The Next Level

What does it take to get to the next level of success as a band program? Noticed I said band program and not marching band. Our success this year in marching band was made possible by a lot of hard work during the winter and spring months. What is a successful program? I think a successful program is well rounded with opportunities for students to excel both in a group (like marching band) but also as an individual. This will take individual motivation and practice. Unfortunately, our program is not in a position to offer a winterguard to help excel our visual program but that may change in the future. Certainly we own most of our success visually during this marching season to the colorguard and their instructor and we are not going to let that go away but we just are not in a position to have a full time winterguard in addition to the marching band.

What about concert band? The only band in South Carolina to make finals at BOA Nationals is Irmo. It is not coincidence that they all had one of the top concert bands in the country at the time also. Just go down the list at the top marching bands in the country and you will find that they also have the best concert bands too. If we are to excel and take the next step as a band program, there must be more of a devotion towards the individual musician and performer and to the concert band.

I have always made music and individual successes the cornerstone to the band programs that I have built and directed. It always pains me to see some of the top bands at the state marching finals not even attend concert festival. Let's work to make sure everybody knows we deserved our top positions in marching band with a ton of students in region and all state bands and straight superiors in at least grade 5 at concert festival. No band in our classification has ever dared to played grade 6 music at festival. We could change that if we all wanted too. Just a thought.