At the Head of the Brass

The State News the other day had a wonderful article on Barry Greer, the unofficial conductor of the Spartan Brass. If you haven't read it yet, you should.

You may not know him by name, but if you've ever been to an MSU basketball game, you've seen him. Greer stands on the floor, just in front of the band, conducting his heart out, game after game. As he has been diagnosed with Down Syndrome, Greer's arms when conducting don't exactly move in sync with the music. But his heart is pitch-perfect.

Greer has been helping John Madden to direct the Brass since age 6, and everyone in the Spartan Basketball family - and the State News talked to just about all of them - loves the guy. Although he is unable to travel with the band to NCAA events, he will surely be watching tonight's game from his South Lansing home. Let's hope he - and the rest of us - will get treated to a W.