What a Shock!

I was shocked by the behavior of the group during today's clinic. The group was perfect! I have never had a group behave and listen so well over the course of a 3 hour clinic as I have today. This is a major step in the right direction for the Swansea band program. Our major concern is balance. We just play too loud. They play like their band director. IN YOUR FACE! I will take that over poor tone production any day. It is always easier to turn it down a little than to ask for more and have nothing left to give. It was the first time I have been able to sit back and actually listen to the band in a concert setting at Swansea. Some very nice things are happening. They must have an excellent band director! I am also proud of the concert band to sit and actually pay attention to what was going on. A great day for the Swansea band program indeed. I bet Mr. Brasco will have good things to say to people and I know we will hear from him again. (Although it may be on a judge's tape!).

Judge This!

We have a big day tomorrow. I have a guest conductor coming in to take a listen to things. This will not only allow me to see where we stand for the upcoming concert festival, but it will also allow me to see where we stand as far as the entire concert program. I have always contended that the key to success for any band program lies within the musical abilities of the group. That is one of the major reasons I teach the colorguard to play instruments. It will definitely help them with the timing of their work.

The entire band will need to hone their musical abilities if they are too advance to the next level and to be able to play and march next years show. I am not designing a show just to make state but to win it and make finals at BOA. Show design and content will not be a concern this year. Only the ability to be able to perfect it! But for now, concert band is the primary concern. Tomorrow will tell a lot about where we are going and where we have come from.

Back Home!

Region band is over and things went well. The kids seemed to have a good time and they behaved well too. It was pretty neat to drive up with a bus load of kids. We took 23 students with us. One students was at All State Orchestra this weekend too. That is not bad for a school that traditionally cares about marching band first and foremost. I was really happy for the two alternate students that were seated in bands too. That is why I bring them. We have a guest clinician coming in Tuesday and maybe that will help things seem a little more real for concert festival. We accumulated 32.5 OPA points at the region/all-state level and we max out at 20 so maybe this will be the first year ever that Swansea gets a 100 out of 100 in OPA points. Last year we received a 97 because we got a II at concert festival.

Now it is off to enjoy some NASCAR racing. It is at California which is usually a snoozer but you never know with racing. The wind is blowing like crazy today and I sure would have like to have gone fishin' but I can't deal with 25 mph winds!

Region Band Clinic

Tomorrow we will depart for wild and wonderful Greenwood, South Carolina. I have only been there once before...Last year for region band. Oh well. We will be staying the night the most posh hotel Greenwood has to offer. Yes! It has an indoor swimming pool. Fun for all. These kids deserve to get away for a night. I know they all worked really hard to make region band, and I am glad to take them. I will miss home though. Most people don't know how many nights I spend away from home because of band. I wish my family could come with me. I will miss Cindy and the Boyz. There is one added bonus...Miles on my Marriott card! Maybe one day can get enough for a free night somewhere! Now off to pack! Do I dare bring my bathing suit and spoil the fun in the pool? You bet!

What is the biggest pain in band directing?

It has to be the kids! Nope! How about the long hours? Nope! The parents and administration? Nope! Here it is...SCHEDULING!

The students have began signing up for next years classes and I know it was coming. "I can't schedule band next year. I have too many things I have to take." My response...OK. I quit fighting this battle long ago. If students want to be in band, they will find a way to make it work. It is not easy. Many students are encouraged to take AP classes in high school. It sounds like a good idea. They can get college credit in high school. My response...If you want to have your freshman year of college your senior year of high school, go for it. College classes taken in high school do not prepare a student for college. Many of these students end up having to retake the classes in college because they either can not pass the AP exam or do not score well enough on the placement tests once they are in college. Many students struggle in these classes and they actually end up lowering their GPA their senior year. Here's another one. "I need 3 foreign language credits to get into college." The fact is that most college admission offices value classes and activities like band far greater than how many foreign language credit a student has obtained. For most students, band will boost their GPA too. I have heard it all. It is just a battle I no longer fight. If students and their parents want them to be in band, they will find a way to schedule it.

