Monday, September 7, 2009
We're Already Ahead of Schedule
Here is the long term goal chart we set up in 2004. We set a long term goal for the band to be in the National Class by 2017. Long term and short term goals are important in life and by doing this we could get a good idea of what we have already accomplished and where we are going. This year, 2009, we are supposed to score in the middle of SS2 (small school 2). We already did that last year so our short term goal is to win the class or place 2nd this year, then we could petition to move up to SS1 next year or the year after. The obvious disadvantage to moving up a class is that the bands are stronger and harder to compete against. The advantage is that we are on later in each Long Island show (the only class that goes after SS1 is the National Class) and that we are on in the evening at the dome, with a huge crowd, higher scores, and a more prestigious environment. There is no pressure, just work hard and we will be going ahead, moving through these steps in the building of our dynasty!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Subjective Judging - Please Read
And now a little blog which I have posted before about the judging system and the marching activity. You have to go into this activity knowing what to expect. If we win great, if we don’t then maybe next year. People who live in a sports world may have a hard time with this system. In the “Cutting Edge,” a movie about a professional hockey player who loses his peripheral vision and joins forces with a famous ice skater, joining the ranks of the olympics, it is very obvious the differences when the judges make “all the calls.” The prior hockey player has trouble comprehending his new medium. The following paragraphs are to let you know what we as the marching staff deal with, live with, and try to conquer the best we can in our “quest to be the best.” I will update you after each show on our inner workings, what we are doing, and what our goals are through this blog.
Marching band judges each have a caption, which I listed in the prior blog post on September 3rd. The judges are supposed to judge their caption without going "out of caption." They don't do this which is obvious by the fact that they almost always rank all the bands in the same exact order across all captions. This defies reason, each band is strong in different areas and realistically, each judged caption should have the bands in a different order. Now check out this scenario, hope I don’t lose you. Sometimes the visual judges only judge the guard without even looking at the band marching style, forms, posture, etc. This puts a band that marches a difficult show well at a disadvantage because they get no credit for their work. Sometimes the music judges also decide to judge the visual, which diminishes a band's music score since it isn't being judged. When a music judge does this and is not impressed with the visual aspect, a band in essence is "penalized" twice for the visual portion of the show. Actually, the band is penalized a third time since there is no credit given from that judge for the music they are doing. As staff members we try to be subjective, but still are scratching our heads as we leave some of the contests because the numbers don't even seem to line up with the taped critiques. Oh yes, each judge makes a tape critiquing the band. We get these tapes immediately after we perform and go to the staff room to listen to the tapes and prepare for the post contest judges meeting, where we get 5 minutes with each judging group (visual and music) to get an in person evaluation from the judges.
You need to know, when you get involved in this activity, that it is a "subjective judging" environment. I probably should repeat that last sentence a hundred times! These scores are entirely determined by the judges' evaluations using the judges sheets. The judges decide absolutely everything. It is very much like figure skating or judged olympic events. They make the call for everything. One or two judges can bury you, giving you a score so low that it moves you out of contention for winning a contest. This has happened to us at all the contests last year. We may not agree with the judges, but complaining will not solve anything since we realize that this is a "subjective" environment. It comes with the territory. Those same judges could have had us up by points, giving us a large lead over all the other bands.
Sometimes the judges don’t give you credit for something amazing. For instance, at the dome last year not one of the 12 judges (double slate at the dome) said one word during our drum feature, they were silent. It was probably one of the high points in the entire dome, the drum conveyor belt and the band doing the walk through box. National Class Bands did not even attempt what we mastered. Just look at our youtube site. But the judges, not one word!!!! Can’t complain, nowhere to complain to, we’ll just get them mad. We work the judges as best we can and chip away at them, selling our program in those post contest meetings and wherever else we can. Remember, patience, patience, patience. The wins will come, I went through this with Mineola (I taught there for 11 years) in our climb from last to 1st on the island. Mineola had the high long island scores in 1997 and 1998, over everyone. It took quite a bit of patience, wow! Many rough show scores in that climb, the same thing we are going through right now.
Then you have a situation like last year at the dome, when 6 of the 7 bands in our class were constantly moving, one band sat down on park benches for one third of their show. They tied for 1st place! Every student who plays an instrument sits down their whole first 5 or 6 years, the easiest way to play an instrument. The judges chose them and put them in 1st despite the fact that they sat playing. Some bands cut the band down to their top players, having auditions and being more selective. They win with 40 or 50 total in their band. Here at Roslyn we want as many kids involved as possible so we don’t cut it down to the best, most experienced players. Touching lives is why we are here! This is why some conferences give you higher scores if you are a larger band, and put the bands in size order, total number of band members or musicians.
