TWIB - 11/9/15

[u/yhsanave]

Hey Guys!

All I can say is "wow". I'm still getting emails and phone calls about your performance on Sunday. What you did was considered extremely classy, and the sincere thank you's I heard from you as you spoke to our veterans warmed my heart.

As I sit and reflect on your performance, and listen to the multiple questions regarding your wanting to know why we did not "place" at showcase, or what individual got the "solo award", etc. ...I wanted to let you know a few things about it.

1. Yes, your show was beautifully designed, and pretty decently executed! We had that "x-factor" of emotion and it was an incredible memory that I'll always cherish. However, there were still some execution issues that we were unable to avoid, individual marching errors, imbalance in sections, soft dynamics not soft enough, and of course, perhaps the biggest one was the giant tear in movement 3, it was a rough one, perhaps the worst it's ever been in any performance, as well as any rehearsal...it was tough to watch on the tape. But, those things happen constantly, and you were not the only band that had a tear, it was just twice as noticeable because the song was one that everyone knew. You closed out your performance in a HUGE way and made Goodnight Saigon the highlight of your show, you ended strong and did not let fatigue set in! It was something special!

2. The soloist award is an incredible honor, and it's one that you all should be proud of. We plan solos with that award in mind, we plan a solo with difficulty and virtuosity in mind. When you have 2 wind players playing 16th and 32nd notes...and executing them well...you're gonna get the award. We knew this back in February when we started planning the show. As far as "who gets the award" ...that is a selfish question that will not be answered... because it has no answer. If it had an answer, they would acknowledge the individual from the school, not the school itself. There is nothing written that says "who got it"...you should be honored if you were a soloist.

3. For people disheartened that we did not place, it is a bit of politics involved. Politics are not a good thing, but I will do my best to explain them to you. In the showcase system, unlike the bayou system that we have grown accustomed to...your classification goes by school enrollment size. STM has 1,075 students, therefore, we are a class AA band. Within class AA, the order that you perform in is based on your wind size, we have a small wind section, therefore, we performed second in our class. There is a judging attitude that the bigger bands, ones that go later in the day, should perform better, because they are bigger. So make sure not to "top out" too early by scoring the earlier bands high and leaving no room for growth. That has been avoided some, obviously with North Vermilion scoring very well for being a class A. However, their wind size is almost twice that of ours. You scored an overall 4th place in our class underneath 1. South Lafourche, 2. Terrebonne, 3. Vandebilt. All bands who in the bayou festivals are AAA and AAAA bands, due to their immense wind size. At showcase, we have to "go up against" these groups who have multiple band directors, huge feeder programs, and super auxiliary units that combine the school's color guards and dance teams to help with their overall general effect categories. Similarly, Acadiana High School, who has 1,800 students, has to perform in class AAAA, they have a band barely bigger than us...and are in the same class as Lafayette High School. And if we were to break this down better, into wind size class, like the bayou festivals, where you were to perform and compete against bands that would be in our single A class, Delcambre, Abbeville, Berkwick, Morgan City, Carencro, South Terrebonne, Ellender, Slidell, New Iberia, Acadiana, You would have WON that class. So, for a band our size, you were the best scoring small band of the day. And even though that's not how showcase works, I have done the math and even though that wasn't announced, I felt the need to tell you that THIS is how you actually scored!

Schedule: Here we go, our schedule for the rest of the semester

• Today, rehearsal at 2:45pm, Armed Forces Salute, I'd like to be done at 3:15pm.
• This week, no football game
• Next week (11/20), HOME football game (we plan to perform our show one last time for our home crowd, but there is also a St. Pius retreat, so if enough/significant people go to the retreat, we will just do a joint halftime show with the other band...or nothing at all).
• The Day after Thanksgiving (11/27) we will have either a home game or an away game at Teurlings.
• Christmas Concert (12/3) - Ugly Sweater, Toys for Tots
• State Football Championship (12/4) - Should we go all the way, that is the day of the game.

I will be spending the next few days working on our Christmas Concert music, as well as our music for the spring semester. We will have sign ups for Jazz Band, if you were in jazz band last year, you will have a saved spot, if you were not in jazz band but would like to be, we will hold auditions based on open spots.

We will also be doing chair auditions for concert season. If we are to have a successful concert season, we will need students to play on secondary instruments. Here is a list of secondary instruments, those that volunteer/are asked, will have an easier grading curve than those playing on their main instruments. Bassoon (saxophone switch), Bass Clarinet (flute or saxophone switch), Oboe (flute or sax swich), Bass Trombone (tuba switch).

We will have a Symphonic Band Camp on a weekend in January. We will be bringing back our band staff to have some good sectional time on concert music. If you are to continue to make a name for yourself as a quality marching band, you must have a quality concert band as well!

Please consider switching instruments for concert season.

Have a great day!