First
name?
Pam
In which town
do you live?
I've lived in Chicago Ridge since 1985, but I spent my "Wonder
Bread" years (ages 0-12) in what's now referred to as the Pilsen community (near
18th and Damen) of Chicago. We moved to Oak Lawn in 1968 when my Father's place
of employment moved out this way. I was devastated and haven't spoken to anyone
in my family since! (only kidding)
How do you make
your living?
Ha! Ha! I ask myself that question rather frequently! Actually,
I'm a Science Lab Tech at Andrew High School. And "what is that?," you might be
asking yourself? Well, basically I'm responsible for anything and everything that
pertains to labs being done in the Science Department. I work with the teachers
(20 of them this year) in setting up their labs (some Chemistry labs can take
2-3 days to put together!), mixing any chemical solutions that may be needed (my
favorite part), pulling all the necessary equipment that might be used, ordering
equipment, chemicals, etc., taking down of the labs, cleaning up (yuck!), running
our office "Secret Santa," putting up our Christmas decorations, acting as department
DJ and a host of other things! | 
With
all the other clowns in this band, it should be no surprise we
have a picture of Ms. April doing this...
|
This
job has been an educational experience for me, and I've learned two very important
lessons, both of which I would like to pass on to my friends: - If
you hear "rattling" noises coming from a bucket of glassware in a water/acid (low
molarity) mixture, DO NOT, I repeat, do not attempt to remove the glassware with
metal tongs !!!! That is, of course, unless you want to have your own personal
fireworks display!!
- If
you pour some unknown solution in the sink and smoke starts billowing out of the
drain --RUN!!! Run as fast as you can!!!
Last
year, I added something new to my resume...I entered into total "geekdom"!!! Yes,
that's right, I am cosponsor of the V.J. Andrew High School Science Club!! Actually,
it's not "geeky" at all. In fact, it's a lot of fun!!! In November, we went hiking
at the Indiana Dunes, and in December, we went to Brookfield Zoo for their "HOLIDAY
LIGHTS" display--it was beautiful!!! We have a few more outings planned for the
rest of the year, including a trip to the Northern Illinois University Cadaver
lab. If anyone out there is interested, we can use a few more chaperones for that
trip. (I'll even provide the rubber gloves!)
How
long have you been a member of the Arts Alive Band?
I think I started showing
up in the Fall of 1993.  | <
Pam in a rare “Marty Donato sighting” at Neuschwanstien on World Tour 2000.
Pam
and the boys “after hours”
in Büdingen on the 1994 World Tour. >
|  |
What
instrument(s) do you play?
I'm sure if you were to ask around, several
people would say "none," but, in reality, I dabble in Percussion. Dabble is the
key word here since I don't feel that I've mastered anything (other than counting
incorrectly), but I do enjoy messing around back there with all of the boys....did
I say boys? I meant toys, TOYS(especially the cymbals)!!! While in High School,
though, I did learn to play the "Julida" Polka on the French Horn ...that was
kind of different!!!
How
long have you been playing it/them?
I don't know, really. I started taking
lessons on my 15th Birthday (Sophomore year), and got into Band the following
Autumn. After I got out of school, I was away from it for years and years until
I stumbled across the Southwest Community Band in 1992. The rest is, as they say,
history!!!
Are you involved in any other musical groups, either inside
or outside the Arts Alive system? If so, which ones?
Yes, I am a
member of the Southwest Community Concert Band (SWCCB) and The West Suburban Concert
Band. Has anyone else noticed that Eric Healy follows me to every band that I
join? (*Please see note at the end of this page.)
I also play occasionally with a brass group (I play the Timpani parts) at Eric
Healy's church (oops! there's that name again ...I think he's stalking me!!!)
and also St. Terrence Catholic Church in Alsip.
What
do you like most about this group?
Eric Healy!!! Seriously? Mike Doody!!!
Actually, I like both of them, as well as all of the other members of the Band.
What I mean is, I like the camaraderie that exists between the Band members. I've
met a lot of terrific people here, and many of them have become very close friends
of mine. Oh yeah, getting together for the enjoyment of playing music is great,
too!! Describe
your best/favorite band moment:
I don't know...there are lots, both good
and bad ...here are but a few (in no particular order) : > Not-so-good
Moments (there have been a lot of these, so I'll share just a couple) :
- My "first ever" concert
in High School. The first number we played was Sousa's "Minnesota March," and
I was playing cymbals. Unfortunately, the Bass Drum player and I couldn't see
the Director from where we stood. Result: the Band was finished with the song,
but we were still playing away (some things you just never outgrow)!!! Needless
to say, our Band Director stopped the Concert right then and there and rearranged
the Percussion set-up! Since this is published on a public web site, I can't tell
you what he said to Rich (Bass Drum) and myself, but I can assure you that it
wasn't, "Great job kids!!!"
