Class AAAA - 1st Place - Boiling Springs Festival of Bands

Swansea Tiger Marching Band

Superior Rating - 92.8 Total Score

Best Percussion Class 4A - score 94 - highest score of any band

Best Hornline Class 4A

Highest Visual Execution Score of any band

1st Place Class 4A

What does this all mean? It establishes the Tiger Band as a contender in any class at any competition. It certainly puts us in a position to contend for the state championship as well. The things we are doing and attempting to do are not with out sacrifice but I think it is worth it in the end.

"Never trade what you want at the moment for what you want most."

To the Piedmont!

While the most of the Columbia area bands will stay close to home today, we will be traveling to the upstate. Spartanburg to be specific. Why? We are in a new and unknown situation this year with ourselves being moved into 3A. We must see where we stand at this point with the power house bands of the upstate. As of late, these bands have been larger than the bands in our area and they typically enjoy a little better weather. It usually doesn't get as hot up there. Just look at the state champions from last year. All except for one was from the upper part of the state. I don't have the answers for today but I certainly hope everybody is focused on the task at hand and not on the "other stuff". In a little over 12 hours, we will truly know how well we rehearsed this past week.

More Thought, Not more Effort

The students have certainly put in the work this week. Their level of effort has been great. The problem I have with them and their performance tonight was their lack of thought. We have worked to add some musical things and a visual thing too. Tonight it was almost like none of that had ever happened. The product we put out tonight just won't be good enough because it was not our best. Perhaps with homecoming behind us things can get a lot more focused on the task at hand. The goal tomorrow is to do better than we did last week. I want the guard to really perform. I want dynamic contrast. I want rhythmic precision. I want the pit to listen back. I want the final visual to be stunning. I want the best that we have to offer and I want the entire upstate to know who the Swansea Tiger Band really is and that we mean business. If the band can do these things, I believe we have succeeded for the week regardless of the out come. In about 24 hours, we either won't remember tonight's performance or we may remember it all too well. It is all about what choices are made tomorrow (Oh wait, later today!).

Almost Time...Again!

Week two of competition is almost here. I feel like we are better than we were a week ago so I am pretty pleased with our progress. We had three very good rehearsals this week. Tomorrow night is homecoming which is fine. We will have our first pep rally of the year tomorrow. Oh the fun we will have! Well they are OK I guess. I would rather use the time to practice stands music but they are what they are. We will have a long tomorrow for sure. I feel ready for competition though.

Cleaning Up?

We are continuing the cleaning process today. What does that mean exactly? Well it means we are perfecting things. This is a long and hard process but it is imperative if we are to have a chance. The neat things is that we are talking about and working on things that we didn't get to until about 2 weeks before lower state last year. Today was another great rehearsal. I can't really remember ever having three great rehearsals in the same week before. There is usually one that just doesn't click. My challenge to the students is let's have an even better Thursday. That way no matter what happens on Saturday night, we will know we did every thing we could to make it our best run yet.

Extra Credit: Who or what is the picture above?

A Productive Monday

Things went pretty well at rehearsal today. After a somewhat slow start, we got somethings done. This weekend will be little different. There will 27 bands at Boiling Springs and we will once again be competing a class higher than our official classification. We will really see how we compare to the upstate bands. We will definitely need to turn it up a notch if we want to win our class. The students seemed pretty proud today and they should be. Just remember that as the season progresses we will have to progress as well because it is assured that the other bands will continue to get better. The funny thing about winning is that it just makes me want to win even more! We need to have an outstanding Tuesday rehearsal and stay focused on the ultimate goal.

Marching Band Scoring 101

So last night was a great night for the Tiger Marching Band. There is no doubt about that but many people were very surprised to not hear our name until the last three awards. We did not win even one caption award. Or did we? More on that later. Our main competition won best colorguard, best drum major, best percussion, and best horn line (music). We just won 1st place in class 4A, first place in the top division, and oh yeah THE GRAND CHAMPION! But how? I am sure a lot of people left the competition last night wondering the same thing. Well the reason is because I am the band director of Swansea and all the judges were afraid of me. NO, NOT REALLY! This is how it happened. All of the caption awards of drum major, colorguard, and percussion are judged by outside judges. They are only focused on those specific areas with out relation to each other and the rest of the band. They are independent areas. The scores from these judges do not count in the final score. So what does count? Music is 40%. Visual performance is 30%. Musical effect is 15% and visual effect is 15%. So while the announcer was calling our another band for all of these awards, what people did not know what that we only lost hornline (music) by .4 of a point (We know this number well!) and we had won visual performance and musical effect. So when the final score was tallied, surprise! Swansea had won! We had won two captions. They just didn't announce those. The solution to this problem would be if more contests followed the state and BOA practice of giving the following awards: High music, high visual, and high overall effect. Maybe people would have understood a bit more when we took all the big trophies. Here is one thing for sure. We are for real. Last year was not fluke and we will contend for the state title once again.

