Here's the truth...

I am a band nerd! Today I was joined by others, about 100 of them! I know it was hot today, and it was Monday but who cares it was band camp. Sometimes I feel sorry for the people that just don't get what we do. After a somewhat slow start today, we finally got it together. We are up to page 43 in the drill and after studying the closer we may get the whole show on the field by Friday. If we don't, it will not be failure but just another hurdle to jump. We will be successful this season.

Back to being a band nerd, I can remember being in high school and looking at my watch to figure out how many more hours it was until band practice. Was it hot...yes! Was it hard...yes! Did it take a lot of time...Yes! Was every bit of it worth it...Yes! Sometimes I get asked "Why are you a band director?" The answer is simple...I love band. Somehow this has been transfered to my students. I have 5 former students that are attending USC as music majors. I myself could have persued other routes in music such as orchestra or a private instructor but I always wanted to be a band director. Today was hot, hard, and took time but was it worth it...yes! Things are coming together. Unfortunately there is a heat advisory tomorrow so we will have to stay inside for the afternoon session. A few pages of drill is not worth the safety of the band members. So what will we do? We will learn to play even better but even more importantly we will be able to have band together for another day. Why be in band? My famous answer is because you like doing the activity.

The picture above is of our own little oasis, our backyard. That is little Ted looking over his fish. I just thought it was a neat picture.

Weekly Report for 7-28-06

We have 36 pages for drill complete and can play the entire show. The guard knows the work for the opener and all of wind spots are full (For now any way). It was a very successful week and I feel like things are on their way to give us a chance to have a very great season. We did not go back outside Friday due to very high temperatures and heat index. That would not have been a very positive end to the week. The lunches went as planned all week. All of the students have been fitted for uniforms and we are in process of finding somebody professional to make our colorguard outfits. The winds' sound continues to improve which is about right. It takes about a week of doing my warm ups to make a difference. The battery is much improved over last year and the front ensemble is getting better also. My wife came to see and hear us Friday and she thinks they are much better and sound as good as some bands sound in September. Greg Apple will not be us next week which will be hard on the battery but Dr. Herring will be so they should be ok. Greg will be us for the season though. The section leaders did a great job during sectional rehearsals on Friday. If they would do that everyday, the music would not be a problem. The biggest differences between this year and last year are the leadership abilities of the section leaders and the attitude that the band cares about what it is doing. They truly seem to want to be successful. Now for a restful weekend of cutting grass and fishing.

Today a Band Came to Band Camp!

Today we had a band. Things seemed to come together. After a slow start, we got a lot done today. We now have 30 pages of drill set with music. Tomorrow the goal is to finish the opener. It is somewhat strange that we really get going when it warms up to about 90. If the colorguard continues on their present course, they will certainly make a positive impact on the visual end of things. They also seem much happier. The percussion is also coming together. And the winds...well they have no choice. They are stuck with me. The grass field certainly is paying off. I just don't think we could have practiced on asphalt today. The first week of band camp is almost over. I have always said I could tell how good or bad a band would be after only two weeks. We might need to get some more shelves in the band room. You have to guess what they are for!

The Heat is On!

It was hot today! That's about all I can say. If the students can take what I gave to them today, then they're in! I was pretty hard on them today with the heat and high expectations too. We warmed up for about an hour, then did basics block for about 45 minutes, reviewed yesterday's drill for about 30 minutes, and then set new drill for about an hour and 45 minutes. I then lead music rehearsal for about 2 hours and then it was back outside for 2 more hours during the heat of the day. Today was the first time we put everything together. Winds, battery, guard, and the pit. It was pretty neat. We have 18 pages of drill with music on the field. One aspect of my job that still frustrates me is the way a school will fight with me about scheduling band students. Can you imagine a class that students actually want to take? Apparently many schools can not. I guess I will continue to do the best I can with the situations I can not change. Today was promising. The music was better. I even think they may be practicing at home. Can you imagine kids that come to school during their summer break, request to be in classes that are hard, and work on it at home. Seems like maybe the school could learn something from band.

P.S. The picture is of a "hot dog". Get it!

Day 2 - Grey Tuesday

A grey day. Not really exciting but not terrible either. Some students are having scheduling problems while others seem to manage just fine. We lost a clarinet player today but gained a baritone and a good trumpet. So I guess that was a pretty good trade. My colorguard instructor had a doctor's appointment and had to miss today but will be back tomorrow but the guard seemed to function very well on their own so that was a plus. I just don't think the music is coming together like it should. Maybe it is too hard but as a former colleague told me, "That is the way you were taught. Your a male Judy McBride." As Miss Mac would have put it "If it's on the page you play it. I won't make the music easier, you will get better." Famous words of Judy McBride my high school band director. So if I am a male band director version of Judy McBride, than I will take that any day. Tomorrow will tell a lot about the band and its future for this year.

Black Monday?

The first day of full band camp has become known as Black Monday by most band directors. This is because we really don't know which students are really going to show up. Nothing is more disappointing to spend countless hours getting a show together only to have students that have committed to being in the marching band just not show up. Here is a good excuse: "I have a lot going on. I don't think I am going to do it this year. Maybe next year." Yeah, right! So this year your parents and you signed a commitment form to be in the marching band, but you have a lot going on so you will just do it next year. Sorry, that's not the way I work. Fortunately, I have learned to overcome this obstacle by writing show for about 10% less than actually say they will do it. So today was a success! I would much rather have the students that love band and want to be there and perhaps be a little smaller than we could be, than have students that have other priorities. One of the most pleasant things to happen was the work of my section leaders. I think they finally understand that more can be accomplished by encouragement and leading by example rather then yelling and demeaning each other. The section leaders and paid staff were great. I think the longest it took to set a new picture was 5 minutes. We do have 2 flutes spots that are open, but we may have them filled by tomorrow. So all and all it was a great day and probably most importantly everybody seemed to have fun, especially me. It is a pretty good feeling to finally feel at home at my job and to remember why I chose to be a band director again. My last year in my previous position was not very much fun, and I certainly didn't have a lot fun. Swansea's accomplishments last year may have not been evident to a lot of people, but today they certainly were to me!

