Band Camp, Day 5

Tired of four days of Band Camp, the band was unenthusiastic in the beginning of today's practice, which lasted a total of four hours because there was no evening practice. But as the clouds began to clear and the sun began to shine, we got our act together to make for a very productive practice.

Last night, we had memorized the ballad, music and marching. Though we were "pushing forward", we didn't learn anything new this practice - instead, the focus was entirely on polishing the ballad overall. We definitely accomplished that, and the rotating "gears" certainly look incredible.

Although we were hit with a heavy storm, we managed to finish practice just before the rain started falling. The end of practice was the most intense - we ran the opener and the ballad, music and marching, twice. Although we still have mistakes in both of the pieces, we have made a lot of progress for the first week of Band Camp.

Band Camp, Day 4: Part 1 - 2

Practice started off unenthusiastically on the fourth day of band camp - overcast skies and the threat of rain definitely put a dampen on the band. However, we quickly shaped up and made the morning our best practice yet, polishing the opener and putting music to all of it. And, with only about half an hour to go, we got through every set of the ballad as well (only 10 sets).

Unfortunately, the practice of these 10 sets was rushed, and the beginning of the evening practice definitely displayed that. A lot of mistakes were made, and it seemed like we wouldn't be able to turn around - but after a quick pep talk, we did just that, and managed to put music to all of the sets in the ballad, as well as shaping up all the sets.

The ballad drill is quite interesting - the band forms into two adjacent circles and spins around, resembling gears. Although it took awhile to get right, it looked amazing, and will continue to look amazing as we practice it more and more.

At the end of our evening practice, we ran the opener and the ballad - two of the three pieces of the entire show. And while we have a lot of work to do with both, it's comforting to know that we have both of the pieces memorized - music and drill.

Band Camp, Day 2: Part 2 - Day 3: Part 2

On the evening practice of the second day at Band Camp, we could not meet our goal of completing the opener due to a large storm approaching just after basics - we were forced inside, where we did make a great deal of progress practicing the opener. Fortunately, we made up a lot of lost progress the next morning.

We practiced a lot of the opener drill, reaching all the way to the end (Set 29) as well as setting our music all the way to set 18. It was certainly an intense morning, and we were incredibly productive, and the evening practice was just as good.

There was a heavy focus on basics during the evening practice, despite an impending storm. However, we still got a lot of drill done, practicing nearly to the end before we were interrupted by rain, thunder, and lightning. Inside, the focus was on music again - however, we did practice putting our sets to our music to make it easier when we go back on the field.

Band Camp, Day 2: Part 1

Tired from the first day, I was once again dreading Band Camp - but that quickly changed once we dived into practice. Instead of the usual basics, which utilizes the band's block formation, we combined basics with the drill - which involved practicing drill with a focus on out posture and marching technique instead of having the focus on reaching our spots.

After this different version of basics, we continued extensively practiced the 14 sets that we had learned yesterday, before quickly learning the rest of the opener, all the way up to Set 29. We definitely have more work to do on these sets, but I am very excited about adding music to this tonight.

Also today, we were given the option of arriving an hour early for the evening practice in order to have a sectional where we can practice any music or sets that we are having trouble with - I will certainly be taking advantage of this, because we have multiple turn-arounds in the opener that the whole band will need to practice.

Band Camp, Day 1: Part 2

The first day of Band Camp is over, and while it was quite exhausting, the band has definitely made some major progress. This evening's practice did not include the opening "speech" - instead, the band made it's way down to the field on it's own, in order to be ready at exactly 6:00 PM.

The beginning of practice certainly had a lazy feel - despite the basics, in which we practiced moving in a box, and the breathing exercises, the pass-offs were a good chance for the band to relax. We were tested on certain parts of the opener and the ballad (Part 1 and Part 2, respectively), but we did not have to play when others were being tested - allowing some much needed rest to the weary band.

Practice really kicked off when we worked on the 14 sets that we had learned in the morning's practice, and began to put music to them. It was quite difficult, even for me - it has been several months since I have practiced playing music while moving. By the end of practice, we had put music to the first 9 sets of the show, and tomorrow, we will do the rest - the band has already set the goal of having the entire opener (music and drill) memorized by the end of tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'll make sure to upload some pictures of the morning and evening practices, so you can get a feel for the environment.

Band Camp, Day 1: Part 1

Band Camp has officially begun, with Day 1 approximately half way over. And, while it has "only" been four and a half hours, the band has definitely made some major progress!

When we arrived, we got lot of drill (papers that tell us where we go for each set) as well as some more practice papers. After a quick speech, we marched down to the field for the first time since band began, and, after some very progressive basics, we began to learn the sets. The heat was nearly unbearable, but we managed to get 14 sets squeezed into our minds - which will be practicing with music tonight.

One of the most interesting parts of learning the drill sets was the very beginning of the show, which contains some very interesting body motions that fit in well with the machine theme. It was somewhat difficult, along with a few other sets that we learned, but by the end, the whole band (including the new members) shaped up quite well, and I believe that we will be even better tonight, when we add sound the show.

Stay tuned for Band Camp, Day 1: Part 2 once the second portion of today's adventures have concluded.

Road To Band Camp, Part 1

I apologize for the lack of updates recently, and will be updating this blog much more frequently in the future.

Although I wasn't excited at the idea of three hours of band initially, my opinion greatly changed as we began our sectionals and learned a great deal of music.

Today's practice wasn't much different from the others schedule-wise; however, that didn't stop the band from being incredibly productive. Our basics block was particularly challenging - after a quick jog and a lesson in forward marching (focused on posture), the ban

d reviewed backwards marching. We steadily increased our speed until we could march 8-counts at 180 beats per minute, the tempo of our opener (for perspective, that's three beats per second).

The breathing/warm-ups period was also quite intense, though it was still a relief from the intensity of the marching. After around half an hour, we split into sectionals (Woodwinds, High Brass, and Low Brass). We received and dug deep into Part 3, the closer, and I now can say I feel very confident with all the music in the show.

Our ensemble period, while somewhat short, showed that the entire band really is capable of another Championship win. However, we have a lot of work to do before band camp, which is approximately three weeks away, namely, memorize all three pieces of music. The band staff has informed us that the drill for the first piece of music is complete, so we really are closing in on the upcoming season.

Image credit: ILC (here).