I am exhausted. I had a blast on Wednesday watching eight drum corps go head-to-head. I lost my voice half way through just from the excitement and screaming in support! It was such a great time. I loved hearing all the marching band and colorguard students say "whoa" during very visually appealing parts of drum corp shows!! On the way home from Salt Lake City, the band teacher, Ms. Teot (or Jamie) and I had a talk about the upcoming fall season. The band this year is doing a show titled "Pure Imagination." (yes are using the pure imagination song from the older Willy Wonka movie)! We both found out that we have the same feelings. We both truly believe that the kids will reluctantly trust us (the staff) during band camp. We have decided that we will sit them down that first day and tell them that they will be pushed far outside their comfort zone, but we will be holding their hands while it happens. Most of the band will learn VERY basic dance moves to enhance their visual performance. All four of us staff members know we will be stressed out and have a tough road a head of us while we get the kids to trust what we teach and do what we say. Jamie and I feel that this fall is going to be the "recruitment period" as well as the "building" time for the kids. We know the first few performances will be rough. However, my colorguard girls already have the first 40 seconds of their show AND over the next few rehearsals will be getting more and more of their show until the two weeks of camp. Then they will be in overdrive when we give them their whole show the first week and out drill to it the second week (can you guess which staff members will be tuckered out once band camp ends?). There will be so much interaction and visual stuff happening, we, the marching band staff, anticipate high marks in their visual and general effect scores. Plus, the percussion are sounding sharper and sharper every rehearsal. We all predict they will average 5th place (out of 14) the first few competitions and then start the slow climb to top three! I want the colorguard in top three as well. The next few rehearsals and the first week of camp will be spend pounding out technique (they are going to be tired...poor kids) and getting them to at least have the basics of the full week of band camp. That way I can spend the next month of rehearsals after that pounding technique and getting everything to look sharp! Camps start August 1st.
After the bus ride, we kept talking. We noted that last year the kids didn't start to peak until the BYU competition in the middle of the season. If they do that this year and push through the stretch of "close together" shows (they have 5 shows in two weeks and then state four days after that stretch) then they will come out in the top five at state (the staff wants top 3 but we will see how they do as the season progresses). All of the staff and parent volunteers think it can be done. I am hoping. Oh August please be fast.
The only down side to having two weeks worth of camp is the amount of work I will be doing. I will be doing camp with the girls and then going home to do homework. it will be the final weeks of summer block and, looking at my schedule, the toughest in terms of homework. I will have three research papers, a philosophy paper, a library assignment, reading assignment, midterm revisions, journal assignments, and a timeline assignment due (phew!). In fact if I posted a picture of my to do and homework list right now, people would wonder if I ever slept. The answer is not anymore but we will get into that later. Until next time, adios!
No comments:
Post a Comment