What the audience usually responds to is "general effect". It only accounts for about 40% of the score and that is why people don't always agree with the judges' results.
Many marching band people say that the only way you can tell who is the best is to wait until the dome. That is where all the bands in the class perform at the same time, for the same judges, in the same environment. At the dome the judging slates are doubled, so the scores are derived from 12 judges. Anything can happen at championships.
Marching band judges each have a caption, which I listed in the prior blog post on September 3rd. The judges are supposed to judge their caption without going "out of caption." They don't do this which is obvious by the fact that they almost always rank all the bands in the same exact order across all captions. This defies reason, each band is strong in different areas and realistically, each judged caption should have the bands in a different order. Now check out this scenario, hope I don’t lose you. Sometimes the visual judges only judge the guard without even looking at the band marching style, forms, posture, etc. This puts a band that marches a difficult show well at a disadvantage because they get no credit for their work. Sometimes the music judges also decide to judge the visual, which diminishes a band's music score since it isn't being judged. When a music judge does this and is not impressed with the visual aspect, a band in essence is "penalized" twice for the visual portion of the show. Actually, the band is penalized a third time since there is no credit given from that judge for the music they are doing. As staff members we try to be subjective, but still are scratching our heads as we leave some of the contests because the numbers don't even seem to line up with the taped critiques. Oh yes, each judge makes a tape critiquing the band. We get these tapes immediately after we perform and go to the staff room to listen to the tapes and prepare for the post contest judges meeting, where we get 5 minutes with each judging group (visual and music) to get an in person evaluation from the judges.
You need to know, when you get involved in this activity, that it is a "subjective judging" environment. I probably should repeat that last sentence a hundred times! These scores are entirely determined by the judges' evaluations using the judges sheets. The judges decide absolutely everything. It is very much like figure skating or judged olympic events. They make the call for everything. One or two judges can bury you, giving you a score so low that it moves you out of contention for winning a contest. This has happened to us at all the contests last year. We may not agree with the judges, but complaining will not solve anything since we realize that this is a "subjective" environment. It comes with the territory. Those same judges could have had us up by points, giving us a large lead over all the other bands.
Sometimes the judges don’t give you credit for something amazing. For instance, at the dome last year not one of the 12 judges (double slate at the dome) said one word during our drum feature, they were silent. It was probably one of the high points in the entire dome, the drum conveyor belt and the band doing the walk through box. National Class Bands did not even attempt what we mastered. Just look at our youtube site. But the judges, not one word!!!! Can’t complain, nowhere to complain to, we’ll just get them mad. We work the judges as best we can and chip away at them, selling our program in those post contest meetings and wherever else we can. Remember, patience, patience, patience. The wins will come, I went through this with Mineola (I taught there for 11 years) in our climb from last to 1st on the island. Mineola had the high long island scores in 1997 and 1998, over everyone. It took quite a bit of patience, wow! Many rough show scores in that climb, the same thing we are going through right now.
Then you have a situation like last year at the dome, when 6 of the 7 bands in our class were constantly moving, one band sat down on park benches for one third of their show. They tied for 1st place! Every student who plays an instrument sits down their whole first 5 or 6 years, the easiest way to play an instrument. The judges chose them and put them in 1st despite the fact that they sat playing. Some bands cut the band down to their top players, having auditions and being more selective. They win with 40 or 50 total in their band. Here at Roslyn we want as many kids involved as possible so we don’t cut it down to the best, most experienced players. Touching lives is why we are here! This is why some conferences give you higher scores if you are a larger band, and put the bands in size order, total number of band members or musicians.
What the audience usually responds to is "general effect". It only accounts for about 40% of the score and that is why people don't always agree with the judges' results.
Many marching band people say that the only way you can tell who is the best is to wait until the dome. That is where all the bands in the class perform at the same time, for the same judges, in the same environment. At the dome the judging slates are doubled, so the scores are derived from 12 judges. Anything can happen at championships.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
How We Get Judged
A Brief History of Long Island Competitive Marching Bands. I put this up each year for the new parents and to refresh everyone on our judging system.
There are approximately fifteen bands that compete on Long Island. Roslyn is the most recent addition to this group (it's our 7th season). The others have been in this competition circuit for 30 to 40 years. Competitive bands can perform 30 to 60 forms (this year we have 67, up from 32 two years ago), are constantly moving, with memorized music (no lyres), and march in synchronized perfection (or as close as is possible). The other 50 plus Long Island non-competition bands perform their shows during halftime at home football games and at the Newsday Festival. They tend to perform between 3 and 15 pictures (abstract forms) and do a much less complex show.