Here are some other problems. We must focus on the tasks at hand. We seemed to a lot of "Band Drama" last night. I am not sure why but I do know that when compared to doing something like taking grand championships and having a chance to win state, you won't remember the drama, only the end results. My challenge to all involved with our band are these few things:

1. Stay focused on the ultimate task. That is the success of the band as a whole. We can make history this year. Don't let your personal feelings and emotions get in the way of something that will outlast us all. This year could be something everybody will remember long after everybody in the band has graduated.

2. Do not get use to winning. These experiences are unique. So many bands work so long and hard and never get to feel and be a part of what we experienced last night. Cherish the moments.

3. Do not ever think our work is done. We have a long way to go and the largest tasks lie ahead. It will get more difficult to win but if you know me...I will keep pushing! We can relax on the night of October 27th.

4. This one may be the most important. Have fun! I love band. It keeps me young and I have fun doing it. I actually love practice because it last longer than a run at a competition. I can promise you I had fun last night and I saw a lot of parents having fun too. This is what is the best. We all worked our butts off yesterday and it was fun. I don't ever want to have a band that wins and looks sad because it was not fun. I would rather not win and be happy. Of course, the best case is to win and know you did it and we did it too...together.

5. Pray. Some may notice I do pray before we go on the field. I do not pray for wins though. I pray for the opportunity to be successful. I feel that given that chance, the rest is up to us. "Pray towards heaven, but row towards shore." I also kiss my wife before every competition because family is huge in band and the whole band is part of our family.

We have much work ahead of us but I know if we can all pull together, nobody can stop us!

Grand Champions

2007 Mustang Classic at Midland Valley High School

Class AAAA - 1st Place

Blue Division - 1st Place

Overall Grand Champion with a score of 91.7

A great start to the 2007 competition season. How do you like me now! Ha-Ha...Simply an outstanding job band.

In about 12 hours...

We will know where we stack up with some of the best bands in South Carolina. I can hardly wait. I use to have a student that always told me "I have a feeling about today." I don't know about what feelings I have but I know we have done our homework for today. I am ready to go and get our grade!

Sometimes it doesn't matter how many your numbers are or how big you are. Sometimes it is what is inside that matters the most. Perhaps a bit from a very famous story from a very famous book below is appropriate:

"And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."

"So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David."

It is all been said and done (for this week)

Tomorrow (well actually, later today) we will take the field in competition for the first time this year. It is hard to believe that everything we have worked for will be displayed for about 9 minutes at 7:45 p.m. I have been doing this band thing for a long time and I can honestly say this is the most prepared band I have taken into a first competition. Our work is pretty much done at this point and in only a few hours, we will add the final touches and then it will be off to Midland Valley. I will have a hard time sleeping tonight. Hopefully things will be seen and heard to go our way in competition. If they don't, they will in the end. Funny thing about these local competitions is you never quite know what you are going to get. Sometimes your only hope is to be so much better than everybody else that they have to give the win. Regardless of the out come, I feel good about what we have accomplished so far. Also, win or lose, we have an incredible amount of cleaning to do over the next 5 weeks if we will even have a chance to accomplish we some say would be an unrealistic goal for this year.

It's Time!

It is time to go to competition. You can only practice so much and so hard with out taking the risk of competing. Saturday night at about 6:00 p.m. when we start dressing and then warm up and then...the actual show will be the moment for which we worked so hard. All will remember or find out for the first time what the thing we do is all about. I can hardly wait. The lights, the cool air of night, and the darkness of warm up at night. I can almost see it and hear it now...the perfect run, our best ever to this time. We only have a few minor adjustments to make on Saturday morning and then...

