As of March 30th, we finalized our 2011 Marching Band Schedule. Please realize that all rehearsals from Band Camp on are absolutely mandatory to be in the Roslyn Marching Band. Due to the academic nature of our high school, our entire schedule is one third to one fourth the amount of practice hours of all our competitors. Check their websites and you will see. We can be competitive due to the fact that we have 100% attendance, rehearse efficiently, and focus incredibly well at each and every rehearsal and event. We also do about half of the shows other bands due. We leave several weekends open for college visitations while our competition goes every single weekend. It works for us but you must understand, for this reason, we need everyone at everything on the schedule. All information, forms, directions, the band camp packet, absolutely everything, is on the roslynband.com website. As always, if you have any questions just e-mail me.
Now on to the schedule. Band Camp will be Monday, August 15th through Sunday, August 22nd at our new Camp Taconic. Our first performance will be at the home game on Saturday, September 10th. We will be doing one more show this year, the Brentwood Show on Sunday, September 18th, the "Friday Night Lights" Soccer game, which is the only date we do not know yet, and the Homecoming on Saturday, October 1st. Since the Homecoming is on the same day as SAT's it will be in the late afternoon, with the Parade and game scheduled so that it does not conflict with the tests. There is a home game on October 6th, a Thursday afternoon, due to the holiday being that weekend. Our regular Columbus Day weekend is off with nothing scheduled, the Huntington Show is on Sunday, October 16th, Newsday on Thursday, October 20th, the Mineola Show on October 22nd and the Phoenix and Championship on the 29th and 30th of October as we always do. We will be staying for the finals this year and coming home on Monday, October 31st by 2pm. Remember, with our marching band having so few rehearsals and so few shows, attendance is mandatory for every single day on the schedule. Any absences will result in immediate removal from the group. Our show is a "Broadway type show" designed for every single person in the group! I start writing the drill after July 5th, so anyone can be added or get a full refund for marching band through that date. If you have any questions just e-mail me. The schedule can be downloaded by hitting the schedule link on the roslynband.com website.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Big Changes in the Field Band Classes!
Wow, there was a reclassification of the bands in the New York State Field Band Conference this week. Click this link to view http://patpat15.com/2011nysfbcclasses. They moved Leroy, Mohonassen, and Mineola up a class to Small School 1, which leaves us to be top ranked in our class. In addition, they moved the three bottom bands in SS1 down to our class, Johnson City, Corning East, and Jordan Elbridge. This is really good news for us because it pretty much means that everything will be more open. Copiague is now out of National and in LS2, Huntington has been moved down to LS3 and a whole bunch of other bands have been moved around. Malverne has been moved into our class SS2 due to their win last year in SS3. We will still be on in the middle to late part of the Long Island Shows, with only Mineola, Huntington, Brentwood and Copiague in higher classes than us while the other 6 bands are in the lower class LS3. This will be an exciting year!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Trip On!
We have reached a total of 55 people who say they will go on a trip to Disney next February! Traditionally, when we have had 50 commit verbally, we hit about 65 to 70 band members actually taking part in the trip. We will be departing Roslyn on Friday, February 17, 2012 at around 6pm and arriving back to Roslyn on Friday, February 24, 2011. We will be performing in two parades, have a dinner at Epcot for all parents and students one night (to be determined) and visit each of the Disney and Universal Parks during the week. This trip will cost around $1300 and will include food money each day. Remember, at this time it still needs to be approved by the Roslyn Board of Education. I will be proposing the trip to the school board within the next month or so. Due to the economy, I am proposing this trip very early so that families may get the best prices if they want to meet us down there. It is also easier to plan ahead and save money for the trip. Remember, all students must ride the busses down to Florida and back to be a part of this trip. More information to follow.
Monday, March 7, 2011
We're Almost There!
We are now up to 45 people going on the Florida Trip to Disney next February break. If we get 5 more people I am going to go ahead and propose the trip!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Bowlathon a Huge Success!
The bowlathon last night was a huge success! We had over 80 people attend, it was a great time, and a successfull fundraiser! Thanks to Claudia Wolfson, Sherri Marx-Eisenstadt, Linda Woods, and Nancy Goldman for running this incredible event. A special thank you to Terri Kurtz for getting our amazing donations of the ipad, nook, etc, and for so many pre-sales of our incredible raffle! It was a great event!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Disney Trip Update, Extending Deadline
We need another 22 people to go on the Disney Trip next year. I am extending the deadline to Monday, March 7th to make the final decision. In all likelyhood, this trip will not happen in 2012. Right now we have 28 people who e-mailed me that they will go on the trip. I need at least 50 to do the trip. I will not bring a band to disney unless we have at least half of the band going. Please e-mail me if you plan on attending. If you do not e-mail me, I will assume that you are busy and not interested in taking part in this trip next year. In that event we will skip a year and try to do a trip during 2013.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Disney 2012 Update 2
We now have 26 people out of 76 listed in the band who want to go on a trip to Disney next year. Understandably, it looks like the current economic conditions are impacting everyone and we will most likely have to skip a year. I am keeping the decision to be made on March 1st, so please, if you are planning on going on a trip next year with the marching band, e-mail me asap!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Disney 2012 Update 1
After receiving only 17 positive responses from people interested in going on a trip to Disney next year, we will most likely be skipping a year and/or rethinking this Spring trip strategy for our program.