There are several competitive circuits in our area. There is the MAC circuit, in Conncecticut and northern New England, the TOB (Tournament of Bands) circuit in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the YEA circuit, which encompasses the entire East Coast, and the NYSFBC (New York State Field Band Conference) which we compete in. The Long Island bands always seem to compete together. In the 80s and early 90s the Long Island bands competed in the Tournament of Bands. The Championships were usually in Scranton, PA. Then in the mid 90's the bands switched to a new circuit, the CMBC (Cadets Marching Band Circuit) which was run by the Bergen County Cadets, one of the top Drum Corps in the world. The draw of this circuit was it's Championships at Giant's Stadium. When the Giant's put in real turf the CMBC was no longer able to use the stadium, they changed their name to YEA, and moved the championships to venues in Atlantic City, Hersheypark, and Scranton. It was about this time that the Long Island Bands started to transfer to the NYSFBC, the draw to this conference mainly being the Carrier Dome championships, which is obviously indoors, and an incredible venue. The NYSFBC is also a band director driven group, which I feel is the best of the circuits in terms of it's positive outlook and emphasis on education. By the end of the 90's almost all of the Long Island Competitive bands competed in the Carrier Dome/NYSFBC.
Each circuit has a totally different way of judging, different criteria, different judges, and different philosophies. I will now go over the NYSFBC judging system as best I can in a few paragraphs.
NYSFBC Band Classes
There are two main criteria for determining classes in the NYSFBC. There are Small School Classes (SS3, SS2, and SS1) which are determined by school size and the quality level of the program. There are the Large School Classes (LS3, LS2). Class 3 are the less advanced bands, Class 2 the more advanced bands, and Class 1 the most advanced. The top class, reserved for the best in the country is the National Class which consists of incredible bands of any school size. Since they are determined by school size, there can be tiny bands and huge bands in the same class in the NYSFBC. For instance, Northwestern, who won SS2 for several years, marched around 40 members. Some bands have only the really serious musicians and guard people in their bands, which makes them smaller and easier to make perfect. My goal as a band director has been to get as many people involved in the program as possible. In our conference, you get a bump in General Effect from being big but that's about all. In the YEA conference, the larger the bands, the bigger the class, and the higher the scores; they reward you for being bigger and feel that the General Effect of a larger group gives you a higher score.
NYSFBC Judging / How We Get Judged
In the NYSFBC there are two large areas that we are judged on, Visual and Music. Each of these two areas are broken down into three segments, Field, Ensemble, and General Effect. So here are the six judges that judge us: Field Visual, Ensemble Visual, GE Visual, Field Music, Ensemble Music, and GE Music.
Field Visual: This judge is on the field, walking around, through, and in front of the band. This judge's job is to evaluate the individuals on the field and how they march, do their guard work, and how they look as individuals.
Ensemble Visual: This judge is up in the stands and evaluates the drill, the band and the guard doing their designs and work as an ensemble, the artistic value of the show.
GE Visual: This judge sits up in the stands and judges the "General Effect" of the visual portion of the band and guard. This is usually what the audience responds to, the GE.
Field Music: This judge is on the field, walking around, through, and in front of the band. This judge's job is to evaluate the individuals musicians on how they are playing their parts.
Ensemble Music: This judge is up in the stands and evaluates how the band performs their music as an ensemble. This judge evaluates the difficulty of the show, how clean the band is playing musically, and how they sound.
GE Music: This judge sits up in the stands and judges the "General Effect" of the music. This is usually what the audience responds to, the GE.
There are approximately fifteen bands that compete on Long Island. Roslyn is the most recent addition to this group (it's our 7th season). The others have been in this competition circuit for 30 to 40 years. Competitive bands can perform 30 to 60 forms (this year we have 67, up from 32 two years ago), are constantly moving, with memorized music (no lyres), and march in synchronized perfection (or as close as is possible). The other 50 plus Long Island non-competition bands perform their shows during halftime at home football games and at the Newsday Festival. They tend to perform between 3 and 15 pictures (abstract forms) and do a much less complex show.
