Tomorrow (Saturday 11/18) is the Lebanon Holiday Parade. Report time is 8am. We will be performing "Merry Christmas." It looks like there is potential for rain, so if the parade is cancelled, it will be announced on WLBR. I will also send an email/remind if it is cancelled.
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Now that a few days have passed, I wanted to take some time to reflect on this past marching band season and share some thoughts with you.
First of all, this was probably one of the most enjoyable seasons I can remember. I had a lot of fun rehearsing this year’s show, and I never got tired of it. Some years, by October, I’ve had enough, but not this year. I truly looked forward to coming to rehearsals to add new things and to make it better. One reason for this was the great music and show concept we had this year. Hopefully you all enjoyed it as much as I did. However, another reason it was such an enjoyable season was because of the work ethic of the students and the atmosphere they created. We would make changes, both major and minor, and they just rolled with it, and did their best to adjust. We challenged the students, and they stepped up every time. We met with section leaders after each rehearsal, and they gave a lot of good input about what needed attention and helped to guide our rehearsals in the right direction. In general, it felt like we were all working as one unit to reach our goal. Marching band is about much more than playing the right notes and marching in step (although that is part of it). It is about commitment, cooperation, discipline, creativity, and passion. We come to school in the middle of the summer and work in 90+ degree heat for hours while everyone else is on vacation, swimming, or relaxing. We go to football games in sub-freezing temperatures with howling wind to support our team and perform our show for a smaller than average audience. Some of our students learn how to be leaders through firsthand experience. Our section leaders and other students help each other learn their music and refine their marching. We celebrate our successes and pick each other up after our struggles. We somehow manage to juggle our time between band, sports, schoolwork, and jobs. Some of our students ran several miles in a district cross country meet, then drove an hour and a half to meet us at a competition to perform our show after that. And somewhere in between all of that craziness, they find time to be kids and have fun too, like at our Halloween practice. It sounds cliché, and maybe it is, but marching band is like one big family. Sure, we argue, and there’s sometimes drama, but in the end, we’re here for each other and there’s no one else we’d rather have by our side on the field. Some people try to compare it to other activities, but it is really its own rewarding activity. Remember, there is no bench or second string in marching band. Every member is important and contributes to the overall success of the group. Let’s talk about our final score and placement. Obviously we always want to place first, and be the best. That didn’t happen this year. We can’t control what other bands do, and there were a lot of talented bands and great shows this year. We can only control our own performances, and that’s what we did. We continued to improve week after week, constantly topping ourselves. We had fun. The audience had fun. I heard more compliments about our show this year from parents, football fans, and strangers than any other year in recent memory. But if numbers and placement are important to you, I have some good news for you. Our final score of 83.5 is our best score since the 2014 season when we placed third. We ended up placing 4th in music overall, and 2nd in the ensemble music caption. We placed 5th in percussion. And hopefully you listened to the judges’ comments from championships, because there were a lot of positive things they had to say about our show this year. I’m proud to be the band director, not because of the show we put on the field, but because of the great kids and upstanding citizens we’ve had a hand in teaching. These are the best kids at NL. One of the best parts of my job is getting to see the students’ growth from the beginning of the season to the end. Thank you to the incredibly dedicated staff who put in countless hours to make our program better. The staff would always stay long after everyone else was gone to discuss what we could do to give the students the best experience possible. Each member of the staff works with our students because of their passion for the activity and their vested interest in every student’s success. I certainly could not do it alone. Thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time for any number of important tasks throughout the year. There are literally too many to name them all here. So much happens behind the scenes that the students don’t even know about. My job is easy because of the work you all do. You allow me to focus on teaching the students. Finally, thank you to the students. There would be no marching band without you. You made it fun to come to rehearsal. You trusted me, and you trusted the staff. I hope you felt like marching band was a safe place, where you were all welcomed. I hope you feel like you ended the season as a better musician than you started. I am thoroughly looking forward to taking this group to Florida to have some fun, to perform, and to learn too! Let’s celebrate another great season! |