Due to the economy, the costs involved in band camp and Syracuse, along with family plans, we will probably be going with the every other year trips and doing the odd numbered years. Even this past trip included only 68% of our 100 piece band. Perhaps there is just not enough interest in these Spring trips with our Marching Band. Many people are hurting with this economy and as a band director I must be sensitive to this.
I will still make the final decision around March 1st, so if you are interested in going please e-mail me before that date. In addition, if you know of any new members or incoming 9th grade definites who want to do the trip, tell them to e-mail me.
I need to hit participation by 80% of the marching band in order to go forward. Right now, with 17 people out of 75 (I am not even including the incoming 8th graders or any new members) I am at 23% interest.
Due to the economy, the costs involved in band camp and Syracuse, along with family plans, we will probably be going with the every other year trips and doing the odd numbered years. Even this past trip included only 68% of our 100 piece band. Perhaps there is just not enough interest in these Spring trips with our Marching Band. Many people are hurting with this economy and as a band director I must be sensitive to this.
I will still make the final decision around March 1st, so if you are interested in going please e-mail me before that date. In addition, if you know of any new members or incoming 9th grade definites who want to do the trip, tell them to e-mail me.
I need to hit participation by 80% of the marching band in order to go forward. Right now, with 17 people out of 75 (I am not even including the incoming 8th graders or any new members) I am at 23% interest.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Should we do a trip to Disney in 2012?
I am thinking ahead in regards to a trip to Disneyworld next year. We would go during the winter break from Friday, February 17 through Friday, February 24. The cost would be about $1300. Due to the economy, I am determining if we should move towards an every other year trip plan. Membership in the Marching Band is very expensive, and I want to be sensitive to the needs of the band members and their families. Theprojected annual costs are $615 for band camp, approximately $200 for the Syracuse trip, and roughly$1300 for the spring trip which totals about $ 2115.
By proposing the trip earlier, next month, we would be able to plan more carefully and recruit more band members earlier. In addition, if we do not get enough interest, we could skip a year and do a trip on the odd numbered years, 2013, 2015, etc.
Please send me an e-mail if your son or daughter would attend a Disney trip next February if it were to happen. This is not a firm commitment, and all information will be confidential. I am only using it to determine if a trip is viable for the 2012 year.
I will be accepting these e-mails up until March 1st and will then make a determination if a February 2012 trip is possible.
Also, if you know of any incoming 8th graders or people who will be joining the band, they may e-mail me as well so get the word out!
By proposing the trip earlier, next month, we would be able to plan more carefully and recruit more band members earlier. In addition, if we do not get enough interest, we could skip a year and do a trip on the odd numbered years, 2013, 2015, etc.
Please send me an e-mail if your son or daughter would attend a Disney trip next February if it were to happen. This is not a firm commitment, and all information will be confidential. I am only using it to determine if a trip is viable for the 2012 year.
I will be accepting these e-mails up until March 1st and will then make a determination if a February 2012 trip is possible.
Also, if you know of any incoming 8th graders or people who will be joining the band, they may e-mail me as well so get the word out!
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Letter
Doing these trips is a daunting task for band directors. It is an all consuming, tremendous responsibility that takes hours away from family time during the planning stages and typically falls during the holiday season when families are gathering together.
These are optional trips, not part of the competitive season schedule or the curriculum. They are “extras.” Directors joke: extra work, extra headaches, and extra sleep deprivation! The chaperone pay during the few days of the trip is also an extra, but no band directors who do this ever calculate the actual hourly rate based on the entire trip process, better we don’t know.
So here I am, planning on pulling next year’s trip off the table, an easy decision with the bad economy and knowing the expenses associated with being in this band to begin with. I was thinking we could simply skip a year or maybe a few years until my youngest children (2 and 4) are in full time school, or old enough to go on the trip. It is very hard for me to cut the holidays short or leave them during a break, which is why most band directors either choose not to do these big trips or have their families accompany them With 120 family members going to Florida to be a part of this trip, it is obvious that being with our families during the break is a priority for all of us. Last year at Disneyworld, we had huge numbers as well. Remember that big dinner show at Epcot! It is clearly no wonder that I am torn between my immediate family and my extended band family. And then I receive this incredible letter from Joe Capozzi, one of our chaperones at the Orange Bowl. It reminded me why we do all this. No person on the earth could have worded it any better. Please read on.