There are several competitive circuits in our area. There is the MAC circuit, in Conncecticut and northern New England, the TOB (Tournament of Bands) circuit in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the YEA circuit, which encompasses the entire East Coast, and the NYSFBC (New York State Field Band Conference) which we compete in. The Long Island bands always seem to compete together. In the 80s and early 90s the Long Island bands competed in the Tournament of Bands. The Championships were usually in Scranton, PA. Then in the mid 90's the bands switched to a new circuit, the CMBC (Cadets Marching Band Circuit) which was run by the Bergen County Cadets, one of the top Drum Corps in the world. The draw of this circuit was it's Championships at Giant's Stadium. When the Giant's put in real turf the CMBC was no longer able to use the stadium, they changed their name to YEA, and moved the championships to venues in Atlantic City, Hersheypark, and Scranton. It was about this time that the Long Island Bands started to transfer to the NYSFBC, the draw to this conference mainly being the Carrier Dome championships, which is obviously indoors, and an incredible venue. The NYSFBC is also a band director driven group, which I feel is the best of the circuits in terms of it's positive outlook and emphasis on education. By the end of the 90's almost all of the Long Island Competitive bands competed in the Carrier Dome/NYSFBC.
Each circuit has a totally different way of judging, different criteria, different judges, and different philosophies. I will now go over the NYSFBC judging system as best I can in a few paragraphs.
NYSFBC Band Classes
There are two main criteria for determining classes in the NYSFBC. There are Small School Classes (SS3, SS2, and SS1) which are determined by school size and the quality level of the program. There are the Large School Classes (LS3, LS2). Class 3 are the less advanced bands, Class 2 the more advanced bands, and Class 1 the most advanced. The top class, reserved for the best in the country is the National Class which consists of incredible bands of any school size. Since they are determined by school size, there can be tiny bands and huge bands in the same class in the NYSFBC. For instance, Northwestern, who won SS2 for several years, marched around 40 members. Some bands have only the really serious musicians and guard people in their bands, which makes them smaller and easier to make perfect. My goal as a band director has been to get as many people involved in the program as possible. In our conference, you get a bump in General Effect from being big but that's about all. In the YEA conference, the larger the bands, the bigger the class, and the higher the scores; they reward you for being bigger and feel that the General Effect of a larger group gives you a higher score.
NYSFBC Judging / How We Get Judged
In the NYSFBC there are two large areas that we are judged on, Visual and Music. Each of these two areas are broken down into three segments, Field, Ensemble, and General Effect. So here are the six judges that judge us: Field Visual, Ensemble Visual, GE Visual, Field Music, Ensemble Music, and GE Music.
Field Visual: This judge is on the field, walking around, through, and in front of the band. This judge's job is to evaluate the individuals on the field and how they march, do their guard work, and how they look as individuals.
Ensemble Visual: This judge is up in the stands and evaluates the drill, the band and the guard doing their designs and work as an ensemble, the artistic value of the show.
GE Visual: This judge sits up in the stands and judges the "General Effect" of the visual portion of the band and guard. This is usually what the audience responds to, the GE.
Field Music: This judge is on the field, walking around, through, and in front of the band. This judge's job is to evaluate the individuals musicians on how they are playing their parts.
Ensemble Music: This judge is up in the stands and evaluates how the band performs their music as an ensemble. This judge evaluates the difficulty of the show, how clean the band is playing musically, and how they sound.
GE Music: This judge sits up in the stands and judges the "General Effect" of the music. This is usually what the audience responds to, the GE.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Balancing It All on the Head of a Pin
That’s what I call it, making a rehearsal schedule for a competitive marching band. How much to rehearse, how many shows to do, how we rehearse, and how to handle attendance are key parts of running this marching band which I deal with every day. Balancing the schedule of a competition marching band is a delicate endeavor. Meeting the needs of the students is the priority however we do "compete" so we need to maximize our rehearsal time, and get as much done as is possible. We need to utilize every minute without hurting the quality of our group. The balance is as tricky as balancing something on the head of a pin. I have been asked many questions from parents and students about how I schedule rehearsals and competitions so in the spirit of communication I have posted my philosophy of rehearsals, competitions, and how we have built our schedule.
How Many Hours to Rehearse
I have had some parents ask me why we rehearse so much. I have had even more parents ask me why we don’t rehearse more. Well, when starting the competitive marching band here at Roslyn, they rehearsed 2 nights a week, Saturdays, and did a show every weekend. They even added some rehearsals if the band needed it. Coming here in 2003, I decided that we would go with a 1 night rehearsal format, no Saturday rehearsals, and try to add an hour or two of rehearsing on show days, before we leave the high school. This is the least that I felt we could practice and still be competitive. By having great communication among the staff, proper planning, and efficient rehearsals, I felt we could build a dynasty with this structure. Hicksville HS in the 90’s had the highest scores on Long Island and had this exact schedule. I observed them frequently and they were efficient, there wasn’t a minute of wasted time in their rehearsals. It amazed me that they could have the highest of scores and rehearse so much less than the bands they were scoring above. I used them as a model when I came here to Roslyn.
