Clarinets!

We have 14 clarinets. 9 are veterans and 5 are new to the band. They are all young ladies. Their playing skills vary a lot. We have 5 region band players in the group. Some of them like to talk a little too much in rehearsal, but they really do work hard to get the job done. Their marching skills have really improved since last year especially in the area of slides. I think this section probably makes fun of me more than any other! They don't think I hear them and see them, but I do! Their section leader has worked very hard to become a good leader, and she has succeeded. They are a lot of fun and will continue to develop as the season continues.

Rehearsal today was great. We are right on track of where I feel we should be at this time of the year. We have also be really fortunate with the weather. We rehearsed in the rain today for a while but the cool tempature was a blessing. Band competitions go on in the rain so I feel it is important that we are prepared for it if that is the case.

Tomorrow is Friday, and we don't have a game so it is nice to have a free weekend coming up.

Section by Section

I am going to start a section by section look at the band this year. To be fair, I am going in score order. So I will start with flutes/piccolos.

We have seven of them. They are a really great mix of students. Six young ladies and one young man. We have 5 veterans returning and 2 new members. Their playing skills are outstanding. During band camp, I came to the conclusion that we had to switch from piccolos to flutes because of tuning issues. In most bands this would have caused a problem but not at Swansea. They trusted that I knew best and made the switch without a question. They still play their piccolos at the games. I have really been happy with their marching abilities. Two of them have previously made region band but all of them certainly have the potential. I feel lucky to have group like them in that they work together so well. They also play so well in tune, most of the time, that you can actually hear them on the field. So many bands have tons of flutes and you never hear because they are out of tune.

The flute section leader is a true leader in that she leads by example. It is funny that she was thrust into the position last year because the one chosen the year before failed to show up. It is strange how things work out sometimes.

Yeah for flutes our highest pitched member of the Tiger Marching Band!

Awe Full Day!

Today was an awful day for bands all across the state. It was at least 100 degrees when we started practice and then storms started to roll in. It was an awful day for bands across the state because...We kicked butt! Today the band I love showed up to practice. Not only did we get everything done I wanted to but even more. As always, I asked who was willing to do what it takes to be the best and as everytime I have asked, every student raised their hand. It is one thing to say it but today they proved it. Thank you to the band for proving it today!

Above is a picture of most of the band at the football game last week. They look pretty happy! In the middle is my hard working associate, Mr. Bussell. He really makes a big difference in things and is a big part of our growing success.

The Ballad!

Working on the slow section of the show always makes me crazy! It is slow in tempo and usually the drill is not very difficult (usually!). Everybody seems to start moving in slow motion after a while. Then they start thinking slowly. And then I yell and scream. It is all a vicious cycle! The ballad is always important in that it allows the band to show expression. Many people have said I am too emotional and wear my emotions on my shirt sleeve but not one judge or listener has ever said my bands have played with too much emotion. It's the highs and lows that make life interesting. Why not allow students to experience that in something positive like music.

The picture is of little Ted. He just makes me happy after a long day. Tomorrow will be better but today wasn't bad just hard.

Fishing

Anybody that knows me at all knows I love to fish. When I was young, I would fish in the pond behind my parents house from sunup to sunset. Why? My job is being a band director and I really don't know if I could have a better job. I am one of the few people I know that gets paid to do something they truly love but my job often has aspects to it that are out of my control such as judges, biases, and other things that I have to work with or around. Not fishing? When I fish I am in control of how I do and things like the weather, well everybody fishing has the samething to deal with. This morning I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and was on the water by 6:00 a.m. Why? Well look at the picture above. I was one of the only people to get to see this. Sunrise over the dam at Lake Murray. I took this picture this morning from my boat. Did I catch any fish? Yep, I caught 3 stripers, a gar, and a pretty nice largemouth. It seemed like I did the best out of the people I talked to today. Because anybody that knows me at all, knows when I do something...I do it to be the best I can be! I hope everybody had as good of a weekend as I did. Tomorrow is back to work!

Wow! by Special Guest Blogger

As guest blogger, I am honored that my husband would let me voice my opinion on his BLOG. But more so honored that he would let me voice my opinion about his BAND…….

