BIG BAND SOUNDS: GERMAN MUSICIANS PERFORM AT SOUTHEAST DURING U.S. TOUR

Matthias Wigger is a businessman. Jens Schoenberg works in a government tax office in Germany.

"We are very different," says Schoenberg.

But both have been playing trombone in the Youth Wind Orchestra of the Lubeck School of Music for 17 years.

Wednesday, the orchestra's big band performed at noon at the University Center. Wednesday night the entire 40-piece orchestra gave a concert at Academic Auditorium.

At 33, Schoenberg is the oldest member of the orchestra, which has musicians as young as 13.

The orchestra performed in Chicago and in Memphis before their stop in Cape Girardeau, which was arranged by Dr. Sterling Cossaboom, a professor of music at Southeast. The orchestra will give its last performance in Litchfield, Ill., before returning to Germany.

During their stay at the university, the musicians performed with the University Jazz Ensemble and watched the Golden Eagles Marching Band rehearse. Marching bands are a rare sight in Germany, they said, guessing that's because football isn't a popular sport there.

In the U.S., all students receive some musical education through the schools. In Germany, some high schools provide musical education but if you want to learn more about music you have to pursue it during your leisure time, Wigger said. That is the reason for the existence of music schools like the one at Lubeck, a city of about 200,000 on the Baltic Sea.

Students at the music school often leave the orchestra after high school but sometimes return after college. Not many communities have municipal bands like Cape Girardeau and Jackson do, they said.

The musicians have been staying with host families while in Cape Girardeau. Here they have met people who speak German and seem to know a lot about their country. "A lot of families have German relations here," Wigger said.

Everyone elsewhere hasn't been as knowledgeable. "Someone asked if we eat with knives and forks in Germany," Wigger said.

"And whether we have any forests," added Schoenberg, smiling.

In Chicago they joined the other tourists at the Hancock Building, took a boat ride on the Chicago River and went to the Navy Pier. In Memphis the stops were Mud Island, Beale Street and Graceland.

Wigger found the shrine-like atmosphere of Graceland "a little bit strange."

Germany has no such comparable icon, they said. "I'm not sure if you can say anyone anywhere can give competition to Elvis," Schoenberg said.

Wednesday morning the musicians were given a bus tour of Cape Girardeau.

Each member of the orchestra probably will remember different highlights from the tour, Wigger said. His own are the impressiveness of Chicago, hearing the blues on Beale Street and the exchanges with other musicians along the way.

His memories won't be quite as fond of American cuisine -- specifically our love of fast food.

"I like it sometimes but not all the time," Wigger said.