Why No Shows on Columbus Day Weekend?
I always schedule a break weekend in the middle of the season to recharge our collective batteries. I copied this from some of the upstate bands. Playing the same music over and over can be daunting and create a malaise among band members. By taking a weekend off to visit colleges, or just spend time with our families, we can create another peak for our band, hopefully at the dome. I feel that this avoids us getting into a plateau where we stagnate.
Back to Backs
Why not do two shows in a weekend like all the other bands in our area?
We don’t do “back to backs,” a Saturday and Sunday show weekend, and here is my reason. I have always, throughout my 26 years of doing marching band, avoided doing two shows on a weekend. Many bands do this and feel that it helps them keep the momentum going. I feel it becomes too taxing. In my formative years, I had a famous band director upstate tell me “never do back to backs.” I asked why, he said “look at your kids on Sunday night after doing a back to back and that will answer your question.” Two years ago, not sticking with that advice, we did a “back to back” for the first time, the New York Championship at Griffin Field the day after the Denton Avenue Show. I looked at our kids after the Sunday performance and now I totally agree; I feel one show a weekend is definitely enough. As a side note on this issue, the upstate bands do Saturday night shows, and nothing else on Sunday and those bands are amazing. Rarely do you see one of the top upstate National Bands double up shows on a weekend.
Formulating the Schedule
I build the schedule in April, put it up online, finalize it in mid August, tweak it and add times in September and stick to it. I do not schedule anything on the “off weekend." I will not add anything after school starts because I feel it is unfair to the band members to require them to be at everything and then add something. We get many requests to perform at various events on and off our campus with only a few weeks notice. My policy is clear, we will perform if given the dates prior to band camp. Requiring perfect attendance, which we must do since we have a drill where every person is of the utmost importance, creates this policy where we don’t add performances after the schedule is finalized.
Rehearse Less? Rehearse More?
For the parents that say we need to rehearse less, I submit that it would greatly hinder us to even take a few hours out of this schedule. We are at a bare minimum in terms of being a competing band. Any less would mean going to a “home game and Newsday band” format, where we only perform at the home games and Newsday Festival, which is what most bands on Long Island do. Any more rehearsing, and we would burn out, not be fresh with the show, and it would hinder our academics and not leave time for jobs, other activities, etc. Personally, I feel that a competition band teaches so much more about music and life. I feel that the schedule we have is perfect for our school, students, parents, and community.
Is Our Schedule Working?
I feel that our schedule is clearly working. We are very successful, being one of the most talked about bands, getting exponentially better each year. Our competitors, virtually every one of them, rehearse twice as much as us. We are certainly among the top 3 or 4 bands on Long Island, regardless of the scores, so this schedule works for us.
Constantly Learning and Tweaking
As a band director I am constantly learning about maximizing rehearsal time, meeting with the staff regularly, and tweaking our schedule year to year. I welcome parental and student input and have used it regularly. Right now, I feel we are on the right track with our schedule. Our kids are excited, fresh, and love the marching band, which is the top priority!
How Many Hours to Rehearse
I have had some parents ask me why we rehearse so much. I have had even more parents ask me why we don’t rehearse more. Well, when starting the competitive marching band here at Roslyn, they rehearsed 2 nights a week, Saturdays, and did a show every weekend. They even added some rehearsals if the band needed it. Coming here in 2003, I decided that we would go with a 1 night rehearsal format, no Saturday rehearsals, and try to add an hour or two of rehearsing on show days, before we leave the high school. This is the least that I felt we could practice and still be competitive. By having great communication among the staff, proper planning, and efficient rehearsals, I felt we could build a dynasty with this structure. Hicksville HS in the 90’s had the highest scores on Long Island and had this exact schedule. I observed them frequently and they were efficient, there wasn’t a minute of wasted time in their rehearsals. It amazed me that they could have the highest of scores and rehearse so much less than the bands they were scoring above. I used them as a model when I came here to Roslyn.
Why No Shows on Columbus Day Weekend?
I always schedule a break weekend in the middle of the season to recharge our collective batteries. I copied this from some of the upstate bands. Playing the same music over and over can be daunting and create a malaise among band members. By taking a weekend off to visit colleges, or just spend time with our families, we can create another peak for our band, hopefully at the dome. I feel that this avoids us getting into a plateau where we stagnate.
Back to Backs
Why not do two shows in a weekend like all the other bands in our area?
