Back from the Bama!

Yes, I am home and it was great. We made it home with new land speed record of 4 hours. We left the track at 6:00 p.m. and I was in the house at 10:00 p.m. Don't even ask how that was possible. Let's just say it was time to come home. It was nice to be back at work too. Don't tell anybody but I actually missed the kids. Poo-Boy won and it was pretty clear that he would. He definitely had the car to beat all day. I don't really like and I don't want him to win but I do respect his talent.

Any way the picture above is one of best friends and we don't get to see each other very often so this weekend was great for that too. He may just look like anybody else in the stands but to me he is Howie.

That has a lot to with why I love racing. I get to spend time with my friends and just do nothing and sometime doing nothing is everything.

Only two weeks until Darlington. My best friend will go with to that race...Cindy.

Talladega Nights!

This is it! I have waited for too long to go back to the mecca of stock car racing. TALLADEGA! We will be leaving tomorrow morning to pay homage at the most incredible racing facility anywhere. I haven't been in two years so I am due. My tent, sleeping bag, food, and all the necessities are ready. All I have to do is try to sleep tonight and meet my buddies in the morning and we are off.

Remember too that Sunday is Dale's birthday. What better way to celebrate than with 250,000 friends! Look for my on Sunday. We will sitting at the top of the lower level going into the pits.

I hope everybody has a great weekend. Mine has begun!

The Firebird - A Phoenix Rising From the Ashes

Be ready to be amazed! We are not just moving up to AAA. We are coming for what is ours.

Big Meeting Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. we will officially kick off marching band season 2007. I sent out about 200 invitations to the meeting so we shall see how many people actually come out. This is the parents chance to ask questions about next year. Many of the parents will be new to our organization so this will be a big night to build interest in our group. I will also announce the 2007 competition marching band show!

On another not about what band directors are required to do, I must administer the HSAP test tomorrow to a group of students. Fun, fun! Nothing like disrupting student's habits to make them take a three day, two hour each day test. Oh well. Colorguard tryouts also beginning tomorrow. It is going to be a full week for sure!

A Beautiful Spring Morning

Yes, I am awake on a Saturday morning and have been since about 5:30 a.m. That's what I do. I really don't know why. So what kind of plans do I have? I am going to get all my camping stuff together and check it all out to make sure it is all OK because a week from today I will be in Talladega, Alabama for the one of the largest events in the United States. Race weekend at the world's largest racetrack! I will also work in the yard, but mostly I will just hang out around the house and relax. I will probably go fishing tomorrow. I hope everybody has a great weekend. I am pretty sure I will.

Hey!, What are all these kids...

"Hey! Why are all these kids here after school! Is there some kind of special event or something?" No, the truth is that none of those students were required to be at school after the final bell had rung. They were all staying for volunteer band practice. There were not tryouts or required. So about 50 students were at the school today for band related activities all on their own accord. Here is what is pretty cool. This were not the whole band. It was only percussion, colorguard, and some small ensembles. These were just open rehearsals to any student that wanted to learn more and all were involved in group activities because they wanted to be there. No grades, no pressure, no problems. It made me smile to know that the students are responding to my recruitment activities. What are these? Nothing but providing them a healthy, positive environment in which to grow. That is what students want more than anything and today they got their wish. Maybe more will show up next week. Maybe not. But at least the opportunity is available for them.

Hey, What Is This I Sense?

What is the tingly feeling you get when you watch a really good movie? How about when you hear a really great song? How about when you know you found true love? What is that feeling? It is called an ascetic experience. This is what makes life worth living. It is beauty. It is fun. It is just a feeling that you can't really describe but you know when it happens.

I believe many of my students had this feeling today in class and many may have this feeling a lot in band. It is what makes us what we are. It is the reason band is so important. Have you ever had that kind of tingly feeling after a good math test? I doubt it.

