mattthetrumpeter

The initial response to the original posting has its information incorrect, at least regarding the University of Houston. The marching band is made up of 300+ members, half of which are non-majors. It performs all styles of marching, including but not limited to, corps-style, showband-style, and pseudo-military style. The fact that the author of the initial response was under the impression that the band was 80-90% music majors seemingly speaks volumes of the quality of the program, which can also be noted given its dime-a-dozen 5A All-Staters collection (UNT is not the only intense music school in TX).

Full Results. Prelims and Finals. http://twhsband.com/07_LSP_prelim_final_recap.htm

i am one of the woodlands bands biggest non-alumnus supporters. i watched them in their preliminary performance and they were just not on top of their game. the performance was good, but nowhere near the quality that they have already established for themselves numerous times in this season. other than marcus, who was absolutely fantastic, my favorite of the night was bowie. they werent as clean visually as the other bands, but they sounded absolutely phenomenal. not making finals last saturday at BOA obviously gave them something to prove, and they did so in wonderful fashion. im hoping that this same thing will happen to the woodlands on saturday at grand nationals. best of luck to the woodlands and all texas bands.

Everyone has said wonderful things and I completely agree with everyone. That being said, I would like to add that you have to be the epitome of the perfect band student. You are a student extension of your director. NEVER undermine a decision or action of your band director. Not in front of your band, not in front of a select group of friends, NEVER. If you disagree with something your director has done, bring it up with him in private, just the two of you. Nothing can be more destructive to your rehearsal or your band's preception of your director than a drum major who is on a different page than the director, because your attitude helps to determine the band's attitude. Think about it, when the director is in a bad mood during rehearsal, are you or the rest of the band in a good mood? No. 95% of the time, the band's attitude reflects his. This also applies to you. If you have any more questions, I would suggest purchasing a copy of The Dynamic Drum Major. This the text used as supplemental material for the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy. (George Parks is considered the expert on drum majoring around the country.) This book will answer any questions you will have concerning the position and any situation that comes with it. I hope my comments have been helpful and best of luck in the future!