rpd

I refer to it as my last, first football game. For me it will be 33rd game. My football team actually did well a couple years ago.

My band has horrible luck with electronics. Two years ago, at Area G, our clarinet soloist had a bad microphone and made a very obnoxious ringing sound. You can hear people in the crowd cringing at the sound. Luckily we still made finals despite of it. Then last year we couldn't get power to our synthesizers at USSBA State Championships. We stood on the field for what seemed to be 10 minutes motionless.

Or asking your friend where there going, and when they say "Cielo Vista", you hear "see you at Fiesta". Luckily Fiesta gives refunds. Cielo Vista and Fiesta are the two theaters in San Antonio showing the quarterfinals for those who may not understand.

That sounds good compared to what we dealt with last year. Our director refused to practice on the field that we practiced on for the past 50 or so years. It had bumps, was bad grass, and turned into mud the second week of camp. So instead we used the front parking lot of the school. We had three lamp post, and about 10-15 cars to deal with at one time. They thinned out at the end of rehearsal though. This year we got an asphalt field. Works much better.

Yeh, but I liked the road trip to McAllen 2 years ago. But playing in a venue like the Alamodome is always fun too.

This is the first time in our bands history we've been on a 8-8 schedule. As a senior its a huge shock to us. Especially considering in our old system (2 years ago and with a different director) we would go 8-12, for the most part student led, and had breaks that sometimes went 30 minutes or more. However, most of the people in our band don't mind the new schedule, which is a huge surprise to me. I think our new director worked us hard enough last year to drive the unmotivated people away, but not shock us to the point most of us quit. For as long as I've been here, I think this is the best freshman class to come through Marshall. I'm the Clarinet section leader, and about half of them are freshman. But today they played a 16th note run, at 164 BPM, almost to perfection...on day 3! It was cleaner than most of the runs we did after month 3. My jaw almost hit the floor when they nailed that run. As for technique, that's all we've been doing right now. We have two former Phantom Regiment staff members working with us on the field, so they're not going to teach drill until they go over everything. I think they may start teaching drill tomorrow night, maybe late in the morning section. I feel very, VERY, good about this year. I cant wait for our first BOA competition in many years. Oh and we did an elimination thing at the end of camp today, where if you mess up you were eliminated. I got 3rd =)

Our assistant director, Mr. Kent Summerour, has left to go on a tour with his electronic/metal band. He is replaced by Mr. Alan Perkins. I met him yesterday when the section leaders and officers had to prep the practice field for camp. So far, I think he is a pretty cool guy. If I remember his intro correctly he has been successful in Ohio and California. And worked for the Phantom Regiment in 2007.

I'm really enjoying the low clarinet music this year. I like the fact that its not just straight slurred 16th notes, there's still a lot of 16th notes but more articulation. And the ballad has great dynamic changes. I can actually make music out of this years pieces.

No problem. Its certainly easier to read than some of our show music in the past. And thanks for names too. Hopefully I can find them on the interwebz and check them out. I can only assume blue is one of the colors now .

Our show revolves around colors, where each movement is related towards a different color. Music comes from Bernstein, Bryant, and Jolley (may have the last one wrong, the credits are so small in our sheet music) and arranged by Daniel Montoya Jr. Movement one is green I believe, it has a very contemporary feel. Movement two is red, its latin piece. We haven't touched movement three or four yet, so I don't know about those. I was iffy on this show when I first found out the concept, but the more I hear it, the more I'm beginning to like it.

I lucked out. They actually picked a piece I worked on in the spring. I didn't work on it a lot, but its nice getting a little head start =) I'm hoping to make at least Area this year.

I cant wait till Saturday. Although can we get decent tickets at the gate? I may get a job during the week, and I think missing my first Saturday would be a horrible idea. Especially in the restaurant business.

Its a possibility. I remember checking a website that had the results to almost every regional in BOA history. And I don't remember us in any regional past '93. Of course this is an easy thing to miss I'm sure. Regardless, its been awhile and I'm excited.

Awesome. Were in BOA Arlington and San Antonio. I don't think we have done BOA since 1993.

Typically a month if I take good care of it, or dont chip it trying to put my reed cap on. I swear, I destroy more reeds with my reed cap than I do save them.

Wow, the Class of 2009 there must be very happy with Grand Nationals all 4 years. Ill be happy getting to UIL State my senior year. LD Bell must have done one heck of a job fund raising last year to be able to afford this.

My clarinet choir is playing The Marriage of Figaro as well. Im playing a transposed Alto Clarinet part on my bass. For solo im playing Sonata in G by Eccles. Im hoping to memorize it for state.

True, but I've seen Boxcar racing on ESPN before...

I like to consider it an athletic art form. Marching band is one of the few activities that incorporates sport and art.

Some of those are pretty funny. I actually came up with one driving the other day. You know your a band nerd if you notice two BOA finalist as neighborhood names on one road. I saw Westfield and Cedar Park

One band that I've kind of followed since their in my district and one of our biggest rivals, is the Clark band from the NISD district in San Antonio. Its almost scary the jump that they've made in one year. Last year they went from placing fairly highly in Area G to this year barely beaten by Westfield in USSBA State Competition. Over the next few years I would be on the lookout for bands from the other district in San Antonio. The NISD district really wants to start competing with some of the great things the NEISD is doing.

Thats cool. Until someone in your section gets strep As for pre-show rituals we just have the typical motivational speech from our director. Although, whenever were dismissed from rehearsal, usually by the drum major, we yell "Get it".

Actually, I made a typo. I meant ~120. Our new directors have VERY high standards.

~150, Which is almost double what we did last year. Easily our hardest show ever. It was so physically demanding compared to previous years. Our director writes our drill, and he says its only going to get harder.

Right now the only piece were working on is Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson. Our director seems to be in love with that song because that was our closer to our marching show this year. Im not sure what our second or third bands are working on though.