Tonight was the first Friday night football game at Pelion. The excitement of the first football game was in the air, but more importantly, the excitement of being able to march the show for the first time in public was in the air.....as the Directors wife, I was even on pins and needles because tonight would be the first time I have heard the band for this season and the first time I have seen the “show” the band has been working on so diligently.

The result………….well, all I can say is WOW!!!!

In all the years I have followed band (which is 10 years, by the way), I must say that this is the first time I have heard a band that sounds like ‘all that’ in the last week of August. YES……..IT IS ONLY THE LAST WEEK IN AUGUST! The brass was full, the winds were clean, and the percussion was tight.....WOW! The color guard looked beautiful with smiles on their faces and flags together.....WOW! The drill was hard, but the marching was clean.....WOW!

Now, now…..I know a lot of you know that I am not a musician and that I can’t read music, but there is one thing that I have acquired over the years while following band….and that is that I can hear what is good and what needs work. And I can see what looks clean and what needs work. This band was good. This band was that “WOW!” kind of good…………so good that I am ready for the season to begin. So good that if what I saw tonight was any indication of the things to come this season, then I had better hold on tight because I think it’s going to be one heck of a ride. By the end of the season you might just hear me saying WOWWWWEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Box

What is the box? Just ask any of my current or former students and you will find out quickly. The Box is just a cardboard box that has every student's field number in it and once a week we pull a few numbers out. If your number is picked, you have to play, by memory, a specified part of the marching band show...IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE BAND! If you can't or won't do it, you don't march that weekend. I know that is harsh, but music is meant be performed in front of people. The Box has done a few things. It has drastically increased the amount of time in which the students memorize their music and has improved the music's performance overall. Secondly, it has caused more parent phone calls to me than just about anything! I always hear "I can play my music with the rest of the band but not by myself". Yeah right! The problem is all the wrong notes and rhythms are still there, you just can't hear them as well. Today's victims did just fine. They all played and performed very well. It was not by chance that the entire opener sounded much better today. Some pressure is good for you. Today five signatures went on the box to prove that those students had conquered it (for this week at least).

Tomorrow night is our first performance on the field this year. We go to Pelion and will perform the opener. Show time is about 8:15 p.m.

You Think Band is...

"You think band is the most important class these kids have!"

This statement was made to me many years ago in a conference that I was in with another teacher. I was young. Real young. Only 24 I believe. The dispute was over a student that I had told must be at band practice or not march that Friday night at the football game. This student had "make up" work to do. Not because they had missed school due to illness but because they had not kept up with their own work. The student made up the work and actually made a higher grade in the class than he had originally. Why? Because they wanted to march that Friday night. This student is now at the University of South Carolina as a music major and has a scholarship. He plays saxophone.

Here is another one. "Mr. Brady I don't know if you are aware but xxxxx is our best defensive player from the middle school and we really need him to play on the varsity team. " My response, " That will be fine as long as he doesn't miss one one minute of band practice." This student is now at the University of South Carolina and is also receiveing a music scholarship. He plays trombone.

The students in my band may not ever remember who they sat next to in English or Math. They may not even remember who that teacher was, but they will remember who they marched beside, what their "number" was, and I hope who their band director was.

So what was my response to that teacher at my first conference as an adult in front of my principal back in 1995 when I was the youngest head band director in the state?

"I better think band is the most important class he has... I am the Band Director. "

To any of my students that ever wonder who your biggest supporter is, don't wonder. It is your band director. Now...GO PRACTICE!

My Hardest Class in School is...

Well let's see is there a class that not only expects you to learn the material but also apply it instantly? How about a class that requires you to spend at least 12 hours outside of class time after school a week and even on some Saturdays? Ok here is the worst part. The teacher! He expects the students to do all this and be absolutely quiet in class. He also makes the students do their tests in front of the other students while they watch! Now here is the hard part. Just because you do everything on the paper correct, you only get an 80! To get a 100 you have to put some of yourself into your work and the teacher won't even tell you what to do to add that extra part. You have to figure that out yourself. What if you mess up? This guy tells you..In front of the other students! Is there such a class? You bet! Everyday in the band room and on the practice field.