Dreams

When I was little I never had many goals or aspirations. I really like to fish though but that really wasn't something that seemed to important to anybody else. Then I discovered band! Wow! I went to a middle school in which 90% of the students were to go to the new high school in town. It was great. There were band parents coming over everyday to measure students for new uniforms and even bringing them new instruments to play. It all seemed great except for one thing...I wasn't one of those 90%. I lived on the wrong side of the tracks, literally. The dividing line was the railroad tracks and we lived on the other side. So I went to Goose Creek High School. It was not state of the art to say the least. I remember running into classes on the first day of school to get a prized seat in class. No not by the door or in the back, but by the best seats in the house...by the window unit air conditioner. Now talk about fun. 100 degrees in an English class with 38 other students and we could not wear shorts to school and what did we have? A window unit! but there was something at Goose Creek, BAND! I remember my first rehearsal there. I walked in with my clarinet (I know, crazy! Why do you think I have great clarinet sections in my bands!) and there they were! All 150 of the other band students. I had never known what a world it was until then...I was a band nerd! FOREVER! My band director was a little older lady about 5'2" and mean as hell (at least I thought so then). Man she didn't take nothing from nobody! I sure am glad too. In reality she was so nice to us all, she just had high expectations. Some members quit because of these expectation but others, like me, thrived on them (Mrs. Graybill, too. We went to the same high school together! Something some know and others are surprised at!). So what were my dreams? I wanted to be the best at band. It really didn't matter what aspect of band, just to be the best. I have an obtainable goal, but I will admit it has not been easy to get even close to it and I am happy for that fact. If dreams were easy to obtain, would they really be worth it? I think not.

So what is this whole post about? Just one thing. I am one of the only people that I know that gets up in the morning and knows that they are going to work to do something they have prepared their entire life for...I am a band director! That was my dream! I have some pretty specific goals that I would love to make as a band director that have yet to occur but so many things have happened for me because of band. If you have dreams, don't just let them go away. Live them and more importantly work for them. Perhaps this year can be the year that a few more dreams come true for us all!

A Search for Consistency

We are up...We are down...We are up...We are down...We are up...We are up...We are down. Hey! at least there are four ups and only three downs. Seriously we are lacking consistency. We need consistently great rehearsals if we are to have a chance at the our ultimate of goal of being the best we can be. Below is a list of what I wanted to accomplish at rehearsal:

1. Basics block

2. Clean the end of the opener

3. Clean the first 2/3rds of the Interlude

4. Clean the end of the Finale

Here is what actually happened:

1. Basics block

2. Cleaned the end of the opener

3. Tried the new arrangement of the transition between the opener and ballad

4. Cleaned the first 2/3rds of the Interlude

5. Stopped about 10 minutes early due to inattention

It was not a bad rehearsal. It just wasn't as good at it could or needs to be. The problem is that we are now behind for the week. So what do we need to do Thursday:

1. Clean the end of the Interlude and beginning of the closer.

2. Clean the ballad as best that we can.

3. Clean the end of the show (this is what we didn't do today).

4. Get in at least 2 full runs of the entire show.

Problem=WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME!!!! The great equalizer strikes again. I really don't know or care what the other bands are doing at this point. I just want to realize our potential. Oh by the way there is a chance of rain for Thursday! Now back to meditation...I will not have a meltdown if it rains...I will not have a meltdown if it rains...I will not have a meltdown if it rains....(remind of this Thursday if it rains!).

How to Rehearse 101

Today was textbook in how to rehearse. Today was a day to remember I promise. Again this was a day that made me proud to be the band director at Swansea. I sincerely thank all of my students and staff for making today such a great day in the band world. My challenge now...don't stop now. Keep it up and I promise on Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. you won't want to be any place except on the field in competition. It is almost time:

"Swansea Tiger Marching Band are you prepared to take the field for competition?"

Maybe not yet but soon, very soon.

A Successful Day

I would call today a complete success. This is what it is all about. I went to work this morning at 7:00 a.m. and I just got home but I think it was worth it. Why do we work so hard? Well I wasn't nervous about our performance tonight and I don't think many of the students were either. That is why I rehearse the band like I do. Let's stay ahead now! Today it seemed like everything in Swansea was all about the band. I loved to see everybody working so hard for one common goal...the success of a band. We have much work left for sure but I think we are all up to the task at this point. It is not everywhere that people will fill up a football stadium on a Saturday night and there is no football game, just a band. This is not just any band. This the culmination of three years of work by many, many people. I don't know if this is our year to win it all but I do know that I will give everything I have to at least give us a chance.

