The Recap
Great job yesterday, the band did an incredible job! It was amazing how our parents and band members mingled, played together, and bonded. A very special relationship between the bands has been forged and will surely keep us friends throughout the season. The “Roslyn Band Fans” and “Mineola Music Parents” did a fantastic job feeding everyone and it was probably one of the nicest days of the year for all involved. Thanks to everyone for making it a special, beautiful day.
The Scoop
As you can see, Mineola is a very strong band and will be very hard to beat. It can be done however. Their show is smooth, they have their music down, and their special teams, the drumline and colorguard are incredible. We have come a long way each year and are totally up to the challenge! They are one of the dynasties of Long Island. To beat them it must be a clean win. Judges will not call it if it is close. Yesterday our show was great and better than ever for our band program. That is a fact. We are growing in leaps and bounds. I am so proud of what we are accomplishing. That being said, we cannot simply sit on our accomplishments. We need to press forward …….so here it is. For a band our size, the impacts and pure volume should be 4 times louder than it was yesterday. One famous college professor told a story about how he knew every note in the show in the "Marching Illini" band his freshman year. He was an advanced player who took music very seriously and had the show memorized cold. When he walked into the stadium however, he was overcome. Worrying about “hitting the right spots” in the big stadium, he didn’t play one note! It is more embarrassing to bump into someone than it is to not play. I think this is what happened to us yesterday. To me, as the director, it sounded like two thirds of the band did not play a note. Whether it is due to freezing up, or not having the music down, we need to get more volume and impact on all the high points of the show. Then there are transitions, they were unsteady and tentative. We need to watch the drum majors on all entrances and transitions. Confidence with entrances must be embraced. We must sell ourselves. In general, the show was flat. I am not comparing us to what we have done in the past, in that respect we are breaking new ground. I am talking about how the judges will read our show. Judges who expect perfection and to be moved, musically and visually.
The Weekly Goal
At the first competitive show this coming Sunday at Divison Ave., we must beat bands we have never beat before. We must, together with Mineola, make the judges score Small School 2 higher than the Large School 3 bands if possible. We must try to get our parts down and routines down individually so that together we can put it all together and come out with an incredible season opener! We must blow the judges and audiences out of the stands! Roslyn is famous for peaking just right, at the end of the season after our big showing at the dome last year. The first scores we get are important. It is our first impression. We only get one shot at that. We need to try with every ounce in our bodies, to take first in our class this week. That is our goal!
