to appear in years
by the Southern California Band and Orchestra Directors Association."
With or without the medals, the music program at Millikan was
excellent and contributed some of my best memories from that
campus.
Fast-forward about 25 years: My older daughter was a violinist
in the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Dr. Pappone
was the guest conductor for one year (while the regular conductor
was on sabbatical). Talk about a blast from the past! I was thrilled
my daughter would have the opportunity to experience his expertise
and dedication, but warned her about Dr. Pappone's pet peeve
- musicians who didn't watch his lead - and cautioned her to
keep an eye on the podium, even if she had to memorize the orchestral
score. (Some things do stay with a person, which is what he'd
intended all along.)
Either he'd mellowed over the years or the Orange County group
was a top-notch orchestra, because I never got a report of Dr.
Pappone flinging a baton that year. And I thoroughly enjoyed
seeing him after the concert to catch up with him and say hello.
Although I never play these days, I still have the violin I used
all though school, and in the instrument case I've kept the printed
programs from several of our concerts (as well as Brigadoon,
the musical put on at Millikan in my junior year). In June 1997,
I was deeply saddened to add to that collection a newspaper obituary
- Dr. Pappone had passed away at age 74. Although he had gone
on to conduct the Long Beach City College Orchestra, he clearly
also treasured the memories of his years at Millikan. Several
local musicians, including one of his daughters, played for his
funeral. However, the postlude was a recording of the Millikan
High School Orchestra, conducted by Michael Pappone.
He was our very own Music Man.
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life.
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