This may very well be the issue that pushes me towards teaching at the college level one day. It may also be the very issue that allows bands in many schools to deteriorate to level that they are not longer valued or wanted. All bands across South Carolina have fallen in numbers due mostly to this very issue. Until classes like band are valued by all, this trend will continue and the answer is not to cut the time in band to 45 minutes a day just to increase numbers. Then you will just have a big, bad band.

Inservice Days

I hope everybody had a good day off yesterday. I had to work! And today the kids were out again. I heard they had a pretty good time on Friday with the substitute. Now think for a moment. When you have teacher that leaves the assignment of practice your parts on your own and if the teacher doesn't get any bad reports from the sub that can continue to be your assignment, don't you think that you should practice your parts? That would be the smart thing to do. I guess some people need more guidance and structure. I can supply those things.

I have been in meetings for the past two days. There are lots of things going on within the school to improve teacher accountability. I think that it is a good thing. It is only a week until I have my first guess clinician in to work with Swansea. I hope the students behave better for him than they did the substitute.

Dale Earnhardt: My Hero

Tomorrow is always a bitter, sweet day for me. It is the first race of the season, but it will also mark a tragic day in my history. Tomorrow will be the first running of the Daytona 500 that will be on the exact day Dale left us. Some people don't know this about me, but I absolutely love stock car racing. One year out of the 32 races, I attended 24 of them. In my younger days, I would pack my stuff and go to work on Friday and leave right after school to be somewhere on Saturday morning. I have been to Bristol, Charlotte, Daytona, Martinsville, Pocono, Atlanta, Rockingham, Darlington, Talladega (my favorite!), and countless Busch races too like Hickory and Myrtle Beach. I would then drive back on Sunday night, stop by my apartment take a shower and sometimes go to work without even a nap. Racing is a big part of my life. My wife loves to go too (except Talladega! No hotels there!). I still have seats at Talladega, Darlington, and Charlotte.

So why Dale Earnhardt for a hero. Well, I grew up down here in the South and for somebody like me that was never blessed with much money, he seemed like a likely hero. He earned his money every Sunday and never had a guaranteed contract in his life. For somebody that made it only though 8th grade (and was only because he promised his mom he would finish grade school), that is good enough for me. But even more was his attitude. He didn't wait for opportunity to knock. He made his own opportunities and did his own knocking. If you ever saw him in person, there was not mistaking that 6 foot tall, slim frame of his. I will never remember seeing him race. He truly was the best. It was almost like everybody else was just out there but he ruled the roost. There are a few memories that stick out. Like at the Winston when he drove the silver car and literary wrecking half the field before finally taking D.W. out. I was there. How about when he won Talladega when everybody thought he was done. I was there. One of the best memories I have of him was at Talladega. It was a rain delayed Winston cup race and they didn't even start it until 5:30 p.m. There are no lights at Talladega so I was pretty surprised they even started the race. Well it was one of the most exciting races nobody ever saw. They don't even have tape of it. It was not on TV. They all had left. Well Dale was hit in the rear going through the trioval and went in the wall head on going at least 195 mph. The marks are still on the wall. It seemed terrible. As Dale go out of the car, he grabbed his chest (he had a broken sternum) and as I looked through my binoculars, he waved. I knew he was waving at me! He was that kind of person. He had to show everybody he was OK. The next week he broke the track record at Watkins Glen with a broken sternum. My best memory of him was at Rockingham. It was early as I wanted to watch practice before the Busch race. Dale was out walking on the track at about 8:30 a.m. I saw him and went running to the wall yelling and holling at him. He saw me and very slowly walked up to the fence. I was yelling and screaming the whole time. And what did he say, "Calm down son, it will be alright." He was laughing the whole time. It was the closest I ever came to him.