I am very proud of my students thus far. I hesitate to say it, but I feel we are ahead of the game right now. Our feet are slowly catching up to our playing and flag ability. If we keep progressing like this, other groups will be hard pressed to catch up but who really cares. We are having fun. I always have said "Practice makes band fun!"

Is it hard? Maybe but worth every bit in the end.

Work Continues!

We had a really good rehearsal today. It was forecast to rain but instead it was 92 degrees. I was getting worried the opener may be too hard but I was proven wrong today. Our goal of performing the opener at the Pelion seems to be within our grasp. Our next goal is quite a bit more lofty...performing the entire show at the first home game on September 8. We went through 40 gallons of water today in 2.5 hours. We have aquired some helpers that move equipment for us and just help out generally. They really are an asset. If the weather will cooperate with us, we may be able to work on the ballad a little tomorrow.

P.S. My TEAMMATE and I finished 8th in our fishing tournament this past Saturday.

Give Me a Break!

OK! Today we took the day off. Not really a day off. It was originally a day off, but we rescheduled to practice today to make up for a rain day. We made up for that rain day Monday and Tuesday by working our butts off! Come to think of it, we worked pretty hard on the rain day too. Everybody looked tired this morning after the long night last night. Even my associate, Chris, sounded tired this morning. Not me, up and at 'em like a spring chicken! (Well I may have been just a little tired.) Today was a good day at school. We are really coming together. Not just musically but in spirit. Things are going well, and we will just keep working. I am not really sure where we compare to other bands at this point, but I really don't care either. All I care about is if we are being the best we can be.

Home at Last!

I left my house at 7:00 a.m. this morning and I am now finally at home 17 hours later. And you think teachers are over paid for only working 9 months a year! Not me! Oh well Sportsarama was a total success in my book for the band. We sounded better than ever in the stands. The drum majors kept them playing for an entire half and everybody seemed to have a good time. We dressed exactly 100 students in purple tonight. The band's behavior was also great. If this is a precursor to what the season will be like...Get ready! We are going to be great! What kind of person would get home at midnight and then practice the next day? Me. I have a serious problem in that success just makes me want to work harder.

Sportsarama!

Tomorrow night is Sportsarama! Sounds impressive doesn't it? It is our first outting of the year. Pre-season high school football at its best. We play the second half. Although we don't officially get to perform, we at least get to go somewhere and play in the stands. A big goal that I have had for the band this year is to sound better in the stands. Last year this just was not a possiblity with the schedule I was given but this year is different. When I was in high school, the dark ages when we put our drill on wooden pallets, bands took great pride in who sounded the best in the stands and who played the coolest tunes too. Lately it has seemed that this has changed due to the time required to put out a competitive field show. My philosophy...band is band. It doesn't matter if you are in the stands, on the field, or inside, you should sound great. Besides that, the kids love to play. I think we should have enough stands tunes to play the entire game without repeating any, unless we just want to. By the end of the season, we should be able to play at least 12 different tunes and sound great.

There will probably not be a blog tomorrow due to the fact that I will go into work at 7:00 a.m and get home at about 12:00 midnight. Nothing like a 17 hour work day on a Thursday! Oh well, tomorrow will be the first look at our sea of purple. I bet alot of people will be surprised with not only what they see but also what they hear!

Was it hot today?

I don't remember. It was too hot! Any way, today was another day the seemed to matter very little today but will matter a lot in October. We are getting better. We are still a little out of shape. The happy sound of chatting on the field was all but gone by 5:30. Everybody was quite and tired. The opener is hard...real hard! But we are getting it. One thing we are lacking is the ability to help each other. Many veteran students are doing great but they don't seem to be able to help those around them. This must change in order for us to have a chance to be, as I say everyday, perfect in October. I must say that when I looked at my watch and it was only 5:15, I was very happy. Happy? Why? That meant we still had an hour and 15 minutes of practice. That is why I was happy! I am having a great time and I truly hope the band is too. This is a hard time of the year. The first competition is still 5 weeks way but just wait. It will be here before you know it. Only 10 days until our first public performance at Pelion. Full band!

Champions...

"Champions are made when nobody else is watching".

