jarrettlipman

@packwick😁 Thems my kids - and my shows. You bet I am protective. That said, my skin is pretty thick. And that's awesome you were there, so maybe you AND Rubisco are the elders!!

I enjoy reading and responding occasionally -- 15 years at CTJ and the one thing I have always believed is a good thing... "Love you or hate you, if they're talking about you... you're doing your job." It's nice to see the commentary and happy that folks are seeking out our videos! CTJ is my one and only ... and I don't take for granted how lucky we are as a community to get to be a part of something as special as what we have. The show this year is an effort to get "back to basics" - there is drill (we move and play a lot) - there is a simple concept "out there," which references both "spaces," "from the outside looking in," planets, stars, ET, and of course how fortunate we are to be a part of such a wonderful world. I am not gaslighting - there's a lot wrong, but ... in a time where there is so much to be negative about, I try hard as a leader to keep our students and community focused on the positives in our world, and how they have an ability to be the change they wish so badly to see. We have never avoided doing difficult things ... so, the program is challenging, but... we have also tried to avoid "everything but the kitchen sink" - which we did very well with competitively, I might add 😇 And the show is in three movements plus a pre-show. It's a shorter show this year, and doesn't go down quite so many rabbit holes. This is a result of our own reflection ... but also things I have read on this forum, and feedback from adjudicators. We also like learning from those who are "state of the art" - Hebron, Vandy, Woodlands, Reagan, BA, Avon, Carmel, ETC - each bring something incredible to the table. And it helps shape our approach. Our ballad is inspired by 2018 Bluesprings - one of my favorite ballads as an audience member - and I remember thinking all through that "videos don't do that ballad justice" ... and I don't think the videos do ours justice either. Love singing or hate it ... it's a personal taste. I am singer - I enjoy it, and our kids do a wonderful job with it. I am always grateful each year to the bloggers and the audience members (who I also realize are some of our biggest competitors and not always happy to see us do well, but still stay positive or at least constructive) - that's a part of this game. I do always remind people that putting a show together and keeping a program like CTJ going over the long term is not easy to do (and we have now been around a LONG time, unless you're like RUBISCO ... you're a baby in my eyes)... Our team continues to entertain, push the envelope, and provide great experiences for our band members. We are inspired by the amazing programs in Texas, and continue to learn from them. Someday, those of you who write on this forum, I hope you are as fortunate as I have been to teach and be a part of the design process for a program like CTJ. It is am amazing thing to be a part of. And - you won't fully understand every decision we make, nor agree with it. And that's cool. That's the best part about art - it's subjective. We do CTJ the way we love to do it - it is a joy to teach there every day. AND, as Rubisco so eloquently put it so many years ago, we will always "go our own way." Have the best season, and look forward to sharing our show with you in KATY.

Hello! The Boston Crusaders have an opening for a baritone player and an opening for a trumpet player to fill-out our line for the 2022 season. If you are interested in spending your summer with us, please send me an email at jarrettlipman@gmail.com. Thanks! JL

@justabandkid94 You are wise - many kids and parents read the posts. Most do not comment. While it is good practice for all to learn to embrace critique and praise simultaneously - it is always helpful to remember just about everyone is working towards the same thing - being great at marching band. The variance of opinions is exciting - it is no different judging. The mix of adjudicators with different opinions - the audience reaction - all of it keeps a contest interesting. There is also a great benefit in not taking anything too seriously - or too personally - when it comes to rankings, ratings, opinions, etc. It’s an art form, it will always be subjective - there will always be some who love, some who hate - but … as long as they’re talking? Well, that’s pretty cool!

Just a note to say thank you for the incredible support on the forums this past weekend. The bloggers for TXbands were so uplifting and complimentary, and all of our kids and parents appreciate that love. It is hard not to experience wonder and awe when you consider how blessed we are as a state to have so many incredible programs. To have something like TXbands alongside of that is equally special. The criticism, banter, discussion, and engagement on these forums is always interesting to read through the year and speaking personally, has impacted many design discussions and sparked conversations with our staff on what we can do better. Thanks again for the love through the nationals process. It really added a lot for our community.

@Rubisco I am teasing ... I enjoy very much reading your write ups through the years and know you don’t take things personally or I would not respond. It is always a great part of the off season to enjoy reading people’s analysis of things and we learn a lot through the reactions we get and how people respond (or do not) to what we put on the field. @Banddad ... settle down over there :-)

Ohhh “desultory” .. I had to look that one up!

Hi Yes -- Claudia Taylor Johnson is only planning to participate in prelims for area. We have been talking to Dr. Kent over the last few weeks about the best way to proceed without potentially affecting other schools and it seems that was the best compromise. We began planning our nationals trip during the fall of 2014 knowing it would be a state year but not fully prepared for the decision to split state into two days, which we think is awesome ... but makes for an even longer week for our band members and the potential for up to four days of missed classss for them. We also want our truck and equipment to have ample time to travel / drive and with the potential for weather that time of year we really want our vehicles to leave Tuesday night and not mid day weds. We love us some band ... but want our band members fully rested and charged for Indy. We don't go very often and want the trip to be very special and have them fresh for it. We will be staying to watch area finals and cheer on the other groups and for future will not plan to do nationals on a state year again. We are appreciative of Dr. Kent's understanding and support and are excited for the weeks ahead! #teamTexas will be strong at nationals Jarrett Lipman

Hi -- thanks for the kind words. Sorry hard to tell much backfield ... but we are plugging away. We did not in fact drop out of UIL ... Happy Sunday!