The Last Day of 2008

Wow! What a year. I can say this has been a difficult one. There has been a lot of change in my life for sure with the biggest one being my change of jobs. I think for the most part I have done OK with the new job. I have done my way for sure. The rewards for the hard work this year will be more evident in the coming years. Certainly some people will disagree but then if you make everybody happy...you probably aren't doing your job! While I certainly miss my friends at Swansea, I have made some great new ones at Dutch Fork. I do wish I would have more contact with my friends at the other bands I have directed. Some have trouble understanding why I change jobs but others seems to understand. Perhaps 2009 will be different in the aspect that I will make time to see them more. Things at home have been great this year and I see that just getting better. I feel like I am just now figuring so many things about life.

We have big plans for ringing in the new year tonight. We are staying at home! That's the best. To be with the ones you care about most and to see the new year together. Feel free to call us a Midnight or right after. Just don't wait until 12:15 a.m. because we will be sleeping.

I hope everybody has a great and safe New Year's Eve.

Think about it...

I smashed my computer,
but still I had friends.

I smashed my TV,
but still I had pictures.

I smashed my cell phone,
but still I had conversation.

I smashed my Ipod,
but still I had music.

I closed my eyes,
and I had it all.

Something to Imagine...

Don't forget to glance up from your keyboard

and see how blue the sky is now and then.

Don't forget to put away your cell phone

and spend some time alone with a paintbrush and pen.

Don't forget to seek the sound of silence

and let the daily traffic rush on by.

Remember that the secret to success is

how happily you climb and not how high.

Fishing...Finally

I went fishing today even thought it was raining pretty hard this morning but none the less, I went. I got my bait and headed out. The wind was not too bad and they were pretty much where I thought they would be. The birds were thick and so were the fish. I even caught many on artificial bait which something I don't use alot. When the stripers had eaten all my bait except for a few, I decided to try something I had been wanting to for a while. I fished for and caught a few blue catfish. There have been more and more reports of them in Lake Murray so I gave it a try. Blue catfish are not the regular live in the mud kind but a nice fighting fish the eats live bait. We shall see how they eat in just a little while. They sure did fillet nicely. It was a nice day on the water.

A List of the Hall

I got some really good stuff. Here is a partial list:

a really big telescope - You just can't hide being a nerd. A picture is above.
a cool watch - It tells the time, barometric pressure, and altitude - good for fishing

some Cabelas gift cards

clothes

a bunch of other stuff too

The best one of all - a new wedding band. You see Cindy and I paid for our own wedding once upon a time and we really couldn't afford much so we both had pretty small wedding rings and although I will always keep the old one, the new one is beautiful. All nice and smooth in 14k white gold. It's big too!

Cindy didn't go bad either. I hope see liked the stuff I got her.

We did my side of the family on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas on Christmas Day, and Cindy's side of the family on the day after Christmas. We are tired but happy and everybody was great. Not even one family fight either! Now I look forward to one of my favorite days...New Years! I love it!

Merry Christmas

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

Taken from the thoughts and picture from Apollo 8 40 years ago tonight. I think it says it all.

Great Holiday Movies

Cindy and I have been watching a lot of movies...as usual. But it begs the question of what exactly are the best holiday movies. We watch "Christmas Vacation" the other night and I think it is a winner for sure. Right now on the TV is "Home for the Holidays" (not for the kids) which is less well known but a great one too especially at Thanksgiving. There are others that you may not think of as a holiday movie but are always shown at that time of the year like "The Wizard of Oz". One New Years Eve we watch "Somewhere in Time" which is one of Cindy's favorites. Movies always bring up memories. What are your favorite movies to watch during the holidays?

That's a Wrap: 1st Semester

We made it! We have made it through what is surly one of the most difficult semesters of my working career. It is Christmas break. I have two wonderful weeks off! I think we have done OK in my opinion. What some may not remember is that I am only the second band director EVER at Dutch Fork. Nobody here knew of anything different with regards to band and I have to say things have been OK. We certainly have a long way to go but I do feel that things are starting to click here. I think way back to June and July when we were all just getting to know each other and we all had questions about a bunch of stuff. Those questions seem to be getting answers at this point. I feel like we now have the three sides to our band triangle working. We have the students on one side, the parents/boosters on another side, and the staff/directors/school administration on the other. All three have to work together to be a successful band program. It has been hard but I really appreciate all who have made things happen so far. But it is certainly time for a break too. See you all soon!