Some people think it is odd that I would so affected by the death of somebody I really never got to meet. But he was my friend on every Sunday. To me, it was us out there racing against the others. And on Sunday, February 18th, 2001 something left me. He was bigger than the sport in which he competed. He was in his prime and taken from us too early.

So why do I drive a big, black, Chevrolet truck with a 3 on the front? Now you know. It is strange how many people still flash their headlights 3 times at me even today. We have not forgotten him and never will. I still hold up 3 fingers on the 3rd lap of every race...and I am happy to look around and see...I am not alone. Light a candle for Dale tomorrow and remember.

Michelangelo's "David"

Today was a doosy. It started well enough but something seemed to be in the air. The school seemed just be loud today. Everybody seemed to be in frenzy of some sort.

Any way I guess, I am the man to hate today. I have been pushing the kids pretty hard as far as concert band goes. Why? It is not like Swansea is use to having a upper crust concert program. It would really be much easier on me if we just went in Class IV and did some easier pieces. So why push them to more difficult and significant music? One reason is that I like teaching and conducting the more difficult music. That is a selfish but true reason. Another is the opportunities the students may have to be awarded scholarships. The better the concert program becomes the more exposure the band will get to colleges. Another reason is that we are in contention to do very well next year at marching band. What? How can this affect marching band? I have explained this before. Look back a few pages for this explanation.

It does affect me to see students sad that I have pointed them out and told them they must do better. But is also affects me to hear the things that are said about me. I hear more than I tell. I developed a very hard skin many years ago though. But I will say that the thing hurts the most is...

When we are at competition and things did not go well. I see six feet tall boys with tears in their eyes. I see parents mad and I see the hurt in everybody's face. Who do they all look at then? Me. I am the one they look to for explanation. The one that has to try to explain when were beat by judges or political reasons. They all look at me.

When we go to concert festival and receive a lower rating than we wanted. I am the one that has to tell them and they all look at me.

When we have the best run of the year and come off the field feeling like champions only to hear the results of third...Again...For the second time that day! They all look at me.

When a student cries because they didn't make region or all-state and tried with all their might but fell short.

These things hurt more than being hated for a day.

What makes it better?

To be mobbed by 100 students after you won lower state and nobody, not even them, thought they could do it.

To get straight I's in Class V at festival with a band of only 42 and have to tell them to be quiet as they cheered because other bands are still playing.

To finish second in the state and have students hug you anyway because they knew they had given it their all and wear their red ribbons to school because they knew they earned it.

To get emails from students I taught years ago that say thank you.

To see the student cry because they made region band after all those years of trying.

To see my students tell me they want to be band directors.

So I can handle the remarks, the temporary tears (although they crush me at the moment), the nasty phone calls, and the titles of mean, heartless, and non compassionate because I know the rewards are there.

Remember Michelangelo said when people commented that his "David" was the most remarkable piece of art ever created that "He didn't create the art. He just took away the excess stone that was covering it up." The stone had even been discarded by other artists of the time as being flawed. I guess he won that contest.

Swansea I think we both have a lot more to offer each other. Just let me chip away at the stone and you just be what you are, but let's work together to create a masterpiece.

My Tastes in Music

Sometimes I get a student that laughs and asks me what kind of music I listen too. Well, they probably think I ride around listening to Beethoven. Although I enjoy and study art music (what most people call "classical music"), I usually listen to popular music. I classify popular music as anything that is not art music so everything from rock, country, metal, alternative, and those kind of things are popular music. I compare to not always wanting to read a novel. Sometimes you just don't want to have to think that hard. So who are some of my favorites?

U2- One of my favorites. If you haven't listened to "The Joshua Tree" lately, do! Ihave seen them 3 times.

Everclear - They are playing in Myrtle Beach tomorrow night and I would love to go. They are just cool.

The Counting Crows - Greatness! My wife and I went to Atlanta to see them this past Labor Day.