The Tragedy at Virginia Tech

I work in schools. That is a fact. I have been in a school since I was three years old. That means I have been in them and around them for about 33 years. To see actions such as those that occurred yesterday at Virginia Tech are terrible to me. It brings back memories to April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Colorado. You will all watch the news and see more information than I can certainly give to you about the tragedy so I will not comment on it except to say I am very saddened of everyone that was affected by yesterday including the students, the families, the faculty, staff, and administration. There will be much said in the next few days about what could have been done better. The truth is that nothing could have stopped the events.

I would like to just comment on why the arts are important to all people and why I feel they are not extra-curricular or non-academic. The most important aspect of having the arts available, encouraged, and yes maybe even required is that they offer humans a chance for self expression in a positive and beautiful way. In our world today, things are more complex than ever. Technology is advancing so fast and so are the expectations and pressures that are applied to students. What society seems to have forgotten is that people still need an outlet of which to express themselves. The arts allow these outlets to students. What is better to act out in hurtful way towards others or to have the capability to express oneself with something such as music, dance, or visual arts?

Retention of Students

This topic goes right alone with recruitment. How do you keep students in band once you have recruited them? There are few things that directors can do to help this. I try to make the students feel important although they may not be able to immediately see this. I try sure everybody knows I want them to be with us. One of the worst statements a director of any leader can make is "If you don't want to be here, then go home!" Here's the truth. If they didn't want to be there, the won't be. I also try not to have "favorites". This also goes along with being fair all the students. My expectations are pretty clear and I hold everybody to them.

One of the primary reasons I hear about older students quiting band is part time jobs. These students should realize that they have the rest of their lives to work. Why not be a high school student for a few more years? I have also experienced students quit band when they acquire a boyfriend or girlfriend that is not in band. I can't offer much help here because every high school student now thinks I was born at least 30 years old and couldn't possibly remember being in high school. Parents can certainly be one of the best tools in the retention of band students. I have often heard "they just said they don't want to be in band anymore." Hey, I say that at least once a week and my wife makes me go back! But seriously, parents that show to their children that they think band is important can be extremely helpful. I have known many, many band students that were told they will at least have to try band and many times these turn out to some of our most successful band students.

The entire band suffers when we lose even one student but when we lose an experienced veteran it hurts us most. We are not only losing them and their abilities but also the influence that they have and may have in the future on the young students. I think it is the older students obligation to help the younger ones by not only showing them the ropes of playing and marching techniques but also to show them that band is not just something to do for a year or two.

In my travels, I encounter a lot of different people as I have interests that are varied such as fishing, NASCAR, comic books, and gardening. I can always tell if somebody was in band because when they find out I am a band director their eyes light up and it is immediately apparent that they too were a band dork. Almost with out exception when somebody tells me they quit after a year or even their senior year, they almost always say they regret it still. You can't just quit band. It will be a part of you forever whether you realize it or not.

A Few Comments

On a disappointing note, Coach Gregg Marshall is leaving Winthrop to go to Wichita State. The reported figure is $750,000 a year plus incentives for 7 years. I don't even know how I would spend that kind of money ( I would like the chance to try though!). That is a monthly salary of $62,500! I am sad to see him go but I really can't blame him.

Well I am looking forward to watching the race this afternoon. It should be a good one. Texas is fast and always exciting. Hey I even saw Poo-Boy (Jeff Gordon) cry there once after he wrecked. Tonight is also the 2nd new episode of the Sopranos. I hope everybody has a great Sunday.

Commitment

This is a big word and I have seldom used it with colorguard as far as returning members. Today was different. We had an open rehearsal for any ladies that wanted to learn more about colorguard and we had a few new students attend and this is great but something else happened that was truly a new thing for me. Every one of the members from last year also attended the rehearsal. This is what championship bands are made of. Not only is there a hope of adding new members but the older members return as well. I am excited about the possibility of having a not only a good colorguard but a great one. Congratulations to the colorguard ladies for making the commitment to not only creating the best guard ever at Swansea but more importantly for having the commitment to establishing a great tradition of fine colorguards at Swansea for the future. Students like you will make sure that the future is bright in 3A!

