First Impressions

[treblemaker]

I don't know about you guys but today the weather was great! This week has been so hot but everyone seems to be toughing it out! I imagine it's the same everywhere. I know my body is getting used to being in the sun sweating and every muscle in my body aching! Hope everyone is drinking lots of water!

[the terminator]

yeah we really did well today, the weather really helps all of us(gives us an extra gear), so far we have finished 65 sets and 2 1/2 minutes, tomm. we're going to lay the ballad(swan lake) out. It's been tough, but we've done well, and we should have the show ready by our first game

[rpd]

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 =)

[Danpod]

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 =)

 

I'm glad Hildreth's style is working for you all so far. Best of luck this season!

[treyj]

yeah we really did well today, the weather really helps all of us(gives us an extra gear), so far we have finished 65 sets and 2 1/2 minutes, tomm. we're going to lay the ballad(swan lake) out. It's been tough, but we've done well, and we should have the show ready by our first game

 

 

dang.

 

we're working strictly on marching and marching/playing just warmups outside this week.

 

perfecting the show in inside rehersals

and won't learn any sets until next week

 

8-8

[whitewing09]

We don't start drill until next week

[AzNtRoMbOnEcHiCk]

We don't start drill until next week

 

really? we are already 22 sets into our opener.

for the first time, we have all of our show drill done.

[whitewing09]

Awesome, we want our music to be perfect for when we lay drill, and it's not there yet.

[AzNtRoMbOnEcHiCk]

Awesome, we want our music to be perfect for when we lay drill, and it's not there yet.

 

well, thats understandable.

man, this year we are marching 112 winds. which is big for us.

last year, we only marched 76 winds.

50 outta of the 112 winds are rookies.

its gonna be tough but i know we can do it.

[ftwdrummer]

Music-wise (the only part I know about, being in pit), the winds got the first two movements on Monday, and the second (the one I was able to sneak into wind rehearsal to hear) sounds pretty good (though sans solo for right now).

 

Pit's surprisingly small for where we usually are (the past couple of years we've had fifteen or sixteen kids in pit total; this year we have nine), but sounding pretty good. Percussion only has the first movement right now (percussion writer churning it out as fast as he can), but we're cleaning it well and speeding it up.

 

Lots of 16th-note runs at 168 and 176 = happily worn-out me = not-as-happily worn-out everyone else =/

[b_sax_agent]

we don't start drill till next week.

 

We have all of our music though.

 

I need to work on memorizing the second movement....

 

it's one of the hardest pieces I've had to memorize.

[treyj]

we don't start drill till next week.

 

We have all of our music though.

 

I need to work on memorizing the second movement....

 

it's one of the hardest pieces I've had to memorize.

 

 

yeah same here.

all fundamentals this week :[

oh well

need to be perfect!

learn drill next week in the evening rehersals

 

cant wait!

[the terminator]

i'm done for the day, we are so far on schedule after eating up another 5 sets today, and b/c our band director is going back for DCI world championships as a staff member for the cadets, we have no practice tomm

[titancoaster]

We are doing extremely well, this is probably the fastest we have ever learned drill, we have the first 22 sets finished, and by tomorrow we will finish the first movement, and rep the opener a few times, and by next friday we hope to have the second movement finished! I cannot believe how well we are doing this year, I get gossebumbs everytime I am conducting the first hit, the brass is right in front of me and they just blow me away.

[actualgirltrombone]

we had the woodwinds listen to the brass play the first impact today and it scared the living crap out of them. its not even LOUD yet! i mean, its loud, but its not LOUD =)

 

we've learned the first thirteen pages of the opener, but only marching and no music. i think music goes on next week. i'm extremely excited.

[claribeatlegirl]

ohh I'm so excited! lol We saw the drill yesterday...I think it looks pretty cool. Rehearsals have been pretty good, so hopefully we can keep that up!

[treyj]

We had our first full band rehersal today

with drumline pitt woodwinds and brass.

 

man, im pretty amazed.

 

I mean of course there is tons of work to be done, but still the music blew me away.

 

i'm lovin it

 

as for our marching it is going good.

 

strictly fundamentals 8-1130 all week.

 

starting to look good!

we have varsity marching band audtions tomorrow morning, he said 15% of our 155 won't make it.

 

I hope my fish do!!!

[JustAddWat3r]

Haha it looks like everyone is having fun AND getting work done. This is gonna be a great year for everyone!

[CP*Trumpet_Belle]

Easy now, friends. She was just giving an opinion. That's her first impression of the program and she did a great job of answering the question raised by the original poster. She wasn't putting down anyone else's program and I am so grateful for that. Personally, I have no problem with death by sound, as long as the fundamentals of Music are kept in tact.

 

I've baked cookies to smooth things over =)

 

 

 

thank you.

 

and thats all i gotta say.

[the terminator]

yeah to be honest i really don't like our drill, we do a lot of the same things year to year. we seem to always have a follow the leader, a conveyor belt, and lots of big blocks,

[AzNtRoMbOnEcHiCk]

we finshed our opener yesterday,

and marched and played music to it today.

 

next week, we are gonna learn

the second movement.

this is the first year we had all of

drill finished during summer band.

 

good luck to everyone!

Edited August 8, 2008 by AzNtRoMbOnEcHiCk

[ftwdrummer]

The entire ensemble (pit, battery, winds) played together for the first time this afternoon, doing the first movement.

 

The quality of it scared the crap out of me. I mean, the winds took their first look at the first movement Monday afternoon (percussion got revised music Monday afternoon, as well), and we're already playing it full-ensemble at an average (we have four different tempos in the opener) of five bpm under tempo.

 

And the winds have the music for second movement already (playing as a group alone; our percussion guy hasn't finished writing the last two movements), and third movement's going out Monday afternoon.

 

I'm actually moderately scared at how well we're learning this stuff.

[treblemaker]

Yay for tempo changes! I really loved Perilous Skies! You guys will do great! The pieces are really easy to get down it's just the little things that matter most. :]

[musicaidnow]

I was driving by the band field (I graduated and my dad is the head director) and I saw, of course,

that the tubas were marching quite a bit slower than the rest of the band;)

 

Any one care to exand on this...?

[ftwdrummer]

Yay for tempo changes! I really loved Perilous Skies! You guys will do great! The pieces are really easy to get down it's just the little things that matter most. :]

 

Thanks, Lindsay! :]