Better Than Ezra - If you don't know this band. Look them up. They are so underrated.

Stone Temple Pilots - This was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Pearl Jam - I still remember that first time I heard them. The older stuff is the best from them.

Radiohead - Alot of the newer bands out there owe a lot to these guys.

The Foo Fighters - It really makes me wonder why Dave Grohl played with Nirvana at all.

These are only a few of my favorites. If you don't know some of them, go look them up and give them a listen. One of the greatest things about music is sharing it with others. Feel free to list your favorites as a response.

Back from Convention!

I bet some of kids wish I would have stayed longer! I was ready to go today, but it won't end there be assured. There are only two options: Succeed or quit! On March 21st at 12:00 noon, the entire state will know that not only the Swansea Tiger Marching Band is one of the best, so is the Swansea High School concert band program. Perhaps my greatest challenge in band directing so far is to make sure this becomes a reality.

P.S. I don't think anybody is going to quit at this point, so maybe there really is only one option.

Fundraising: A Necessary Evil

As I prepare to depart for Charleston to go to convention, I think about the vendors that will be displaying their various services and items. More than a quarter of the vendors there will be offering fundraising services. There will be pizza kits, cookie doughs, and fruit of all sorts and people just dying to help you and your band make more money (That's what they will say of course). There are all kinds of ways to make money for the band. I have participated in fruit sales, Coca-Cola product sales, frozen cheesecake sales, and yes even onion sales. These are some of the most productive fundraisers in that they are fairly quick and involve a minimum of actual time to organize. I am lucky to have some band boosters that are willing to count money and item orders for me. I DO NOT TOUCH ANY FUNDRAISING MONEY...EVER! I highly recommend that no band director ever does either. This is one of the major things that a band booster club can do for any band director. Of course there are other ways to fundraise rather than selling some sort of product. There are car washes. They are fun and cheap but are very labor extensive and really don't make much money at all for the amount of time that goes into them. There are brochure sales. I always felt bad about charging people $10 for a box of candy that really would only cost $1.50 at a drug store and it tastes bad too. I even know of some bands that just simply send out a mailing to the whole community and ask for donations. This is a great one. Nothing to count or deliver. It is rather labor extensive to get together though but hey the donations are tax deducible and at least people know where there money is going.

On thing is for sure, band is an expensive activity. So we will continue to fundraise. Below are the approximate costs of just some of the things we do:

1 Tuba =$3500

1 colorguard show flag = $40.00 X 11 colorguard members = $440.00 X 3 show flags = $1320.00 for one competition show (poles not included)

1 marching baritone = $1500

Food for one meal for 100 member band = $300

2 Charter buses for one day to a BOA event=$2000

One case of field lining paint (last about 1 week) = $50

One insane band director yelling at you in 100 degree weather to not move when bugs are biting you, sweat is rolling in your eyes, and you are seeing spots = Priceless

Goin' To Convention!

I will be going to the annual in-service South Carolina Music Educators Convention tomorrow and will remain through Saturday in Charleston. It is a usually a pretty good time. There will be a lot of bands and smaller ensembles to enjoy and plenty of vendors will have booths set up to gather some free some from. There will also be some clinics for the band directors too. It is the band director's asssociations only business meeting of the year. Any changes to how we do things will be presented and voted on at this and only this meeting. Perhaps the best part of this convention and any for that matter are the contacts that will be made during the visit. It was at last year's convention that I finalized plans for the marching band show. That seemed to go well. I will make new friends and hang out with old ones too.

Many people are amazed with Charleston and they should be. It is a wonderful city that has so much to offer but to me it is one thing...home.

One thing is for sure though, on Saturday I will be ready to come back to my wife and the boyz.

Note: Any students reading this are reminded to...BE GOOD WHILE I AM GONE!

I Don't Have Time!