A Nice Night

A nice night to be at home. It has been raining for about 2.5 hours now at my house and it was a stroke of luck that we had chose to not go to the away game tonight. I wish the team all the best but we have tons of expensive equipment and a long day tomorrow. Perhaps at about 6:45 p.m. tomorrow night many will know why we have worked so hard and then a week from tomorrow...well maybe everybody will know then. If we really want it bad enough, it is time to work as one...finally.

Well Look At That!

Maybe we had the right people all along and just needed to work together. Great job today! It makes me proud to be your band director!

Changing What Does Not Work!

What we are doing is obviously not working. We need to change how we do things or we will just continue to get the same results. The results we are getting are pretty mediocre at best. The thing that makes me so sad is that we could be so much more. Any and all suggestions are welcome. You can even post anonymously! If you read this blog you know how much this all means to me and I bet it means a lot to you too.

A Busy Day

It seemed like we worked really hard today at rehearsal but I can't really say that we got too much accomplished. It was what I call an average rehearsal. We made strides but never really pushed too hard. Sometimes when you feel like you are working really hard and nothing is happening is actually when you are really getting better. So I will take today's rehearsal over the alternative of a bad one. I guess I just wish we have gotten a few more pages of drill on the field too. Only 5 more afterschool rehearsals until the first scheduled competition. I know some of the students thought I was crazy to say that maybe we should stay home and practice on the 22nd but I was being truthful. I really don't think that coming in second or third is a very way to start the season but hey look at what happened last year. The truth is that if they would just try really hard and do what the staff is asking them, they probably would not have to worry about what place they would come it...they would know before they ever stepped on the field.

Why Band?

If you were to sit in my house, you would probably discover that hardly a half-hour goes by with out some mention of band. It is my career and my obsession. Why do I choose to work in this field? I think the biggest draw to it is that it is something that I actually do. I watched the USC - Georgia game yesterday, and I have to say it was fun to see USC win but you know what? I didn't get one phone call from Coach Spurrier for supporting the team. Heck, not even one team member called me. No cheerleaders or even band members! Can you believe that? Then I watch the race. Junior did not make the cut for the finals and I was sad. Can you believe that as much as I watch him and support him, he didn't call either! Why? Well the reason is that, those people don't know me and I really don't do anything for them. I had no part of their success or lose. I just watched. Maybe that is why spectator sports are so popular. You can sit back and watch and if they win you can say it was because of your support and if they lost you can say you had no part of it. Pretty convenient if you ask me. Band is different to me. I have great control over what happens in my band. I pick the show. I find the people to write it. I teach it. The students have the ultimate task of performing it at a high level. We control how it turns out. Even families get in on this event. My wife loves to make suggestions and then when she see them in the show, she loves it. Remember the kneeling in the ballad last year? That was hers. Parents that encourage their children to practice. They are in on it too. The booster club members that work in a hot concession stand. Those screens that we will have aren't free. They are direct result of that work. We all work for the same common goal and when it happens...Wow! Everybody is in on the celebration. When we do well, I see parents, friends, staff, everybody is there because they all had a part of the victory. Think about it. Here is what makes it even better. We don't have a bench! Everybody gets to participate in the ultimate task of performing the show. All the way from the first year marching student to the seniors that may be in band for the sixth year. Not bench and no place to hide. We are all out there together! Yesterday my phone did ring from some people though. It was not Steve Spurrier of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. It was band people. We were all excited to hear about our spot at lower state. Hey, I know it was just a random draw, but it was our draw. All of us together! That is why I pick band! We are all in it together and we (NONE OF US!) don't just sit back and watch.

One of favor quotes about says it all:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."

How Good Do You Want To Be?

Karma is with us today! We have drawn an awesome place to perform at lower state...3rd from last! If I had to pick a place to go, this would be it! Sleep well band because nothing will stop us now! Get ready to work Monday! Now we have all we need except for one thing, US! I got a feeling that is just a matter of time. Get ready!