We don’t do “back to backs,” a Saturday and Sunday show weekend, and here is my reason. I have always, throughout my 26 years of doing marching band, avoided doing two shows on a weekend. Many bands do this and feel that it helps them keep the momentum going. I feel it becomes too taxing. In my formative years, I had a famous band director upstate tell me “never do back to backs.” I asked why, he said “look at your kids on Sunday night after doing a back to back and that will answer your question.” Two years ago, not sticking with that advice, we did a “back to back” for the first time, the New York Championship at Griffin Field the day after the Denton Avenue Show. I looked at our kids after the Sunday performance and now I totally agree; I feel one show a weekend is definitely enough. As a side note on this issue, the upstate bands do Saturday night shows, and nothing else on Sunday and those bands are amazing. Rarely do you see one of the top upstate National Bands double up shows on a weekend.
Formulating the Schedule
I build the schedule in April, put it up online, finalize it in mid August, tweak it and add times in September and stick to it. I do not schedule anything on the “off weekend." I will not add anything after school starts because I feel it is unfair to the band members to require them to be at everything and then add something. We get many requests to perform at various events on and off our campus with only a few weeks notice. My policy is clear, we will perform if given the dates prior to band camp. Requiring perfect attendance, which we must do since we have a drill where every person is of the utmost importance, creates this policy where we don’t add performances after the schedule is finalized.
Rehearse Less? Rehearse More?
For the parents that say we need to rehearse less, I submit that it would greatly hinder us to even take a few hours out of this schedule. We are at a bare minimum in terms of being a competing band. Any less would mean going to a “home game and Newsday band” format, where we only perform at the home games and Newsday Festival, which is what most bands on Long Island do. Any more rehearsing, and we would burn out, not be fresh with the show, and it would hinder our academics and not leave time for jobs, other activities, etc. Personally, I feel that a competition band teaches so much more about music and life. I feel that the schedule we have is perfect for our school, students, parents, and community.
Is Our Schedule Working?
I feel that our schedule is clearly working. We are very successful, being one of the most talked about bands, getting exponentially better each year. Our competitors, virtually every one of them, rehearse twice as much as us. We are certainly among the top 3 or 4 bands on Long Island, regardless of the scores, so this schedule works for us.
Constantly Learning and Tweaking
As a band director I am constantly learning about maximizing rehearsal time, meeting with the staff regularly, and tweaking our schedule year to year. I welcome parental and student input and have used it regularly. Right now, I feel we are on the right track with our schedule. Our kids are excited, fresh, and love the marching band, which is the top priority!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Contacting Me
I think it is extremely important to have access to me as a teacher and band director. I get very upset as a parent when I contact a teacher and it takes them days to get back to me, so I understand how important communication between a teacher and parents is. I feel that I am very accessible and take great pride in that. Getting back to someone quickly shows respect and caring towards them. I even give my cell phone out on trips, so most parents in the band have access to my cell phone number, which I don't have a problem with. I would like to go over some ways in which you can contact me quickly and efficiently.
E-mail
I have an iphone and check the e-mail pattersax.com about 10 to 20 times a day. This is quite simply the most efficient and quick way to contact me. I will usually get back to you within a few hours, it may be longer on the weekend but will be within 24 hours, even if I am away on vacation. If you want me to call you on the phone, e-mail me the phone number. If the issue needs personal attention I will call you back. Talking is a much more personal way of communicating if it is an issue of a sensitive nature. If it is simply informational, or a question, an e-mail is the best way to ask.
Texting
Having a daughter in college and two sons in 11th grade and 7th grade, I text all the time. Texting to my cell phone is another way of getting to me if you don’t have e-mail access and want a quick answer or a call to your phone. Band officers, drum majors, and captains text me if they are late or need some quick info. Make sure you tell me who you are when you text me if you don’t have a signature included with the text.
School Phone
The school phone number is a new number this year, a direct line to Mr. Coffey and myself. If you leave me a message on the school phone, it will go directly to my e-mail as an audio file, I will have it within minutes, so this is another way to get in touch with me. The number is 516-801-5152. Once again, let me know how you want me to get back to you.
Cell Phone
Please only call my cell phone if it is an absolute emergency. I have all the parent numbers and student numbers in my cell phone so your name will probably come up if you call me on my cell. Assuming it is an emergency, I will answer, even if I am changing a diaper or reading my little ones a bedtime story at home. Please only reserve this mode of communication if it is an emergency and you need to talk to me immediately.
Snail Mail
Forget it, if there isn’t a check in it, I throw it out! :)
My Own Personal Communication Rules
These are a few of my own rules that I try to use with communication. Once again, the medium is constantly in flux, so we all have to be aware of the new ways of communicating and work within it.
