Alex Meixner visits HAHS

 Alex Meixner, a nationally acclaimed musician, performer, and band leader came to Hamburg Area High School and played music for the German club, and the high school band. He has his own band, the Alex Meixner Band, he writes music, and he plays for events like Wurstfest, German Fest, and Musikfest. He also has done several Hormel Pepperoni advertisements as well as helped Jack Black write the movie The Polka King. Alex likes creating a positive experience for the communities that come to his energetic shows. He won a Grammy Award during a performance with his father on Canadian Polka King. He was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2007 for his album Polka Freak Out, which was a collaboration with Bubba Hernandez. 

     Alex played three different accordions, the trumpet, and the alp horn. He also yodeled for the group. He played the trumpet after he yodeled because he showed us that yodeling takes a great embouchure, and so does playing the trumpet. He played Thunderstruck, Crazy Train, the Chicken Dance, and German Polkas on the accordions. When he played the Chicken Dance, he sang and he had everyone dance as he created the music. He had asked the audience for song requests, and everyone unanimously agreed on Thunderstruck.

      He played the alp horn and told a story about a German boy trying to court a German lady using the horn. Alex stated that the alp horn comes in many different sizes, and the bigger the alp horn, the lower the sound. The alp horn comes from a tree grown on the side of the Alps, where the tree is cut down and hollowed out to give it its shape. Most alp horns are also built with metal and other woods on the inside to be able to take it apart and store every piece. 

     When he played the trumpet, a student from the audience requested the ‘flight of a bumble bee,’ which was a difficult song formed by scales of notes that escalate and decrease in accents and sound. 

     He requested for volunteers to come up to the stage without knowing what they were volunteering for. The volunteers obtained the task of yodeling onstage in front of everyone. Alex gave every volunteer a German name, and they each yodeled at different times. Towards the end of the yodeling time, the audience voted for which yodeler was the best. 

     Alex asked for students to show their musical talents when he was asking the audience what to play next. Two students played a song in front of the group, one sang and the other played the piano. Mid-way through the song, Alex joined in with his trumpet. 

For more information on Alex Meixner, visit alexmeixner.com