Over the First Hump

What does this mean? Well all organizations have "humps". These are times when it seems like nothing is going well and everything is falling apart and then...IT GETS WORSE! This is the way things work it seems. Organizations that don't have it together may not be able to get over this problem. Some may just putt along and have some success but not really realize their true potential. But the great ones, they get over it and get on. This week, we got over it and moved on. We accomplished more this week than the previous two combined. A lot of things go into this but I really think the "trust factor" kicked in. We just trusted each other and things happened. Be forewarned though, there will be another "hump" and if we are truly to realize our potential there may be a third too. But I have a feeling, we will get over those too. I don't know how the other bands in 3A are doing and I really don't care. It's not about them. It is about us. Everybody is getting it together. Staff, students, parents, and boosters.

I must admit I miss my family most at this time of year. Competitions are better. At least Cindy comes to those. Soon we will be ready if we keep working.

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars"

Strike While the Metal is Hot!

I bet many of the students and parents wonder why I am pushing them so hard this year. I mean look at what all we accomplished last year. We won lower state, were second in the state, every group from the middle school and high school received a Superior rating at concert festival, many students made region band, too many students to count received excellent and superior ratings at solo and ensemble, and we received the Outstanding Performance Award with a perfect score of 100. So why urgency? Why not just strive to make finals in 3A and let it go at that? The reason why is simple. This is a year of great opportunity for us. We are set to not only move up to 3A but also to establish ourselves as a contender for years to come. I know of a few things that are occurring in 3A now that can give us a chance to make some permanent memories. You just never know if things will come together next year to have the chances we have this year. One thing is for sure, we are going to take advantage of the chance we have now. Sweat dries up, thirst goes away, sore muscles heal, but the blue, red, and white ribbons in the band room always shine through for all to see for decades to come.

P.S. The seniors have a white and red medal. What would be better than to complete the set this year!

A Late Post

I thought that today deserved a post even though it is a little late for me on a school night. Today I came home covered in dust and dried sweat. I know I was not the only one though. I know the students did too. It seemed worth it in the end because I felt like we had done something important. We got better today. We seemed to work together as opposed to pushing in different directions. It was like we had overcome some sort of force that had been working against us. I look forward to more days like today. I really don't know many things anymore it seems. There are always bands that have more students and more money it seems. Now we have moved up to 3A and that brings a whole new set of circumstances and issues but I do know this, nobody will out work me. I can't stand the thought of being on the field at any awards ceremony and not knowing I didn't try everything I could to be the best. Somebody asked me how we would do in 3A . I really didn't have a response because I am not really sure who else is in 3A. I know some of the bands but I know there is only one that I can help or hurt so I believe I should all my energy into helping the Swansea band. I do know that if all of us can focus on the end goal, it won't matter who else is in 3A or any other class for that matter because there will be one band there to me.

Why Fewer Post?

A former student of mine commented that I was posting as frequently as I had been in the past. This is true and it is for no reason except that we have just moved into a new house. Most of mine and my wife's free time has been spent working on our house. We are pretty much totally redoing things. With a 3000 square feet house and just us (and my mother-in-law) things are taking some time. Lots of painting and updating are going on. I really think it will all be worth it in the end though. I hope everybody is having a good Labor Day!

Time for a re-post!

I don't have a lot of time this week end but I thought it might be a good time for a re-post. Kind of like a re-run. Think about this one if you get the chance:

It has been a while since I made a serious post so I think I am due. I read a little in the summer and I ran across a paragraph in a very famous book. Here is bit of it:
"Wh-oh yes, you mean why do I pretend? Well, it's very simple," he said. "Some folks don't like-the way I live. Now I could say the hell with 'em, I don't care if they don't like it. I do say I don't care if they don't like it, right enough-but i don't say the hell with 'em, see?"
"I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason...folks can say...That's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does."
"It ain't honest but it's mighty helpful to folks...I live like I do because that's the way I want to live."
What does this mean? Well there could be a few ideas to be brought forth by this very short segment of a rather long book. Perhaps it could be taken to mean you should be careful about what stereotypes you cast on people. They can have more of an affect than you know. Perhaps the person that you continually view in a certain way has taken on that persona because of being told so many times that they are just "that way". Maybe after a person hears so many times they are a certain way, it just becomes easier to be that way. Just some food for thought. I would love to hear other peoples interpretation of the short segment.