Blog Post #6: The Festival of Champions/The End

On Saturday September 24, Murray Sate University invited twenty-five marching bands to participate and compete in the annual Festival of Champions. Luckily for me, the Boonville High School Band of Gold was one of those bands. I was working most of the day, trying to help with running the competition, but I got a few hours to prepare the students for the preliminary competition. I met up with the band at the warm up site, and immediately knew, just by the look on their faces, that they were ready to perform. It had been two weeks(the competition on September 10) since I last saw them perform, and this time they were a lot more focused. The band, during warm up, sounded more mature than I had ever heard them throughout the season. They had a nice, rich and dark tone and only missed one release during the entire warm up. I was very pumped up for them to perform, especially after asking the band kids if they were ready to throw down their best performance to date, and getting a screamed reply "YES!!!!" The students marched on to the field and played an amazing show. After their performance, the students, the rest of the staff, and myself all eagerly awaited the announcements of which bands made it to finals. Out of the twenty-five bands that competed in the preliminaries, the judges selected twelve for finals. Although I watched a great performance by the band, I was still unsure if it was going to great enough for a spot in finals. To both mine, and the band's surprise, the announcer called Boonville High School as one of the finalist bands for Festival of Champions 2011.

This is when  I realized that if you come focused, and perform as if you will never get to perform again. even against all odds, you can come out on top. The students did perform this way, and were rewarded for it. They made it to finals, and performed well again. The band placed 11th overall, next to some very fierce competition. Great job guys!

This post will also be my last, sadly, because my project for this term has drawn to a close. I Have learned so much and will now take this opportunity to reflect on what I have learned. The biggest lesson I probably learned about myself and my teaching abilities is that to be an effective teacher you must have patience and remain open minded. Even though these are very broad lessons, they have really helped me to learn more about myself. I learned that in one class period, you can't try to fix everything that needs to be fixed, it's impossible, especially if you're picky. If I could do things differently, I would just try to focus on one thing at a time so that the students don't get information overload. Most students can't handle trying to change multiple things about their show at one time. The other lesson I learned, which is to remain open minded, is one I am sure will help me grow as a future educator. Staying open minded is what can make or break a teacher in my opinion. Over the time span I spent working with this band, I sometimes caught myself only trying to teach with one technique, instead of being open minded to how students learn, and teaching using multiple techniques. I feel that if I can really broaden my horizons on different styles of teaching students, I can become the "master teacher" and build up a great program for the arts in whatever school I end up in. Overall, this experience has been quite rewarding and, if given the chance, I would do it all over again.

Blog Post #5: Focus Anybody

Finally, the anticipation and waiting for the performance was coming to a close. The students were eager to perform, and i could see it on their faces as they were walking off the bus. After the students had their snack, the band parents and volunteers told them to start changing into their uniforms. After the students got done changing into their uniforms, they got into their fundamental marching block formation in the parking lot. It was finally time to start the warm up process, which is crucial and should be treated in a delicate manner, for the show. The first warm up exercise we, the staff, do with the students is a physical stretch/warm up. This was the students' first competition, and they were acting very unfocused during this warm up. It was very difficult to instruct the students through the stretching process, because they were all very hyperactive. It wasn't until the playing warm up that the band started to focus on their goal. I honestly was in shock to see this focus from the band appear out of nowhere. As I began warming up the brass section I was thinking to myself, "Wow, I am really proud of these students for turning up their focus level." Unfortunately, about halfway through the warm up, I was got off guard, yet again, by my students. They were beginning to lose their focus again, probably because they were anxious to perform. They were talking and missing attacks and releases. Considering they didn't start losing their focus again until towards the end of the warm up, all i could do to help the students get their focus back was by giving them a pep talk.

 I told them that they have everything they needed to be successful for their performance, and that they just needed to get in the right state of mind. i asked them to close their eyes and envision themselves successfully executing their personal hardest moments in the show. Doing this helped them to gain focus and they performed very well. After a successful performance,  I made the connection that focus is a crucial part of performing. If anybody is not focused on the task at hand and in the right mindset to do well, than there is no  way the task will be completed at the highest possible level of achievement. I'm very proud of these students for turing on their focus. Although the band took second place at the competition, I feel that if the students had been focused from the point they got off the bus, until they were marching off the field after the performance, they could have taken first place, easily.