Band Recruitment

Now this is a big topic for band directors everywhere. Bands are shrinking in size everywhere. With a few exceptions bands are becoming smaller. This is true of even the traditional power house bands of just a few years ago. Why? There is not clear reason but I will present a few theories of my own.

1. There is just more to do in today's world. The students have a multitude of other activities in which to participate. Many students like to participate in a lot of activities at once. I call it a "A Jack of All Trades" and unfortunately, in most cases, a master of none.

2. Jobs can be a factor as well. Many students feel like they must have a part time job in order to support their "stuff". I drove an Escort station wagon in high school. I didn't need a job. It got about 35 miles to the gallon and gas was a $1.00 a gallon.

3. Band is hard. To have a successful band it takes a lot of hard work. Some students would just rather not "put up" with a director that pushes them. There are easier things to do than be proficient on a musical instrument.

Many people offer solutions to these problems. Such as cutting back on practice time to accommodate more students that have other activities going on and to allow more time for part time jobs. I can not do this as it will have an negative affect on the students that really want to succeed.

I have throughout my career as a band director often been confronted with parents and other people that say I just expect too much from my students and perhaps I make some of them quit because I am just too hard. This may be true but in most cases the students would not have it any other way. I can't stand to see the ones that want "it" more than anything to fail because of lack of commitment from others. So for me, I will continue to expect perfection.

My answer to recruitment problems are simple. Develop a band program in which everybody can be proud to be a part. Push students, parents, and administrators to expect top results and then produce them. I believe that the right students will always want to be a part of well rounded and success driven group. For this reason I will continue to do it "my way". Sure it may be the end of me one day but it has not seemed to fail me yet. Perhaps at Swansea, we can go against the flow and continue to grow in not only success but also in size too.

As Summer Was Just Beginning

This has always been one of my favorite band works for quite some time, and I think I finally have a band that can play it like I would. It is a tribute to James Dean. I have always like him even though we lost him before I ever knew him. I also have a very personal reason for liking the band work but that is mine to keep. I thought I might add a little about him below.

BIOGRAPHY
James Dean was born February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana, to Winton and Mildred Dean. His father, a dental technician, moved the family to Los Angeles when Jimmy was five. He returned to the Midwest after his mother passed away and was raised by his aunt and uncle on their Indiana farm. After graduating from high school, he returned to California where he attended Santa Monica Junior College and UCLA. James Dean began acting with James Whitmore's acting workshop, appeared in occasional television commercials, and played several roles in films and on stage. In the winter of 1951, he took Whitmore's advice and moved to New York to pursue a serious acting career. He appeared in seven television shows, in addition to earning his living as a busboy in the theater district, before he won a small part in a Broadway play entitled See the Jaguar. In a letter to his family in Fairmount in 1952, he wrote:
"I have made great strides in my craft. After months of auditioning, I am very proud to announce that I am a member of the Actors Studio. The greatest school of the theater. It houses great people like Marlon Brando, Julie Harris, Arthur Kennedy, Mildred Dunnock...Very few get into it, and it is absolutely free. It is the best thing that can happen to an actor. I am one of the youngest to belong. If I can keep this up and nothing interferes with my progress, one of these days I might be able to contribute something to the world." [He worked with Arthur Kennedy in "See the Jaguar"; he would later star with Julie Harris in "East of Eden" and Mildred Dunnock in "Padlocks," a 1954 episode of the CBS television program "Danger."] Dean continued his study at the Actors Studio, played short stints in television dramas, and returned to Broadway in "The Immoralist" (1954). This last appearance resulted in a screen test at Warner Brothers for the part of Cal Trask in the screen adaptation John Steinbeck's novel "East of Eden." He then returned to New York where he appeared in four more television dramas. After winning the role of Jim Stark in 1955's "Rebel Without A Cause," he moved to Hollywood. In February, he visited his family in Fairmount with photographer Dennis Stock before returning to Los Angeles. In March, Jimmy celebrated his Eden success by purchasing his first Porsche and entered the Palm Springs Road Races. He began shooting "Rebel Without A Cause" that same month and Eden opened nationwide in April. In May, he entered the Bakersfield Race and finished shooting Rebel. He entered one more race, in Santa Barbara, before he joined the cast and crew of "Giant" in Marfa, Texas. James Dean had one of the most spectacularly brief careers of any screen star. In just more than a year, and in only three films, Dean became a widely admired screen personality, a personification of the restless American youth of the mid-50's, and an embodiment of the title of one of his film "Rebel Without A Cause." En route to compete in a race in Salinas, James Dean was killed in a highway accident on September 30, 1955. James Dean was nominated for two Academy Awards, for his performances in "East of Eden" and "Giant." Although he only made three films, they were made in just over one year's time. Joe Hyams, in the James Dean biography "Little Boy Lost," sums up his career:
"..There is no simple explanation for why he has come to mean so much to so many people today. Perhaps it is because, in his acting, he had the intuitive talent for expressing the hopes and fears that are a part of all young people... In some movie magic way, he managed to dramatize brilliantly the questions every young person in every generation must resolve."