I require my students to take their instruments home every day, or their grade is drastically reduced. I know I can't make them all practice, but I can guarantee that no practicing will take place if the instrument is left in the band room. The most common response I hear as to why students don't practice is that they don't have time. Get real kids! Just wait until you are a little older and really find out the value of time. Grades are due for the first term of the semester and there may be quite a few surprises because students have not taken home their instruments. I will get parent phone calls about poor grades and it really is a pain to me to check to see if the instruments have went home. Why do I do it? Because, it is the right thing to do. Popular things are not always right and right things are not always popular. Sure I could ease up and not worry about so much. Heck, we might even have a larger band. I can't do it. A parent once told me that I acted like her child was going to be a professional musician and that just music just wasn't that important to her child or her. My response was simple. Music may not be that important to that student or parent but it might be to the student sitting next to them. Without high standards in place, only mediocrity can take place. So make time to practice because not only is important to the student practicing, it is important to the other students, too.

"Shoot of the Moon! If you miss, you may just end up among the stars! "

Global Warming: An Inconvenient Truth

Now look, I am not a tree hugging radical, but you need to watch the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" Yes, AlGore is in it and I do happen to like some of the stuff he has done. Heck, he invented the internet! (Go look that one up for a pretty good laugh!) This movie is not about politics it is about the survival of our planet. You may think you can't do anything to help but you would be wrong. There are about 5 billion people on the planet. If everybody just did a few little things to make the enviroment better, change could happen quickly. It is a fact that changes in the world happen quickly and not gradually as once believed. So please, watch the movie and tell everybody you know to watch it too. We can make a true difference in our world.

Rethinking the Norms

So do we have this band thing figured out? We put the students into large classes in the high school and then try to teach them all at the same time. Does it work? Yes, it can be very successful with advanced students. The problem is that some students will get left behind if they are not advanced and mature enough to progress on their own.

Today there were several field trips going on throughout the school, and it left the Symphonic Band class with most of the brass and percussion but only a few of the woodwinds. A few years ago I would have just told the students to practice on their own but today I kept the brass and percussion and let the woodwinds break up in the small sections. It worked! I feel like we not only accomplished things that we were not able to in a large setting but the students seemed to be happy to be in the smaller settings. We may try this again in the future. The biggest problems with this is our facilities. They stink. We do not have any real practice rooms and the acoustics in all the rooms are awful. But you can't have it all! In ever band program there are pluses and minuses. You just have to hope you can keep the average in the plus column.

I really feel like that two band directors, one a brass specialist and one a woodwind specialist, could accomplish great things if they were able to work together like this. The percussion section could go with whatever section there parts were more compatable with for that day. I guess it can go back to the answers to other questions like:

What do you teach, high school or middle school?

My answer: students

What do you play?

My answer: Music

What grade of music is your band playing this year?

My answer: The most musical grade.

How many students do you have in band this year?

My answer: All the ones that want to be there.

P.S. If you have never seen the movie "Groundhog Day" starring Bill Murray, go get it now. It is a true comedy classic and has so many sarcastic twists. By the Andie McDowell went to Winthrop!

Winter Weather

Yep, we were on a 2 hour delay today and I went slip sliden' to work at about 9:00 a.m I still think it is better than a day we have to make up. So we started with 1st period and skipped 2nd period and then went on to 3rd and 4th. No problem...Unless you have 2nd period planning! I bet Symphonic Band wished I had planning. Non the less, we rehearsed and seem to making some progress. The problem is that very little at home practice is taking place. I really get depressed to think how good they could be if only they would work at it at home on an individual basis for about 40 minutes a day. I guess there are other things like TV and video games to do though. On a happy note, Henry got to see snow today. After he quit thinking somebody was throwing something at him, he actually seemed to enjoy it. Ted cerebrated in his usual fashion, he peed on some stuff. Oh well, the fire is stoked so I am off to a nice evening of TV.

P.S. I did practice today!