I have an iphone and check the e-mail pattersax.com about 10 to 20 times a day. This is quite simply the most efficient and quick way to contact me. I will usually get back to you within a few hours, it may be longer on the weekend but will be within 24 hours, even if I am away on vacation. If you want me to call you on the phone, e-mail me the phone number. If the issue needs personal attention I will call you back. Talking is a much more personal way of communicating if it is an issue of a sensitive nature. If it is simply informational, or a question, an e-mail is the best way to ask.
Texting
Having a daughter in college and two sons in 11th grade and 7th grade, I text all the time. Texting to my cell phone is another way of getting to me if you don’t have e-mail access and want a quick answer or a call to your phone. Band officers, drum majors, and captains text me if they are late or need some quick info. Make sure you tell me who you are when you text me if you don’t have a signature included with the text.
School Phone
The school phone number is a new number this year, a direct line to Mr. Coffey and myself. If you leave me a message on the school phone, it will go directly to my e-mail as an audio file, I will have it within minutes, so this is another way to get in touch with me. The number is 516-801-5152. Once again, let me know how you want me to get back to you.
Cell Phone
Please only call my cell phone if it is an absolute emergency. I have all the parent numbers and student numbers in my cell phone so your name will probably come up if you call me on my cell. Assuming it is an emergency, I will answer, even if I am changing a diaper or reading my little ones a bedtime story at home. Please only reserve this mode of communication if it is an emergency and you need to talk to me immediately.
Snail Mail
Forget it, if there isn’t a check in it, I throw it out! :)
My Own Personal Communication Rules
These are a few of my own rules that I try to use with communication. Once again, the medium is constantly in flux, so we all have to be aware of the new ways of communicating and work within it.
- I never write an e-mail when I am angry or upset.
- I have to be ready for anything I write to be put up on a wall or handed out. E-mail is permanent.
- I make an attempt to be aware of who has direct e-mail to their phone and don’t e-mail them at times I know are “personal times.” I know they will get the e-mail immediately, it will disturb them and that it will take them away from their family. I usually make a point to e-mail people like that during a work day or before dinner time, unless it is very important.
- I always try to write “how’s it going” or open with something personal if it is an initiating first e-mail to someone. Some people send very business like e-mails which can be misconstrued as cold and harsh.
- If it is a sensitive issue, I make a phone call. Nothing is more personal than hearing the tone of a voice. With e-mails, sometimes the real compassion and caring gets lost.
- Be aware of what server you are going through with any e-mail or voicemail. The company you are going through owns and stores any communication you make.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Assistant Drum Major Positions
After much thought, Ms. Miller and I have decided to add two assistant drum majors to the student leadership team. The fact that we are now faced with 4 drum majors, all seniors, graduating after next year brought us to this conclusion. Looking at the shows we are considering after the 2009-2010 season, we will be going forward with two drum majors and two assistant drum majors each year. The assistant drum majors will be chosen from students in grades 9-11 during the 2009-2010 school year. The assistant drum majors will remain in the band and play on their instruments during their assistant drum major season. They will be in training to be drum majors and will move up into the drum major position the following year if all goes well in their learning season. An audition process will start immediately and will culminate at band camp, with the final auditions and decision made during camp. If the chosen people hold captain or leadership positions within the band they will relinquish them when they become assistant drum major. We will fill those vacated positions with the people who were next on the list after the interview process which was completed this year, as long as those people have been attending the Wednesday night rehearsals, a prerequisite for getting and/or keeping any student leadership position.
Letters of intent need to be sent to Mr. Patterson asap and must be recieved by June 1st if you are interested in trying out. A 300 word essay describing why you want to audition for assistant drum major and what you have to offer as the band’s drum major the following year must be part of the letter of intent.
In addition, there is a possibility that one of our student leaders positions may be vacated in the next few weeks. Once again, we will fill that vacated position with the person who was next on the list after the interview process last November, as long as that person has been attending the Wednesday night rehearsals.
Letters of intent need to be sent to Mr. Patterson asap and must be recieved by June 1st if you are interested in trying out. A 300 word essay describing why you want to audition for assistant drum major and what you have to offer as the band’s drum major the following year must be part of the letter of intent.
In addition, there is a possibility that one of our student leaders positions may be vacated in the next few weeks. Once again, we will fill that vacated position with the person who was next on the list after the interview process last November, as long as that person has been attending the Wednesday night rehearsals.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
CGX final performance at Roselle Park, NJ!
