Band Camp, Day Six

Summer returned to camp echo today. All week long we had cool weather, considering it is the summer. Today it became hot, sunny and it was more difficult to get through the rehearsals outside. We finished the drill for the show in the morning, and started doing run throughs in the afternoon. The band looks and sounds great. After a few hours in the afternoon, we went to the activities and pool until dinner. Then at night was the beautiful candlelight senior ceremony on the lake. The seniors did a phenomenal job, it was very touching. Then they sang their senior song. It was an incredible day. Tomorrow we will be out on the field from 9 to 12 and 1 to 3, which will be followed by the ending relay game which is around the entire camp. The camp picture at 5:30, dinner at 6 and then we depart at 7pm. We should be home around 10pm.

Band Camp, Day Five

Once again, a perfect day to teach marching. Cloudy and in the mid seventies. We finished up to drill sets 27 which leaves only 4 more sets to complete the show. The band looks great, and we finished the music and drill for 5 of the six tunes. Then after dinner we worked on the closer, Ode to Joy, memorizing that as well. Meals were egg mcmuffins for breakfast with sausage patties, pizza for lunch, and hamburgers for dinner. There was always the regular fruits and salad bars available as well. It remained cloudy, which is good in terms of not getting sunburn. Tonight was skit night as well, and each group got to do a little five minute show for the entire band. The colorguard looks phenomenal. They are also doing their choreography with their drill and are on track to a great visual package for the band. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be nice out, so we will definitely have no problem in finishing the preparation of this show. The kids are in good spirits and psyched up for this year's season.

Band Camp, Day Four

Today the weather was perfect for marching band. It was around 65 to 70 degrees, cloudy, and no wind. Perfect. We learned sets 14 through 23 which leaves only 8 sets to finish the show. Hopefully tomorrow we can finish and use Friday and Saturday to clean and add the pit percussion. The pit have finished the show and are working hard to perfect it. The show is working really well, it is very entertaining. This is an incredible band we have here! The parents have done a great job organizing and running the activities ouside the rehearsals. See you tomorrow.

Band Camp, Day Three

Great day, it rained all day so we worked on music, in small groups and in large ensemble. Ready for the rain, we planned ahead and were ready to double up on music rehearsals today. We gave some individual and large group instruction to the new band members who are doing great. We have some new instrumentalists who, in a few short days, are playing at the level of students who have been doing it for years. For breakfast we had eggs and potatoes, cereal, fruit, etc. Lunch included tacos, which you could make yourself, salad bar, and chicken salad sandwiches. Dinner included chicken teriyaki, rice, the great salad bar, and pudding for dessert. The band sounds and looks better than ever, we are making a tremendous jump in the quality level once again. The rain stopped after dinner, just a little drizzle and it looks like it will be nice out tomorrow.

Second Day of Band Camp

Rain, rain, go away! That's what I said when I went to bed last night. A band director nightmare was on the horizon.......rain! The one thing that can totally shut down a marching band is rain. So today, after breakfast, at 9am we went directly to the field to continue learning more of the 31 sets in this year's show. We worked tirelessly through to 12 noon, learning sets 5 through 9. Then after lunch, with the rain still ominously approaching, we learned sets 9 through 13. This is almost half of the sets in the show. We wanted to get a jump in case we get rain for a few days. The band is playing through these sets as well. Once again, our band has stepped it up an amazing amount this year. Sounding better than ever, the kids are working hard and you would be very proud of them. In culinary news, for breakfast we had french toast, fruits, yogurt, and cereal. Lunch included grilled cheese and a side cold cut/salad bar, and dinner included chicken parmesan with spagetti, along with their great salad bar. With perfect timing, as we ended the rehearsal it started to rain. We got everything in before the torrential rains which ensued. The schlactivity this evening at 9pm was a crative game of concentration which the parents set up. It involved the memorizing of names of the new band members. We had a great, productive day, and can withstand a day or two of rain and still be on track to finish the show. In the case of rain, we double up on music rehearsals, and then we have all marching/drill learning rehearsals when it is nice out. Can't wait till tomorrow, the kids are well rested and doing very well.