Boiling it Down

I have read the comments below and they are all fine. What the whole thing boils down to is the "Philosophy of Band" you have. My philosophy is that band is a vehicle to which you learn instrumental music education. I do not view it as extra curricular. There are certainly many, many "extra" things you learn in band such as responsibility and team work but, with me, strong music education is the foundation upon which we build. If you have similar views, you probably agree with most of what I do. The marching band thing is just an extension of the music education component of the band program. If you want a competitive marching band, you must be able to play your instrument at a high level. To play at a high level, you must be committed to practice and maybe even taking private lessons. These statements are just simply facts. They are not opinions. Of course there are other "philosophies of band". Some view band as an entertainment group. Most college marching bands are these kind of groups. They are built on the fact that they are for entertaining the crowd. Some high school band also follow this mold. They don't have a lot of requirements for inclusion and don't have many individual playing responsibilities. They are just kind of "fun" and "entertaining". I think the main point of a high school is to prepare students for a continuing education into college or to prepare students to enter into the "real world". It is not to entertain. Certainly there are clubs and extra stuff in high school that are social activities but band should not be a club. There are immediate benefits with bands that take on this kind of role. Their numbers usually go up very quickly and they may see some extrinsic results especially in the area of marching band competition. What they lack is high level wind ensembles and, perhaps most importantly, they do not produce life long musicians. During my career, I have had many students go on to keep music in their lives. To me that's worth more than any trophy. Here is the deal though. If you are into marching band, by becoming a better individual musician and having a serious attitude toward playing, all the marching stuff will happen too. It is not by chance or coincidence that the best marching band programs in the country also have the best concert programs in the country too. Also some more food for thought. My goal is not to build one of the best bands in the state. I want more! Think about that one! We have the potential but potential is just that...an idea. There will be no true achievement until hard work and commitment are made the norm.

What a Fine Perfomance

The Symphonic Winds performed for the school today during the Holiday Program. The band played great. It is amazing when you are in the "flow" of it all how a gym can be trasformed into a concert hall. At least it was for me. Great job.

It's Not a Gift

Success is not a gift -

It's a challenge to use

what you've achieved.

When success finds you,

it is generally because

you were looking for it.

Exams!

Well I almost finished giving exams for the 1st semester. Only the concert band remains. I have to say that I am baffled by some the things I have heard. Yesterday was perhaps the worst exam I have heard in my teaching career while today was a drastic improvement. It still amazes me at some of the things I hear from students though. One was "I practiced last night". Wow! I guess this students found out that you can't cram for a band exam. The only way to make sure you get a good grade is to start early and practice consistently. This sounds like a good habit to develop. Don't you think? Don't wait until the last minute to do important tasks or you might just fail. Once again band is life and life is band. Does life imitate Art or does Art imitate life. I think it is a bit of both. Some students will find out there are other letters in the word band beside B and A. There is a big ole' D right at the end.

The fun keeps coming though. Tomorrow the Symphonic Winds will play for the student body. One thing is for sure. If you ever get in rut being a band director, just wait a day or so. Something will get your attention.

Some Venting!!!

Alright, I am going to do some venting on this post. This is your fair warning. Look away if you don't want to see it. Ok. So this weekend was filled with band stuff. I was at the church Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - all day, and yesterday with a big Christmas pageant and the fruit came in Saturday morning but I have to say that I was not alone. There were two parents with me the entire weekend and one student as well. I really appreciate their dedication. There were also many students at the Christmas pageant and they were all great. All that was fine. It just goes with the job. Time away from home and family is nothing new. Here is where I have some problems. Today was the first official day for band exams. I have the students play their scales and the solo for their level from the all-state list. I let even let them use their scale sheet. They don't even have to memorize their scales! They have had this information for a long time. I have to say that this may be my most disappointed day at Dutch Fork so far. Some of the exams were awful. Some students obviously were sightreading their solos. Some only played 3 scales. It was bad. I take it as this "I must be a really bad band director because I have been at DF for 5 months now and I can't motivate or teach them better than this." I take it very hard and personally. It would be different if I just sprang this exam on them but I did not. I will even give them a recording of their solo by a professional player if they bring me a blank CD. I can't do much more for them. The exam is 20% of their semester grade so many have dropped from an A in band to a C. I have very little sympathy for them though. One student even said "I didn't have time". For 2 months?

Band is not an exam you can cram for and I am glad. If we are to become the premier band program in the Southeast, we must change the mind set from making excuses and get to work. Perhaps some students will decided to quit band because of the challenges I put to them but maybe...just maybe there will be enough people that will rise to the challenge and find the true rewards of hard work. A student that I have come to respect said something to me today. He said " Mr. Brady, there is a silent majority that is with you all the way and we like what you are doing." Well my suggestion is to quit being silent! To sit and watch things that are not good or fair is to do nothing. To action is what I say.

