I was doing some work on the website today and took a look at the Director's Blog.  My last post was titled "SUMMER!"

It's amazing how fast time flies.  It seems like we just got finished with band camp a few weeks ago and now we're two weeks from Regionals, three from State, and BOA is just around the corner.  It always seems that time passes faster when we're busy doesn't it?  But that's not quite it either, is it?  Time seems to go by faster when you're doing something you enjoy.  Think about it - sitting in math class  for me seemed like an eternity (no offense to my arithmetical colleagues).  Each second on the clock seemed to drag by, stretching more and more the closer the end of the class came.  Part of it was that I didn't enjoy math, but part of it was that I had band in the period that followed!

We really are having a great time!  I know it doesn't always look like it when we are sweaty from the heat and humidity, dripping wet from the rain, layered in coats and sweatshirts to protect us from the cold, or just asleep from sheer exhaustion.  These kids take pride in playing their instruments, spinning their flags, and putting on top notch performances around this state (and others) and know that the time we spend is necessary (AND WORTH EVERY MINUTE). 

I know one day when I retire, several years from now, I'll look back and reflect on how fast it all flew by -  then I'll smile knowing that it will have been a pretty good time!

For me, the summer is a great for spending a little extra time with family and recharging the batteries as we gear up for another outstanding Marching Band season.  I still spend quite a bit of time at DCHS.  The absence of students somehow makes getting work done a lot easier! 

I hope all of our band members are finding ways to be productive this summer.  I know our percussionists and guard members are!  They've been practicing every Monday since the beginning of May so their skills won't be rusty come band camp.  Almost all of our trumpet players and many of our clarinetists are taking private lessons through the summer - these guys will firing on on cylinders when those All-District / All-State Auditions roll around.

Enough can't be said about what a gift private lessons can be for a student musician.  The one-on-one attention theyu get is unmatched at helping them to improve on their instrument.  It's amazing the effect lessons can have on their enjoyment of making music and the confidence it brings them as performers (and as people).  Check out our private lesson teacher

The cool thing about being a high school band director is that, unlike so many other disciplines, we get to see our students grow and develop not just over a single school year or semester, but over four years or more.  I haven't been in DC long enough to experience an entire "cycle" of kids, but as May quickly approaches, I start to think about those that will leave us in a few weeks and about those that will be joining us in the fall. 

Most of the band seniors are going to be incredibly successful in something other than music.  They'll go on to be doctors, lawyers, and chemical engineers (they certainly have the grades/ACTs for it!).  A few each year decide to go into music as a profession.  As cool as that is, I'm no less proud of those that choose other fields.  Studying music has been an incredible factor in the development of those kids, too!  The lessons learned in high school band over four years go far beyond notes and rhythms.  With all the different directors, they've certainly learned how to adapt to change!  We all know that it doesn't stop there; the skills and benefits they have gained are innumerable and the friendships they've nurtured are priceless.  We'll miss the class of 2011 - good luck guys!

We will be welcoming the class of 2015 to DCHS this fall.  There are 34 musicians from DCHS/DCMS that have filled out requests for band!  I envy them all - the experiences to which they don't even know to look forward will shape them just as they have the class of 2011.  They will have 100 family members before the first day of the 2011-2012 school year.  What bodes better for their success than to know they have that many people on which they can rely?  If we are shaped by the choices that we make, how will their choice to devote their time and energy to the Band of Pride shape them over four years?  I may be biased, but I think the answer is clear! 

Weeks like the past few can really leave students and directors feeling worn thin.  Those parents that work so hard (often thanklessly) and are right there with us through it all can relate.  Hours of bus rides, basketball games, pit orchestra rehearsals, sectionals, indoor drumline rehearsals and competitions, and multiple honor band clinics can certainly begin to weigh on everyone.

But let's step back for a second and look at the alterative.  I see in the halls every day young men and women who come to school every morning at 7:45 and who go home at 3:18 just to get up the next morning and repeat the process.  Their high school experience is limited to those 4 class periods and 4 sets of 4 walls.  

For me, high school life was always defined by where the band was going next or what we were going to do in band on a given day.  I was (and am) the stereotypical "band geek."  In this sense, the idea of not being heavily involved in a school activity seems foreign to me and I find it really hard to relate to individuals who aren't and are, in some case, indifferent about such participation.

There are a few weeks every year that feel much longer than the rest because the demands we place on ourselves and the expectations placed on us by our school and community.  But what is the alternative?  A mediocre end-product and a school/community that is completely indifferent to us?  Unacceptable!

How lucky are we to be a part of the BOP and have the obligations and demands (also known as opportunities) that we do?  How lucky are we to be a part of DCPS and DCHS in an enviornment where we are well supported and are allowed to thrive?   That exhaustion we occasional feel is the result of hard work and sacrifice toward a noble endeavor - how lucky are we to be able to feel it?
   

It's hard to believe that it's already time for the annual "All That Jazz" Dinner and Auction.  This year has flown by and we're nearing some of our most important performances and events.  I hope to see you all this Saturday - check our boosters page for info!

That one sure felt like a marathon!  Special thanks to all of the district pep band folks for there efforts at the post season games - I know you're bound to be tired!

If the boys win tonight and Monday, we'll probably be asked to travel to Rupp Arena to play for the boys at state - kids will know when I do.

Check our Calendar page for a few modifications.  Indoor percussion competitions and our Spring Festival have been altered slightly.

We're here at Murray State University.  We have 13 kids spread out into the 4 honor bands the university assigns based on auditions yesterday.  Four of our students - Sara Almes (11), Katie Barnes (11), Andrew Clark (12), and Neal Clark(9) - made the top honor band. Neal is sitting 2nd chair as a freshman - WOOT!  Andrew is trying out for a music scholarship to attend MSU as we speak.

The concert will be in Lovett Auditiorium tomorrow (2/26) at 11:AM CST.  We should be home by 4:30-5:00.

Better late than never!  After it was discovered that our old website format only work for some PC users who were browsing using IE, I decided I needed to overhaul the site to make it accessible to anyone, anytime.  It has taken a while to get it back - went through several programs before Jack Barrett (our building IT guy) suggested weebly.com.  Using this service, I built this site in two days!  THANKS JACK!

I hope that all users will take the time to really check out all the "stuff" on this site.  Our musicians can benefit from the multitude of resources linked to this site.  Our parents and band fans can stay as up to date as possible with our calendar.  Speaking of our calendar, you can actually sign up to google calendar and subscribe the our calendar.  Google will send you an email anytime something is added or is changed!  I believe there may also be an iPhone app.  You can also receive this blog via RSS feed (see right column).  I haven't played with this feature a lot, but it seems promising as a means of communication.

Soon I will be upgrading this to a pro weebly site ($70 for two years).  This will allow for some great video/audio integration onto our site.  Be on the lookout!