Morale Improves

Despite only being the second practice of the season, coupled with the fact that it took place during finals, this Monday's practice was better than expected.

After the usual "welcome" message, we dived right into the basics block, where everyone, including the returning members, was harshly judged on their posture. We practiced extensively with the first step of forward marching, which seriously helped the newcomers, and reminded me of some tips I had forgotten since Championships.

Once basics was over, we went inside to hide from the heat, going straight into warm-ups. We then split into sectionals for nearly an hour, where we worked extensively on the opener of "The Machines". I can't speak for the other sections, but the clarinet section made some major improvements.

At eight thirty, with just a half an hour to go before practice ended, the entire wind section gathered for an ensemble, where we practiced the end of the opener. Once we had sufficiently practiced with the new, faster tempo (apparently, the actual tempo is much faster, at 180 beats per minute), we played through the entire opener. This showed me, among other things, that "The Machines" is a truly intense show.

Our next practice is scheduled 6-9, next Monday. However, hopefully by the end of the week, I hope to be able to upload the opener of "The Machines" (not us playing, but the official recording) onto this blog.