Blog Post #4:There Is No Honor In Fracking

           The September 10^th visual rehearsal was mentally demanding on the students, because they were trying to conceal their excitement for the upcoming competition, as well as maintain a high level of focus. After the visual rehearsal was over, the students took a 15 minute water break, and had the opportunity to get their focus level reset to play their instruments while simultaneously working on drill. The students were also told to put their marching hats on, so they would get a sense of what it feels like to play and march with the hat on. The students have a type of marching hat called a shako, which is similar in shape to a bucket and has a strap that goes around the neck to secure it on the head. The potential problem for these students is if the strap is not placed in the right spot on the neck, or is too tight, it can cause serious musical issues because it is cutting off the one pathway for the air to get to the instrument.

                When I first started warming up the band, they were very sloppy in their playing technique. They were missing attacks and releases all over the place, and through repetition it wasn’t getting any better.

I told the students to take off their hats, because I had a feeling that they were the issue. I was surprised to find out I was wrong; the students, as before during their visual rehearsal, were lacking focus. It wasn’t until about halfway through the warm up when the students kicked up their focus level and started playing well. During the latter half of the warm up, the band was starting to get a really nice blend and balance and I was really quite pleased with their core sound. It then occurred to me when they went on the field and started playing with the drill that I made a big mistake in my methodology. The beautiful blend and balance the band had standing still was gone when they started moving.  I learned that I need to have the students play more during the visual rehearsals so that they can get used to listening to each other more on the move. I will now incorporate music in the visual rehearsals and see the results I get. 

The following clip is the ideal warm up and overall core sound I want for the Boonville High School Band. This is Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corp's tuning sequence from 2010. Turn up the volume! (be careful though, the end is REALLY loud!)

Blog Post #3: Keep Those Legs Straight!

         The date is Saturday, September 10, a busy day for the Boonville High School Band of Gold. This day was the band’s first competition, to be held at Central High School. Unlike usual days where the band has a competition, they practiced on the asphalt, which meant I could be very picky about their technique. It wasn’t very hard to be picky, however, especially towards the beginning of rehearsal. The band was very excited about their upcoming competition and they were really un-focused. After a nice long stretch, the band worked on their fundamental marching techniques with me. The first exercise we did is called “one step” in which the band gets an eight beat count off and then they take one step. This first step is extremely crucial because if the first step is not in time, then the band will never play together. The way I run this exercise is by repeating it over and over until the band can do it near perfectly three times in a row. If they get to two and then mess up, they get to start over. As mentioned, this part took a while, because they were very un-focused and it was the beginning of rehearsal. After finally getting the one- step forward exercise right three times in a row, I asked the students a rhetorical question, “Should that exercise have taken 15 minutes to get right?” I then presumed to tell them to get their focus level up and do the one step backward exercise. It then occurred to me that talking about their focus level was the right thing to say. We did the one step backward exercise 3 times perfect in a row, and it took only about three or four minutes. In my opinion, everything to do with marching band is 90% mental and 10% physical. If the band stays focused and believes they can accomplish a goal, and the goal is achievable, then the band will be able to do it. This rehearsal was very productive and once the focus level went up, the band’s marching technique became very polished and scary good. 
        The following clip is a very good example of the kind of marching technique I intend for these students to achieve by the end of the season. Enjoy the Cadets Drum and Bugle Corp, and observe how straight there legs are and how, from the waist down, they all look exactly the same. 

Blog Post #2: One Band, One Sound!

            Teaching all of the many aspects of a high school marching band is both physically and mentally demanding, but the rewards are worth it.  After spending a hot, august morning on the asphalt learning how to march, the Boonville marching band got to eat lunch. After their hour long break, the music rehearsals started.