I would say that the exam was too difficult if not for the fact that many, many students received A's. That shows me that it was just a matter of priorities to the students. We do have a great core of students and parents in our band program and it is upon them that we will build the band programs others will envy. It is not a matter of "if" but a matter of "when" and "who".

Still Busy

I am still very busy with a bunch of things. Some of the students have been participating in a big Christmas Pageant that was supposed to ran by somebody else but guess who got stuck with running the students part of it...ME! Also, the fruit comes in tomorrow morning so I guess I don't get a weekend. Next week are exams and to top it off, we have a performance for the student body on Wednesday. It just keeps coming! Oh well...Tis' the Season I guess.

Outstanding Job!

I really think we are going places...together. I enjoyed our first concert together. Marching band is great but there is nothing like getting to perform together. All the groups were Superior. Remember, tone is the most important thing we do and with the sound we are developing it is only a matter of time before some really great things come our way. Thank you to the student for all their hard work. Just wait until concert festival!

The Winter Concert

First, our Winter Concert is tomorrow night at 7:00 in the high school auditorium. We had final rehearsals today and I was pleased. The younger group was the Concert and Symphonic Bands combined. They not only played well but behaved great too. Their tone was outstanding and that really make me happy because everything is built on that aspect of playing. We still have work to do with regards to tuning and articulations but I think people will be impressed with them. He is their program:

The Carolers by James Curnow

Noel by Richard Saucedo

A Christmas Canon by Michael Green

Angels We Have Heard on High arranged by Elliot Del Borgo

The Symphonic Winds have also been hard at work. Their tone is a bit more mature and their tuning is too. We had a bit of trouble getting the percussion together with them today but that was quickly fixed when they started thinking like musicians instead of like drummers. The Symphonic Winds' program is here:

Fanfare Prelude: Adeste Fidelis by Timothy Johnson

First Suite in Eb by Gustav Holst

1. Chaconne

2. Intermezzo

3. March

A Celtic Christmas by James L. Hosay

The Percussion Ensemble will open the concert with Ceremonium by Jared Spears. Be sure to come if you can. I think you will be impressed but most of all I think you will enjoy it. We are making great strides everyday.

The Economy and Band

The economy isn't looking real good right now. Everybody knows that. All you have to do is watch the news or listen to any media source. The question is how does all this affect a band program? Well the answer is...ALOT! First, band is quite an expensive program to run. We require instruments and they aren't cheap. Just one sousaphone cost about $4000. Also, when the economy is down so is enrollment in band. When money is tight it is sometimes difficult for parents to afford instruments for their children. Band fees are also difficult to come up with. Things like private lessons also become more difficult to afford. So the entire band suffers when everybody else does. Fundraising becomes more difficult too so it all is affected.

We are fortunate to have a strong, large base of support for the arts in my school district. They see the importance of programs like band. I worry about the more rural school districts. When budget cuts are required, it is often the Arts that take the hit.

There are some aspects of band that become more attactive with a down economy. Practicing is free! I have also seen some really good deals on some great instruments on craigslist and in the paper. Hopefully things will get better for everybody soon. I am going to buy some cheap stocks.

Getting them from there to here

I went to the middle school band concert last night and I was encouraged! There were so many band students. The question that begs is quite simple. Why don't we have more band students at the high school? Well, we are going to work on that! We have some plans to help. First, the middle school band students are going to see a lot more of Mr. Brady. They will know who I am and how I work much before they ever enter the high school band room. Also, we are going to have the middle school students over the high school...as much as possible. We are also going to have some meetings for the middle band parents to explain how band works at the high school. I want every middle school band parent to know, we have a place for you and your child in the Dutch Fork High School band program. Together we will make the the Dutch Fork band program the premier band program in the Southeast. We have the potential. All we need now to realize it!..and we need you!

A Busy Time for Band

The next few weeks will be pretty busy for us in the band world. In my younger days, I use to really get over extended during this time but now I have grown to expect it. Here are some of the things we have going on:

Tuesday, Dec. 2 - Middle school band concert
Thursday, Dec. 4 - trumpet rehearsal for Christmas Pageant
Tuesday, Dec. 9 - High School band concert
Wednesday, Dec. 10 - Full rehearsal for Christmas Pageant
Thursday, Dec. 11 - Christmas pageant
Friday, Dec. 12 - Christmas pageant
Saturday, Dec. 13 - fruit arrival and two shows of the Christmas pageant
Sun, Dec. 14 - Christmas pageant
Tuesday, Dec. 16 - exams
Wednesday, Dec. 17 - Concert at the high school for students
Thursday, Dec. 18 - exams
Friday, Dec. 19 - FREEDOM

It gets pretty hectic around this time of the year for everybody!