Almost Time!

It is almost time for the official start to marching band. This is my 17th year as a head band director and that sounds pretty good if you are in the band or associated with it. You are in good hands. I would love to say that I have it all figured out at this point in my career but I don't and maybe that is the neat thing about being a band director. You just don't know what the day holds. I will say that I feel better prepared than ever. The drill is finished, the music written, and the staff in place. Things seem to be ready to go for band camp too and many band parents have worked hard to be ready also. We should have the best food ever at camp. This will be my forth year at Dutch Fork and the seniors this year were the freshmen my first year. Everybody involved with the program should know what I expect and how I want things done.

It is at this time I often think about some goals for the year. These are not necessarily goals for the band but for myself too. Here are a few:

1. Make a Superior rating at our state contest.

2. Try not to worry about what others think and stick to my procedures as I know they work.

3. Try to instill a sense of individual motivation within the band members, band parents, and staff as opposed to worrying about what others are doing.

4. I want to have the best playing band anybody can imagine.

5. Visually, I want to be whistle clean.

6. I want my top concert group to get a Superior in grade VI at concert festival and for my second group to continue to grow musically.

7. Have more fun! (Remember it is supposed to be fun.)

8. See more of Cindy. She points me in the right direction. I should use her advice more.

What does the future hold? We will just have to wait to find that out.