Vanessa Vache

I wrote this book for a number of reasons. First and most importantly for my students. After my time in the Air Force I started teaching elementary music and playing clarinet on the side. While teaching I noticed my students were very attentive when I read a book, but if I tried to tell them a story verbally, many of them would start talking. So I thought the best way for me to share some of the adventures of my life and important historical events was to write a book. Much of the book satisfies core curriculum requirements and state standards throughout the music K-5 curriculum.

The second reason was to highlight the mission and importance of the military bands. Right before I started writing this book two of the three bands I was in were deactivated. I felt really bad about it because it is an important job and musicians really do represent our country, or whatever organization we are with while we go out into the community to play.

As far as the artwork goes, I learned most of my artistic skills from my Mother, Phyllis Lawicki who is now a Signature Member of the Ohio Watercolor Society. I grew up in the Cleveland Ohio area where there is a huge amount of culture. Throughout my life I have always had an artistic project going on. Usually I am making jewelry but that has taken a back seat since I started the book.

After the basic story of “The Big Thank You” was written I started the flag painting. I came home from school most days and tried to paint straight lines. Hundreds of red and white (not quite) straight lines. I equated that with the process of playing scales and arpeggios, an exercise used to build technique. Then I branched out to the other paintings in the book. When summer vacation came all I did was paint, hours a day. By August, I had completed about 16 paintings. Eventually with the help of my editors and graphic artists I finished.

All the paintings are acrylic paints and the last page “Liberation Day” has had a showing at the “Barefoot Spa” in Orlando Florida. I live in Orlando with my Jazz Musician Husband, his daughter with triplets and our two Black Labs, Melody and Harmony. I have two children in grad school who both major in percussion.