The person pictured above made this statement. He is one of my heros and idols and certainly could not have been more correct. Today we worked towards a goal. It was hot. It was Monday. We were tired but we worked. Today was the sort of rehearsal that makes champions. What does the above statement mean? It means that although nobody sees us when we work our hardest, it is then that makes us who and what we are. Everybody wants the reward but it is work and sacrifice that makes the reward worthwhile. I think the fun part is the work that nobody else sees. Today was one of those day that didn't really seem to matter, but it will in the end. Today we practiced like champions!

Fishing Report 8-13-06

A good day. 5 fish that totaled about 40 pounds. The fish are suspended from about 30-60 feet of water. There may be some deeper but the bait will not live very long too deep. All of the fish were caught in the big water. I was tempted to try Jakes, but I am glad I didn't. I had my limit by 9:30 a.m.

Stormy Weather

Today we were on our way to having a great rehearsal. We had stretched and finished basics block and had reviewed what we had cleaned on Tuesday. We sounded and looked better than we did when we left on Tuesday but then it happened. A severe thunderstorm. Last year this would have pretty much been the end of rehearsal but something great happened. We were in the band room set up to work on music in about 10 minutes! It is nice to have the full band together inside every once in a while. We made a recording for the colorguard to use and worked on stands music. It sounded so much better than last year. I even arranged a little tune myself, and we play it too. One of my drum majors paid me and the band a great compliment and didn't even know it. All he said was "this is fun!". I have always said practice makes band fun and I was glad that our hard work for the past year is paying off.

As a band, we also discussed how hard we needed to work this year. They seem to be willing to pay the price for success. There are 3 state championship trophies in the band room and I look at them a lot and think about the hard work and sacrifices those students made to obtain them. One thing is sure. Those students may be gone, but their rewards will stay at Swansea forever. Maybe just maybe there is room for another one of those trophies this year! I know I have made to the commitment to do everything I can to be happy when I walk off the field at the end of this season.

This picture above is of the "Yard of the Month" in Aberdeen Farms. It is our house. We won!

Short Term Goals

Today is my day off. I only had to work 8 hours! We don't practice on Wednesdays. I never have. It allows the students to schedule dentist's and doctor's appointments or work on school projects. Most are probably at home taking a nap right now!

The goal for tomorrow in colorguard class is to perform all of work for the opener straight through without major mistakes. The goal for tomorrow in percussion class is to play the opener with 98% accuracy by memory. The goal in winds class is to play the fight song, Eye of the Tiger, and Mustang Sally much better with only minimal mistakes. The goal for tomorrow's after school rehearsal is to run the opener with no stops by the end of rehearsal. The goal for Sportsarama is to sound better than ever in the stands. The goal for the first football game at Pelion is to perform the opener for an audience. The goal for the first home game is to perform the entire show.

Goals, goals, goals! Why even have short term goals. Why? Because they let you see and feel progress. I certainly have long term goals in mind but why not work towards them. My long term goal for the year is to_____________. You fill in the blank but remember that worthwhile goals are difficult to obtain. That's why so few people have them and even fewer acheive them.

Above is another great daylily from our collection. I just like to put some color on each post.

First Day of After School Rehearsal

The first day of after school rehearsal is typically one of the worst rehearsals of the year. The students are tired. Some forget their marching clothes to change into. The bus from the middle school is late. All of these things were true today but that did not stop this from being the best first day of school rehearsal I have had! We warmed up and stayed in basics block for over an hour, but we still cleaned 16 pages of the opener. I turned up the volume a bit today and we are loud but very dark too. I really only expected to clean about 5 or 6 pages of drill. Colorguard is doing very well as is the battery and pit. I love my new schedule at the high school. It finally feels like we may be in a position to be for real. I feel as though we are probably ahead of most of the other AA bands in the state, we just have to keep it that way. We must get better at marching basics but for a first day of school...I will take today as a victory!

Workday!

Today was a teacher workday. Many times I get asked what do you have to do on a workday. Here is a list of what I did today:

1. Write a purchase order for 2 more marching baritones.

2. Write a purchase order to pay for field lining paint.

3. Call the copier maintanance person and have the copier worked on.
4. Work on individual student schedule problems with guidance.
5. Clean my office.
6. Print class rosters for tomorrow.
7. Count and turn in money.
8. Fill the Coke machine.
9. Take out the trash. (This should change soon!)
10. Call transportation to check on the activity bus for the middle school students tomorrow.
11. Pick out some new stands music.
12. Order staff shirts.
13. Order show shirts.
14. Organize for my first homeroom ever! I feel sorry for the M's in the 10th grade.

