Getting Ready for the Brentwood Show

I am so proud of how the band and parents here at Roslyn are so positive this season.  We all have an incredible healthy grasp of this whole subjectivity thing.  We love our marching band, love the activity, and realize that the judges have a right to their opinion.  Hopefully, this Sunday, the scores will reflect how great we have become as a band.  In looking at the Small School 2 scores, I feel that they are down from last year, all across the state.  Usually scoring in the mid 70s by the second week of the season, we are barely there, while Large School 3 groups are ahead of us.  Don't try to make sense of it all, it is simply a subjective medium.

Please, follow a few simple rules when we are going through the season.  I will recap what I told the band when I talked to them after the show at Copiague.  

1.  Be ready for anything.  Judging scores and slates can come up with totally different reads from week to week.  You can be down by 6 points one week and up by 6 the next.  Keep it all in perspective.

2.  Have great sportsmanship.  These bands are all our neighbors, we are all in this great activity together.  Compliment those other band members you come in contact with.  Don't put any other bands down, even amongst yourselves.  You never know who is right nearby and more importantly, it's not nice.  Watch the other band shows and be positive to everyone you see.  Make friends with the other band members.  

3.  Don't go crazy if you win, remember, somebody just lost to you.  Be nice.  Stay positive. Remember that next week you may be the one who is down in scoring.   If you really need to outwardly celebrate, do it when we get back to our school.

4.  Know how great you are, how much you have accomplished, and don't be dependent upon 6 people's impressions to make you feel good about yourself.  If they love the show, great.  If they don't, that's OK too.  One day they will crown us champions.

5.  Remember the long term goals for our program.  We have 3 shots (years) at winning this class to keep on track.  There is absolutely no rush.  Although our goal is to win the class at the dome, we are keeping it all in perspective.  

The Copiague Show - The Recap!

The Recap
The band was incredible. The energy level was high, the band was more powerful, we had a great performance, clearly a peak for this band and our entire program. Electric! The best performance by any Roslyn Band. Pure and simple!

The Scoop
The General Effect Music Judge buried us. He put us 2nd from the bottom in the entire show in General Effect Music. I do not think that there is anyone in the stands who would think that of our band. Another judges slate would have popped us, I am sure. Sometimes, as the judges look at the show again and again, they grow to love it. Our show will also play well in the dome, the incredible drill, moving of boxes, etc. We were up on two judges sheets and down on four. That GE Music score, which is traditionally our strong point, really sent our score tumbling down.

There is another issue which I have touched on before. I am very conflicted in how to say this. After thinking about it I think I can state it in a very conservative way. Anyone who sat through that show knows how great our band did. The scoring, in my opinion, was, safe scoring. You can draw your own conclusions from that. We have only been on the field for seven years, which is an infancy in this activity. I have overseen the building of three dynasties at three different high schools, two upstate and one on Long Island. Through each of their ascents and growth from year to year, the scores did not always reflect the "new bands" that were on the field. At times there were mind boggling results, with spectators walking out of the stadium scratching their heads, trying to make sense of the scores. Last night, I was thrilled that we were 7th out of 15 in the show. A few short years ago we were 15th out of 15. We are definitely on the move upward. We, at Roslyn, are all very excited about our emerging as one of the powerhouse "dynasty" bands. We are quickly joining the ranks of Brentwood, Mineola, Huntington, Copiague and Sachem as one of the "Great Bands" of Long Island! Are we getting the scores we deserve. Yes! And you know why? Because the judges have a right to their opinions. They are professionals and we must respect them to respect the activity. This activity that we all love! Remember, these judges will someday crown us champions! We are on the move! Aim high, be patient!