5 January 2011
Dear Mr. Patterson:
I want to thank you for including me and congratulate you on an incredibly successful trip.
The experience you provided for your band members far exceeds the fanfare of standing on a field before 80,000 fans and millions more on TV. The memories they will hold forever transcend perfected notes, synchronic steps, and undulating candles. It is the pride, the camaraderie, the esprit de corps, the teamwork, the mutual support, the work, the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the laughter they shared that will so profoundly impact each of them the rest of their lives.
I knew a few of your members prior to the trip from class. It was a pleasure to view them in a different venue as well as to get to know more of the members. To see these 68 students of varying ages, abilities, and experience blend, meld, sync, and bond was the most heart-warming aspect of the trip. To see students who are perhaps not the biggest stars in a Roslyn classroom shine in the Florida sun was a great reminder of why we do what we do, why we teach.
It is not the lessons of the classroom, but the lessons of life that are our most valuable gifts to our students. And through your (and your co-workers) efforts, your consideration, your attention to detail, your support, your encouragement—and likewise admonishment when necessary—your tireless and sleep-deprived dedication to your members, you have provided numerous and significant gifts that will last all of your very fortunate members a lifetime.
As a parent, our children become the barometer for all of life, and I can think of no higher praise to proffer than the thought that I wish my own children could experience a similarly nurturing experience. It takes a Herculean effort to plan and implement this type of undertaking. I applaud your efforts and dedication. To do what you do and have your students walk away with the positive experience they do is beyond commendable—it is almost incomprehensible, especially considering 50+ hours of bus rides!
Congratulations and thank you again for including me.
Sincerely,
Joe Capozzi
These are optional trips, not part of the competitive season schedule or the curriculum. They are “extras.” Directors joke: extra work, extra headaches, and extra sleep deprivation! The chaperone pay during the few days of the trip is also an extra, but no band directors who do this ever calculate the actual hourly rate based on the entire trip process, better we don’t know.
So here I am, planning on pulling next year’s trip off the table, an easy decision with the bad economy and knowing the expenses associated with being in this band to begin with. I was thinking we could simply skip a year or maybe a few years until my youngest children (2 and 4) are in full time school, or old enough to go on the trip. It is very hard for me to cut the holidays short or leave them during a break, which is why most band directors either choose not to do these big trips or have their families accompany them With 120 family members going to Florida to be a part of this trip, it is obvious that being with our families during the break is a priority for all of us. Last year at Disneyworld, we had huge numbers as well. Remember that big dinner show at Epcot! It is clearly no wonder that I am torn between my immediate family and my extended band family. And then I receive this incredible letter from Joe Capozzi, one of our chaperones at the Orange Bowl. It reminded me why we do all this. No person on the earth could have worded it any better. Please read on.
5 January 2011
Dear Mr. Patterson:
I want to thank you for including me and congratulate you on an incredibly successful trip.
The experience you provided for your band members far exceeds the fanfare of standing on a field before 80,000 fans and millions more on TV. The memories they will hold forever transcend perfected notes, synchronic steps, and undulating candles. It is the pride, the camaraderie, the esprit de corps, the teamwork, the mutual support, the work, the blood, the sweat, the tears, and the laughter they shared that will so profoundly impact each of them the rest of their lives.
I knew a few of your members prior to the trip from class. It was a pleasure to view them in a different venue as well as to get to know more of the members. To see these 68 students of varying ages, abilities, and experience blend, meld, sync, and bond was the most heart-warming aspect of the trip. To see students who are perhaps not the biggest stars in a Roslyn classroom shine in the Florida sun was a great reminder of why we do what we do, why we teach.
It is not the lessons of the classroom, but the lessons of life that are our most valuable gifts to our students. And through your (and your co-workers) efforts, your consideration, your attention to detail, your support, your encouragement—and likewise admonishment when necessary—your tireless and sleep-deprived dedication to your members, you have provided numerous and significant gifts that will last all of your very fortunate members a lifetime.
As a parent, our children become the barometer for all of life, and I can think of no higher praise to proffer than the thought that I wish my own children could experience a similarly nurturing experience. It takes a Herculean effort to plan and implement this type of undertaking. I applaud your efforts and dedication. To do what you do and have your students walk away with the positive experience they do is beyond commendable—it is almost incomprehensible, especially considering 50+ hours of bus rides!
Congratulations and thank you again for including me.
Sincerely,
Joe Capozzi
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