Here a few unexpected things that came up:

1. A new student - I talked to her and her father for about 30 minutes.
2. A faculty meeting at 1:30 - It was very short though.
3. A good talk with the principal for about 20 mintues.

So do I have stuff to do on a workday? Plenty of it. Tomorrow is the first day of school. (Yeah right! We have been at school for 3 weeks now.) We also have our first afterschool rehearsal.

By the way, little Ted went to the vet today to have his teeth cleaned. This is a big deal for a little dog and he seems to be fine! A little groggy but he needed it for his own health. Dogs with problems like this can die if it is not taken care of. At the top is a good picture of the boy.

Band Camp 2006 Report

Today we ended band camp. It was a very hot band camp...maybe my hottest ever. My wife said I am getting old but I still think it was hot. We had 4 days over 100 degrees! We can play the show pretty well for August 4 and we have 72 pages of drill on the field. The colorguard has work for two thirds of the show. We had no serious medical problems with the heat although we did average drinking about 50 gallons of water a day!

Today we played the entire show for the parents and friends. Everybody seemed to like it. I like the people in Swansea. Everybody is nice and seems to accept each other for what and who they are. No looking down the nose to other people. It reminds me of my high school and home town.

I believe this season holds alot of promise. The people in Lexington School District 4 need something to be excited about and I think we just may be it!

Our Staff

I have commented about the staff we have on hand for camp and throughout the year. Here is just a little bit about them.

Greg Apple - Head Percussion Instructor - Greg has a masters degree in percussion instruction and an undergraduate degree in music education. Greg has also been the marching band director at Emporia State University in Kansas. We are really lucky to have him. He will be with us throughout the entire season.

Dr. Scott Herring - Camp Percussion Instructor and Percussion Advisor - Dr. Herring is the Professor of Percussion Studies at the University of South Carolina. I am not really sure why he hangs out with us except that we have fun and he enjoys teaching. (It doesn't hurt that Greg and him are best friends!). He is absolutely great and the kids love him!

Sharod Coleman - Colorguard Instructor - Sharod and I go back a while. Sharod is the dance line instructor at Newberry College and just a great person. I worked with him in my prior position and was lucky enough to steal him back. He is already making a huge difference in our entire visual package. The girls like him and so does my wife.

Chris McElroy - Drill and Drum Major Instructor - Chris is a recent graduate of Lexington High School and was their drum major. He wants to be a band director and there is not better training than on the job. This is his first paying band job. He is getting better everyday and should make a fine band director one day. He basicly assists me anything we need.

Henry Jay - Pictured above - Henry is also on staff as moral support. If he can get through what he has, then anybody can do anything!

That is about it for hired staff. I think we are very lucky to have such great people that are willing to work with us.

Sorry...

No blog yesterday. My wife and I were entertaining our drill writer. Kirk Godbey came down yesterday to check things out for us and observed things this morning. Kirk was my supervising teacher during my student teaching 14 years ago. Since that time we have become not only colleagues but also friends. He has written the drill for my bands many times and I feel fortunate to be able to obtain his services. Kirk has written drill for several state champions and BOA finalists. He seemed to think things were on the right track and we were much better than last year in many aspects already.

I am no longer worried about the music being too difficult. We can play! We have not been able to go outside during the afternoon for the past two days because of heat indexes of about 110 degrees but we have not wasted time. We have learned our music and the colorguard has learned their flag work. I have always felt that the music is the core of what we do and everything else will revolve around it. The drill will get set much easier with the music.

Tomorrow is the first day back for the "real" teachers. Sometimes I get irritated with the complaining about certain things like how many students they have in their classes (I have 95 each day!), or they have to spend too much time at school, (I will average over 70 hours a week during marching season) or scheduling problems (try scheduling a singleton class with 9-12 graders in it!) .

The picture is of my favorite daylily my wife and I grew this summer. I just thought it was pretty!