The Roslyn CGX Colorguard performed an amazing show in New Jersey today at the TOB Competition at Roselle Park HS. Performing an incredible performance from the beginning to the end, the Colorguard had energy, aura, and was the best colorguard we ever had here at Roslyn. This competes a great debut season for the winterguard, performing among the best colorguards in the region. Congratulations to all the girls and Ms. McMahon, who directs the colorguard. Special thanks to Mr. Bennett, who wrote and taught the drill, and Mr. Downey, who helped teach the guard this Winter.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
CGX Ranks 25th out of 36 in their class!!!!
Check this out! Our CGX Winterguard is now ranked 25 out of 36 in the huge TOB conference! Check out their ranking! Hit the link on the roslynband.com website to see the ranking in our region! Also check out the Roslyn Marching Band You Tube site to see their performance! Both links are also available to the left of this post.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Winterguard Rocks in First Competition!!!
I couldn’t believe it! There I was, sitting in the bleachers at Copiague HS, waiting for our CGX colorguard to make their first appearance ever in Winterguard Competition. The audience was all set to go. We had already seen some indoor percussion groups and a few independent and middle school winterguards perform. Then the girls entered, with the most confident look I have ever seen! They set down their flags, got into position and they began their show. Is this a first year Winterguard? No way! They are amazing! Moving through the non-stop drill with precision, the guard did a series of arm moves to the music, and then went to the flags, picking them up as they continued an amazing performance from beginning to end. We were amazed and many in the audience were surprised that this was the first time out in Winter competition for this group. There were a few hiccups, a flag misplaced due to the girls never performing the show in the big gym. No problem, Lauren, having no flag to use, modified her moves to look like a dance routine to the two other flags as they performed their trio in the opening tune. Genius! And when another flag was in the wrong place, Alana saved the day by picking up another flag, since that sequence needed everyone with a flag for the routine to work correctly! Her quick thinking amazed us, and made a more positive situation for the judges to see!
Yes, believe it or not, this was the CGX’s first performance in competition......ever! Unbelievable! They have in one season turned themselves into champions, surpassing any expectation that could ever be placed on a first time guard.
Congratulations to the captains, Jessica Margulis, Lauren Passaro, and Faye Sun. Their hard work and dedication are definitely paying off! Their leadership is incredible.
Congratulations to Ms. McMahon who has, in one season, made an incredible impression on the Colorguard Activity, surely becoming one of the top coloruard directors in the country! Her rapport with the girls, while leading them is unparalleled. Her love for her students is clear to anyone who has worked with her. Ms. McMahon’s style and guidance has totally forged the way for us to have one of the best guards anywhere! Thanks to Mr. Bennett for his incredible drill, instructing the girls, and helping with all those little things which make us incredible. And thanks to Mr. Downey, whose tireless dedication, encouragement, and teaching has helped to bring this guard to this level.
Yes, believe it or not, this was the CGX’s first performance in competition......ever! Unbelievable! They have in one season turned themselves into champions, surpassing any expectation that could ever be placed on a first time guard.
Congratulations to the captains, Jessica Margulis, Lauren Passaro, and Faye Sun. Their hard work and dedication are definitely paying off! Their leadership is incredible.
Congratulations to Ms. McMahon who has, in one season, made an incredible impression on the Colorguard Activity, surely becoming one of the top coloruard directors in the country! Her rapport with the girls, while leading them is unparalleled. Her love for her students is clear to anyone who has worked with her. Ms. McMahon’s style and guidance has totally forged the way for us to have one of the best guards anywhere! Thanks to Mr. Bennett for his incredible drill, instructing the girls, and helping with all those little things which make us incredible. And thanks to Mr. Downey, whose tireless dedication, encouragement, and teaching has helped to bring this guard to this level.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Lauren and Jessica at Macy's Parade
Jessica Margulis and Lauren Passaro, members of the Marching Bulldogs' Colorguard, marched down Broadway twirling Macy's Flags as part of Macy's All-American Marching Band in the 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Macy's All-American Marching Band is comprised of 230 high school students from every state in the nation. Jessica and Lauren smiled to the crowds, estimated to be approximately 3.5 million, as the Marching Band escorted the guest of honor, Santa Claus to the parade's finale; Macy's Herald Square. NBC broadcasted the parade in its entirety reaching over 50 million viewers. Viewers who tuned in to the NBC broadcast were able to catch a glimpse of Jessica and Lauren and the All-American Marching Band as the parade came to a close with the arrival of Santa Claus.
You can see more pictures of them at the roslynband.com website.
Video of National Telecast
Look at our youtube site and hit the first video in the favorites box, you can see Lauren and Jessica at time markers 4:42 and 4:59. The parade was watched by over 50 million people on television.
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