Thank you Bud

(Albert "Bud" Asch  9/22/1932 - 4/14/2012) 

Bud Asch was one of the best teachers I ever had. In 1987-88 he taught me and six or seven other restless first year college students music theory at UW-WC. He was never overbearing with his musical preferences compared to mine, but somehow was able to expand my appreciation of genres beyond hard rock. Thanks for the education Bud.

In composition exercises we could write whatever we wanted.  He always accepted our initial ideas and we would go from there.  I once wrote a short song that heavily used a non-traditional, guitar oriented chord, frequently used by Robin Trower. The chord had no third and the class talked at length on what we should call it. We settled on calling it a "Trower chord". Bud knew the music & people were more important than rules and if it was best described as a Trower chord, then so be it. Thanks for being relatable Bud.

Our class was so small that "Jazz band" was just a four piece rock group. He let us work up whatever we wanted, what an easy credit! Thanks for the autonomy and respect Bud.

Bud was also conductor of the pit band for a musical called Working. I thank Bud for encouraging me to be part of the musical that year. He also had a keyboard player in that band whom I barely knew. That keyboard player and I have now been together for 24 years, married for almost 20, and have five beautiful kids.

Thanks Bud, for everything.

Dave Stadel