First Day of Camp

Hi, everything went great today. The camp is running like clockwork. The kids are happy, and doing a phenomenal job with the first day of rehearsals. We left Roslyn at around 7:45 and arrived at the Ramapo rest stop for a break on the way to Camp Echo. Arriving at the camp at around 10:45am, we unloaded our luggage and proceeded to the Pavillion for the Band Camp Talk. This is where I give a speech to get the kids all psyched up for the coming season. I went over how great a year we had last year, how we are building a dynasty, and how we need to use last years season as a starting point for even more greatness. The kids were excited and totally responsive. The parent camp leaders then went through some logistical items. Upon the conclusion of the band camp rules, the band members were dismissed to set up their cabins. At 12:15 we had a great lunch, baked ziti and other items. The salad bar was amazing. Then to rehearsal at 1:15 to 4:30. A break until dinner at 6. We had a great chicken dinner. Then to the field from 7 to 8:20 where we learned the first song in the show. The band is incredible this year. We can't wait until the first performance is here. Well I have to go to bed. This place was silent from 11:05, I guess we really tired them out. Well wait until tomorrow. Thanks for having such great kids, it is a total honor to teach them.

The Night Before

So here we are, ready to go. Just checking to see if the blog page is working. I will leave a note each night about the day's activities and accomplishments. I am very excited for band camp to be here. I am now going to try to go to bed early so that I am well rested for a great camp.

Drill, Music, and Personal Update

It is now August 2nd and I we are in the final stages of planning for band camp. Room lists are done, I am in the final stages of arranging/drill writing and now we are taking delivery of the new instruments, shakos (new hats) and plumes (the white feathers that go on them). I have been informed that the entire flag order will be sent next week. Some of our marching instruments are back ordered so I have been on the phone for two days trying to get dates for the uniform I also have the task of cleaning out our basement in Hicksville. After the storms of July 18th, there was a flood in our house for the first time ever. We were away at disney for the two weeks so mildew and mold started everywhere since we were not there to clean up. We lost most of our furniture, all of the rugs, and many personal items, so I have been taking care of ripping rugs up and throwing out the damaged materials. So it has been a very busy summer since we returned on the 30th. We are doing a uniform organization and sending the uniforms out to the cleaners on Monday, August 6th and this month is pretty much "band month" for me. I will leave another update in a few days. I dropped Dona (one of our drum majors) and my daughter Stephanie (Mineola Drum Major) at the DMA clinic yesterday and watched for a while. It was amazing. I will be bringing my sons Joey (Mineola 10th grader, quint player) and Patrick (6th grade trumpeter, swithing to French Horn/Mellophone) to the Reading Buccaneers workshop tomorrow at DMA and then pick up Stephanie and Dona on Saturday. Busy, busy, busy. I hope everyone is having a nice summer! I am now starting to get psyched for Band Camp!

Last Rehearsal of the Year

The last rehearsal was incredible! I cannot believe how great the band looks! There wasn't a peep on the field as we did the basics block for 30 minutes. Our drill instructor Jim Downey (uncle Jimmy) taught the band the left block move and the right block move. This incorporates virtually every marching move which we will use in the show. Not only did the band accomplish this task, but they did it with intensity and excitement. Counting out throughout the practice, it is obvious that the program is growing beyond belief! And the freshman class, Wow! They are incredible as well. Thanks to the music teachers in our district who have taught them, they are skilled and anxious to learn. Once again, we are a competetive band, so we are constantly aiming to "win" whenever we compete! We get judged by six to twelve judges, depending upon the competition so this is the real thing! I flew home on Wednesday night, I was so excited by the whole attitude of the band. Once again, they are stepping up year after year. This will truly be one of the top bands on the island in a very short time! Thanks to everyone and have a great Summer! Remember to get those forms in!

Final Numbers and going up a class

One of the most exciting things with being a competetive marching band director is when the program grows. In 2004 the band had about 60 members, 2005 went to 88 members, 2006 was 123 members and this year will be around 140 members. This growth is impressive. Many bands have trouble maintaining their 50 to 80 members. The band is becoming more and more of a fixture on the Long Island Band scene! People really know who we are. With the unprecedented jump from last place in 2005 to second place and a silver medal in 2006, the New York State Field Band Conference approved our move to the higher class SS2 (small school 2). When I asked the band in November if they wanted to move up or stay in the class 3 which was obviously a better position to win, they overwhelmingly wanted to go up to SS2. This was no shock to me. The Roslyn kids are very competetive, very ambitious, and always looking for a challenge. I love the students here, their work ethic, and ambitions. I requested the move and it was approved in short order. So now for the good news. We are probably one of the largest competetive bands in New York State. With the exception of West Genesee (who was around 150 members) I don't think any band tops the 140 mark in terms of size. For a small school like Roslyn this is incredible. The band is totally cool in our district and more and more people are joining each year. It is so exciting!