Colorguard is Starting!

We are going to have an open colorguard practice on Thursday, April 12 in the band room 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. This reheasal is for anybody that is interested in finding out more about guard for the 2007 competition season. This will not be a try out. It will simply be a practice to allow the students to learn some simple skills. Our great colorguard instructor will be returning for the 2007 season so spread the word!

Happy Easter

Well I hope everybody has had a great spring break. In the band world this can only mean one thing...We are close to the end of another school year. There are only 7 more weeks of school left until summer break. This is the time of the year we start really getting things together for next seasons marching band. The music is being written now. We will start having rehearsals for guard and percussion very soon. Enjoy tomorrow because there are not many breaks between now and the end of school, but they will go by quickly!

Vote for Sanjaya!

Yep, I watch American Idol. Surprised? Don't be. It may be the funniest show on TV right now and just to make it even better the worst singer may win. We shall see if he can hold on but it has become a huge joke that Sanjaya is even still in the mix. If you are tired of American Idol, vote for Sanjaya. If he were to win it would certainly spell the end to this show. He sings out of tune, his hair is awful, and he forget the words. He is perfect! It sounds like me on the way to work in the morning now if only a few hecklers would run out in front of him and honk horns at him every so often, it would be just me going to work. I think it is funny the FOX has spent so much money to sign on the judges and the host (little shrimp that he is) to multi-year contracts only to have Sanjaya have the possibility of winning. What's next for them? I do feel bad for Simon lately though. If you watch the show regularly, you can definitely tell he has been told to pipe it down. I guess it bad for the ratings to have somebody to be honest on the show. Oh well, go vote for Sanjaya. It would be a blast to see how FOX would react (if they will really let him win!).

Fishing Report for Tuesday

I found them...finally! This winter has not been a good fishing season for me so I was happy to finally catch some fish. I started around Goat Island pulling planer boards and caught a keeper pretty quick. I had several more bites in this area but only picked up one more keeper at about 9:15 a.m. I then moved into Ballentine Cove and that's where the fun happened. I caught about 15 in there including one that was 30 inches! All of the fish were caught on planer boards. The weather is supposed to change so that will probably send them somewhere else. Oh well! Fresh fish for dinner.

COT: Car of Tomorrow = Can' t Opperate Throttle

Most of you know I absolutely love NASCAR racing. Heck I have tickets for Talladega and Darlington! This COT thing is bad for racing. They can't race! After today's race and last week at Bristol something has to be done before all the real race fans leave forever. COT is a complete joke. Congratulations to NASCAR for messing up again. Best of luck to NASCAR when the only people that go to races wear a shirt and tie to the race. I am most disappointed!