Weekly Report for 7-21-06

Rookie camp was a success. Every one of them returned on Friday for the second day. They were even marching 8 to 5 and playing scales by the end of the day. We have a new golf cart for our use that the district has provided us (my assistant really seems to enjoy it!). Our tower will be complete for the beginning of official band camp on Monday. We also have secured funds that will allow us to purchase some much needed new marching baritones. Monday will be the first day with the full band, and the season seems to hold much promise. All the work last year may just be worth it in the long run!

The First Day of Band Camp

This is picture of my new observation tower. It should be complete by tomorrow. It will be incredible! My staff can observe on the first level while I can work from the top. This is a view that the 36 new members (rookies) will get very use to by the end of October. Today we started training the future of the Swansea Tiger Marching Band. I was very please with not only the turn out but also with the performance of the rookies. With temperatures at about the 100 degree mark, they took the first step to being in a competitive marching band. Here is a list of our rookies by section: 4 flutes, 5 clarinets, 3 saxophones, 1 mellophone, 5 trumpets, 5 baritones, 2 tubas, 1 bass drum, 4 front ensemble players, 6 colorguard, and 2 new drum majors. I did discover something new today. Our new practice facility is on a fairly busy highway (SC 6) that is a well used cut through to get from Lexington to I-26. There was lots of encouragement from the passerbyers! I have always said my practices are open to the public and now they really are. Just wait until Monday when they discover that what they saw today was only 1/3 of the band. It was cool to see how many cars slowed to down just to get a look at us. Today was only the begining of what I think may be a very rewarding season for everybody.

Lines, Lines Everywhere!

Our new practice field is ready to go. This morning my assistant and myself lined the new practice field for the first time. Sounds easy doesn't it? Not really! This task took us 4 1/2 hours to complete in weather well above 90 degrees. If you ever thought you wouldn't use the Pythagorean Theorem after geometry class, then you obviously are not a band director. Remember A squared + B squared = C squared! That's all there is to it. Our new observation tower will most likely not be finished by tomorrow, but we really don't need it until next week. There seem to be some workforce issues (and lots of cursing). Tomorrow is the first day of rookie camp. We will have to be especially careful because of the high temperatures. Most likely we will practice for 20 mintues and then rest for 10. It still amazes me that a middle-aged, tired man (that's what my wife calls me!) can out last them all in the heat. (Famous words I may eat later!) Tomorrows report...The first day of rookie camp.

Fishing Report

It is HOT! Surface water temp. of 89 degress. Caught 4 keepers in Jake's Cove all before 8 am. There was plenty of surface schooling action in Jake's. I then went to John's Creek and caught a few shorts. Then went to Wessinger Island and caught a few more shorts and finished the day at Twin Islands with one short and one long, real long gar! When I left at 1:00 pm just about everybody else was off the water. Tomorrow we line the field and the 100 degree weather is just in time for band camp!

Ah! Progress at Last!

Today I went to work! I went out to the school just to check on a few things like my yearly budget, progress on construction projects, and some policy things with my hired staff. I was pleasantly surprised to see a crew pouring a new concrete path for my Gator (John Deere product) to my new practice field. Swansea has never practiced on a grass surface before. Over the past decade, they have practiced on an asphalt surface. Sure, there are no lines to paint and it never gets muddy but, there are several drawbacks t0 a solid surface. The most obvious one is HEAT! and I mean lots of it. The asphalt surface would not only collect heat but would store it throughout the entire 2 1/2 hour rehearsal. Also, the area is also the bus parking lot during the day and would collect alot of oil during the year. Just add a little rain, about 100 students marching in tennis shoes and you have an instant skating rink! Many students have slipped and fallen during the past year. Hopefully the grass surface will be a little more forgiving if somebody slips. My new observation tower is still not complete but a least there has been progress. Tomorrow will be my last "free" day of fishing so perhaps I will post a fishing report tomorrow. Over the next few weeks I will elaborate on some of the things I have mentioned previously such as budget, staff, drill, and facilities. One thing to remember is that if it involves band or instrumental music in Lexington School District Four, it has a common link...me!

No construction progress

I went by the school today to see if any work had done on my new observation tower. Well, at least the materials were there! It seems a long shot that it will be complete by the beginning of rookie camp which is next Thursday, but it is started. I am meeting my drill writer today to pick up the drill for show. The show is complete at this point. All we need are the students. This is my last official weekend off for the summer. Ready, set, ...

It begins...again! Year 12

I am going to attempt to post some of the happenings and occurrances that are in a high school band director's life. A new season is just about to get started so away I go. As this blog progresses, perhaps it will give somebody else, or maybe just myself, some insight as to what it is I do in my chosen profession. This is my twelveth year as a head band director. It seems like just yesterday I was in college. Rookie camp begins one week from today. Things that are on my mind. Will all the students show up? Will my new observation tower be complete by band camp? New baritones? Will I actually go crazy this marching band season? Much more to follow!