When I first started to warm up the ensemble, I was quite shocked because most high school groups after a lunch break are unfocused and quite talkative. The ensemble proved me wrong by responding positively with the instructions I was giving them.  After the full ensemble warm up, outside we went to work on coordinating music and drill, but the temperature quickly rose to a level where we could not work outside any longer. After the band got inside, we broke into sectionals, where I got to work with just the low brass at first. Later the entire brass line came in to work with me. The first thing we tackled as a full brass section was tuning. More specifically, the brass tends to force too much with their air, especially towards the ends of phrases, causing them to play sharp. We did a lot of tuning exercises, which mostly centered on listening down to the tubas' intonation for a fundamental pitch. Balance was the next big item on the checklist. We played a 16 bar chord progression, which entails root position, and first and second position chords so that every member of the ensemble could have a different listening environment. Doing this ensured that the tubas were not always playing the root of the chord and the mellophones were not always playing the fifth, etc. Just by working on the blend, balance, and intonation of the brass line, the overall core sound of the ensemble was more “dark” and resonant. These students are working very hard and they still have some ground to cover in their musicality. To prove that these students are working hard on their musical performance, the Band of Gold also got the best music award, along with best visual, and a shiny 1^st place trophy for their class. These dedicated students never cease to amaze me.

             To the members of the Boonville High School Band of Gold, just know the sky is the limit. Go for it!

Blog Post #1: Why do we have to do fundamentals again?

                 

           On the morning of Saturday, August 20, the Boonville high school marching band set out on a mission that was both obtainable and would prove to be very difficult.  From this day, the band only had three weeks to get there show locked down for their first competition. Knowing this, the band, as well as the band director, were under a lot of pressure and had to really turn up the focus to achieve this goal. One of Boonville’s weaker areas in their marching band performance was the visual aspect. After a nice long stretch, the band worked on their fundamental marching techniques with me. The fundamental marching techniques taught to a high school band are essential in the way they will project their sound on the field. From the beginning of band camp at Boonville to this Saturday camp, the students had already made an improvement in their marching technique.  After attempting the first exercise, which they already knew how to do prior to this camp, I had to have a serious talk with them. In my opinion, the band, for whatever reason, lacked the focus and drive they had when I last saw them. I gave them a talk about striving for excellence; to stop at nothing to be the best.  After this talk about getting motivated, we set out to finish our fundamental exercises and from that point on they turned up the heat and were very focused. A “light bulb” when off in my head after seeing them make a 120% improvement in all of their marching techniques. I learned that people sometimes just need the proper motivation to get them going. This especially means that students need to be motivated in a positive manner when they are trying to overcome the hot weather and the mental breakdowns that come with fundamental marching.  

                I am very proud of Boonville Band of Gold for working so hard on their marching technique during this camp and during the camp right before the competition. It really paid off for them, because at their most recent competition this past Saturday (September 17) they got the award for best visual. Congratulations Band of Gold, you deserve it!

Social Media Post

As a person growing up in a generation where technology is the way of life, I must take extra precautions when it comes to posting things online. As a responsible user of multimedia content, I believe that there is an obvious limit with what should get put online from my personal life. With what the public sees through my personal web pages and other media on the internet, they can interpret the kind of person I am without ever even meeting me.

There is a lot different ways people can research others via the web, but among these many different websites, the most prominent are facebook.com, youtube.com, and even google.com. Facebook, a popular, fast growing social media website has become one of the largest sources to hook up with friends online. Facebook has many features which include chatting, creating groups, and starting events in designated areas. Obviously this media can be very helpful, but can hurt a person’s reputation if used incorrectly. I must be very careful when posting things on Facebook, including pictures, videos, status updates and groups, just to name a few. Aside from posting my own pictures, I must also be very watchful of what others may post on Facebook. I always have very tight security on my multimedia websites so that this can be prevented, so that when I am being observed by professionals, I should not have to sweat about what may be on my website. Also I must be very mindful that at any point in time, a person I’m trying to get a job from can Google my name. I must make sure constantly that nothing inappropriate is put up, and even do my own Google searches to double check this.

The more that technology advances and the more people “buy in” to these multimedia websites, the more employers are utilizing the multimedia to help ensure they are hiring a trustworthy employee. They are looking through all of your social archives for anything that could be flagged as inappropriate, such as pictures, videos, etc. Extreme caution does not even sum up the action one must take in implementing themselves through social media. Every person who decides to use the social media mentioned and even those not mentioned for recreation must realize above all else, that it only takes one bad piece of media being spotted  to be left in the unemployment line.

Update

I already went to an 8 hour camp, so look forward to seeing my first blog post about my observations coming soon! Boonville's first competition is September 10, 2011. I can't wait to see their progress.

Boonville High School Low Brass/Visual Instuctor

Here is my first post. Going to make this group better!!