West Allis Central Class of 1962    |   home                      Henry Canitz Henry Canitz Mr. Canitz was the band teacher at Central in the 60's. He then taught at Frank Lloyd Wright and retired in 1986. Mr. Canitz founded and directed the Milwaukee Pops Youth Band and founded and directed the Pops Band camp. He is presently the Director of the West Allis Suburban Concert Band, which he has done for the past 18 years. He has been directing for 53 years. Here are two of his remembrances: I especially treasure the years I spent teaching at Central. The recordings the band made, the half-time football shows by the marching band, the first place contest awards, and last but not least, the many performances at concerts and parades. One special event was the guest performances by the Trumpet Virtuoso, Mr. Raphael Mendez, with our band. Another special memory is known as the “Big Bang” incident. In 1963, at the Band's “Spring Concert,” we were playing the 1812 Overture, complete with the Bells and Cannons. To make the cannon sounds as real as possible we decided to use 12 gauge shotguns firing blank shells into a 55-gallon barrel. During the playing of this remarkable composition there are “22 Big Bangs” shot into that 55-gallon barrel. Well, you guessed it. One of the shooters missed the barrel and blew out a window at the back of the stage. You can imagine my confusion when I heard the tinkling of the glass after one of the shots. It wasn't until after the concert that the janitor came up to me and said “I had blown the window out.” Well, he replaced the window for me and I paid him for his efforts. I never did find out who that “poor” shot was. It's Never Too Late to Make Amends!!!!! Mr. Canitz and his wife, Arlene, will be attending the brunch on Sunday, July 20.