Band director conducts finale

is not just a job; it’s a way of life. You are always on, all of the time.”

On the other hand, Dutrow will miss the program’s cherished traditions, such as the annual Jazz Cabaret that was held May12 in the portion of the school’s main hallway that’s referred to as “Main Street.”

Dave Fritz, president of the school’s Band Boosters, said the event is one of the toughest to pull off because so much physical work is required to set up the stage and special seating.

“At the end of a very long day, Lew commented that he can’t keep up like he used to,” Fritz recalled. But when Fritz entered the band room around 10:30 p.m., he found Dutrow explaining the basics of playing the flugelhorn to a middle school student who was borrowing it.

“There he was, instrument in hand, his face lit up and his voice animated,” Fritz said. “When he gets the chance to connect with a student, he’s never too tired.”

Rick Wilson, who became Wilde Lake’s principal last year, said Dutrow is a trusted teacher who excels at one-on-one interactions with students, but also thrives in the limelight.

“Lew is such a calm, reassuring individual at heart. Knowing this, I am always amazed how he seems to throw a switch and turn on his inner entertainer at each performance he directs,” Wilson said.

As Wilde Lake’s principal from 2011 to 2017, James LeMon knows Dutrow’s strengths well.

“Lew just gets it. He gets the kids and knows how to empower them, and he’s a kind person whom the kids are comfortable approaching,” said LeMon, who now serves as the school system’s executive director of community, parent and school outreach.

‘The hub of school spirit’ Dutrow landed on the idea of becoming a band director when he was a ninth-grader at Governor Thomas Johnson High School in his home town of Frederick.

He’s never looked back.

“My father built the house we lived in and all the furniture, and that was also what Iwas going to do with my life — until I started playing trumpet,” he recalled.

After high school, he was accepted into the music program at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1975.

“That was the year I deviated from the ‘Dutrow & Sons’ idea,” he said. “My parents didn’t understand at first because our family has always done trade jobs. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college.”

Ever since, Dutrow has remained a steadfast believer in the power of music to transform lives and unify a school.

“I’ve always looked at band as the hub of school spirit,” he said. “I can’t thank Wilde Lake enough for the honor and privilege they have given me as their band director.

The experience has been irreplaceable.”

Current and former students agree Dutrow’s tenure has been one of akind, and they have the evidence to prove it, including “Dutrowisms” — the name for humorous remarks made by the band director over the years and passed down from class to class.

Robert Miller, band director for 30 years at Hammond Middle School, attended Maryland at the same time as Dutrow and his two children had Dutrow for band.

Miller, now director of Columbia Big Band, says Dutrowisms range from statements like “I hope you’re a senior” — uttered to a habitually unprepared student — to “You played that with all the finesse of a chainsaw.”

‘He gives it his all’ Rehearsing with the wind ensemble a week before Wilde Lake’s May 25 graduation ceremony at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Dutrow halted the music with a flick of his baton.

“You’vegotto reallywail that out,”he said of the final measures of “Seize the Day,” a composition by Patrick Burns. “It’s pretty good, but it’s got to have more oomph behind it to the end.”

Calling out students’ mistakes is a necessary part of the job, observed Isabela Rey, a senior who takes multiple band classes, sings alto soprano and serves as Dutrow’s band aide. “Mr. Dutrow always offers criticism, but never in a demeaning way,” said Rey, who will study music education at Maryland.

“From day one he establishes individual connections and remembers everyone’s name,” she said. “He has made such a huge impact on me that I want to keep following in his footsteps.”

Thomas Balthis, a senior who plays French horn, also wants to become a band director.

“Mr. Dutrow never gives up on anyone, and he’s always there if you’re stuck,” said Balthis, who is also heading to College Park.

“He gives it his all; band is his whole life.”

For Dutrow, one of the pinnacles of his long career was being named an Outstanding Music Educator in 2017 by the Maryland Music Educators Association. Another was when the Wilde Lake Jazz Ensemble took top honors among their peers in a five-week Orlando competition in 2015.

But a more enduring symbol of the Wilde Lake community’s appreciation for his contributions and longevity is yet to come.

Donations are being accepted at wlhsband- .com to raise $20,000 to commission a sculpture in Dutrow’s honor. Organizers hope it will be placed in front of the Jim Rouse Theatre for the Performing Arts, which is named for Columbia’s founder and is located on the Wilde Lake campus.

An installation application is pending with the school system, organizers said.

The work of Canadian sculptor Douglas Walker grabbed the committee’s interest due to one of his sculptures’ resemblance to the People Tree, said Seth Kovensky, a 1986 band alumnus who has been reaching out to corporate sponsors for funding.

Walker’s version incorporates recycled band instruments in a similar way to the stylized stick figures that make up the iconic sculpture at Lake Kittamaqundi.

“It looks suspiciously familiar, doesn’t it?” Kovensky said of an online photo of the artwork. “We think it will be well received by the community, though it won’t be installed anytime soon.”

And since a seven-hour tribute to Dutrow might not be enough on June 16, Kovensky added, there’s already talk of an after-party. [e-mail]