- Cavalcade
(several of them) hasn't been too kind to me. Cavalcade '98 - The SWCCB was performing
the piece "Of Sailors and Whales," and I was playing the Timpani part (yes, I
can play something other than cymbals and tambourine!). If you are familiar with
the number, you are aware that the Fifth movement contains a lot of Timpani. Anyway,
after the first twenty measures or so, there is a page turn. Unfortunately, the
music wasn't cooperating with me that evening, and, as I made that page turn,
it decided it wanted to look for a better home!! It flew off of the stand, and
I couldn't find it anywhere!! Talk about a scary situation...there were about
three pages left in the movement!! Anyway, I just made up the rest of the part
and played loudly! Many of the Band members said that they couldn't tell the difference...I
was never really quite sure what they meant by that!!!
- And
in Cavalcade '00 - Arts Alive! was performing Kamarinskaya. In the middle
of the song, there's a finger cymbal (teeny, tiny cymbals with a little piece
of elastic knotted underneath to serve as a holder) part that I was playing. The
elastic piece on one of the cymbals broke, sending the one cymbal into the crash
cymbals that were sitting in their stand!! Uh-oh!!! Big crash!! I wanted everyone
to know that that crash was an accident!!
Good
Moments (a sampling): - Cavalcade
'97 - I wasn't there!! I attended my cousin's wedding that evening, so there wasn't
anything for me to screw up!!
- Several
years ago at a Christmas Concert with the West Suburban Band, our Assistant Band
Director handed me an envelope. All he would tell me was that it was given to
him (to give to me) by a very special lady who wanted to remain anonymous. Inside
the envelope, I found a Christmas "Thank You" card along with a $100.00 bill,
but no signature or explanation. The only information I was ever able to get was
that her son had been a member of the Band while in High School, and passed away
from cancer shortly after graduation. I don't know why she chose to give me a
gift, but I still think of it as one of the most touching moments of my life.
-
Both
trips to Germany were awesome (Dudelsheim rules!)  | <
Always extremely generous and charitable,
Pam spends her free time teaching
young children how to eat spaghetti.
Pam
with her nephews Mikey and Justie > |  |
What
are your hobbies?
Dropping hints to Eric Healy as to where I'm going to
be and when!!! I don't know....is fundraising considered a hobby? Seriously though,
I enjoy making Christmas ornaments and giving them as gifts!! What
is your favorite Jell-O flavor?
Actually, I prefer pudding (that's made
by the Jell-O people, right?) ...chocolate...the kind you cook . After it cools,
it forms a "skin" on top. Next, you dig underneath that part to eat the smooth
stuff and save the skin for last!! (Webmasters note: Ewwww!) But
I digress........Okay........cherry!!!
Is
there anything else you want your band friends to know about you?
Sure!!!!
I love: My two nephews, Mikey and Justie (the best things that have ever happened
to me, although I'd really like to clobber them sometimes), Polka music (I was
raised on it), the Beatles (I was one of the millions of girls who cried when
Paul married Linda! Imagine that, me crying, that's a stretch!! I also remember
where I was and what I was doing when I learned of the death of John Lennon. It
was as though a part of me had died also. The Beatles had been a part of my life
for so many years), and finally, the 1969 Cubs!!! The Cubbies might have blown
it in August, but they sure gave me one heck of a ride that summer!!! A
weird thing: in second grade, I went to a Halloween party with some neighbors
and won the costume contest for best dressed boy!!! Imagine that....I was dressed
as the cartoon character Top Cat (I liked his theme song)!! My prize was the Beatle's
single "A Hard Day's Night"!! Pretty cool stuff, huh?! *Note:
This questionnaire was filled out about thirteen months ago…long before the tragic
events of St. Patrick's 2002 weekend with the death of band member Eric Healy
in a car accident. At the time of origination, I mentioned to Eric that I had
featured him in my 'BMOTM' questionnaire, and he found it to be pretty funny.
Today (March 25th, 2002), when I was reviewing my answers, I contemplated removing
those references, but decided not to. I felt that by leaving them in, it would
help to keep a part of him with us. He was my dear friend and I'll deeply miss
him. He was always around whenever I played anywhere, and it'll never be the quite
the same without him. I guess the next time I say to him, "Hey Tuba Boy, what's
up?," he'll have the one, definitive answer. - Pam Pytko |
