I had a talk with Coach Music today. He happened to mention that the football team started strong during their preseason camp in the summer; however, the team exhibited very little energy over the past two practices this week. He was concerned, so he talked to other coaches that coach fall sports. They were having the same issue. I would say we have also fallen into that trap.
We started off very strong this summer! Over the course of our preseason camp, we nailed the first movement with music. Last Saturday, we locked down the second movement (sets 13A-22A) in one rehearsal! The band sounds fantastic, and the guard look tight!
However, we are floundering a bit this week. People are showing up late to rehearsals. Several Marching Tigers have forgotten equipment (mainly coordinates). We are slow to reset between the sets, and (as the meme above references), we move around a lot and talk when we should be set.
There are a few things the staff and I can do to address some of these issues. For those that are late, they owe us two laps around our practice field for every five minutes they are late. They will be earning that P.E. credit! The same goes for missing equipment.
However, the energy and purpose of each rehearsal really comes down to whether you, and your fellow students, show the dedication to make it happen. Mr. Vaal, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Weitkamp, Mrs. Deimel, and I cannot do this for you. My challenge is this. Rather than doing the bare minimum in rehearsal, work as hard as you can! Move quickly when we reset. Make sure your music is marked with the proper sets. Memorize your music and your drill. Verbalize 100% of the time. Don't rely on others to tell you where to go. Reference your coordinates and drill charts frequently.
By all rights, you should be a less capable band this year. There are 58 of you. Prior to COVID-19, the smallest the Marching Tigers have been was 74. We have even been as large as 94! Freshmen only met for band for lessons once every two weeks for the majority of last year. As it turns out, you have blown away everyone's expectations! Over the preseason camp, you learned the drill at a record pace. When you put air through your horns, you sound fantastic! Don't give up now! The choices you make now will determine if you are an average band, or if you will exceed everyone's expectations!
Tomorrow's rehearsal schedule will begin with music only from 7-8 AM. Color guard is excused from this portion of the rehearsal. Instead, they rehearse from 6-8 PM tonight. From 8-9:12 AM, everyone will practice on our practice field. The focus will be the second movement, with music. Mr. Vaal will run the practice on the field from 8-9 AM, while I pull students aside for playing tests. The point of the playing test is to see who has, or has not, memorized the The Greatest Showman (1st movement). Only those that have not yet passed the memorization test will meet with me tomorrow.
Memorization tests over This Is Me will take place next week. Please make sure you are prepared.
Last but not least, there was a typo in the calendar on www.rchsbands.net. The calendar stated that Meet the Tigers is on Saturday, August 21st. In fact, we meet on Friday, August 20th. The call-time is 5:30 PM. We should be done before 7:30 PM. If at all possible, we need everyone there. However, if you are simply unable to attend, please let me know. The typo was my error. I won't penalize you for my mistake. There will be a make up research project instead.
Click the link for more information pertaining to Meet the Tigers. https://www.rchsbands.net/announcements--itineraries/the-marching-tigers-performs-for-meet-the-tigers-on-friday-82021
Tomorrow's
We started off very strong this summer! Over the course of our preseason camp, we nailed the first movement with music. Last Saturday, we locked down the second movement (sets 13A-22A) in one rehearsal! The band sounds fantastic, and the guard look tight!
However, we are floundering a bit this week. People are showing up late to rehearsals. Several Marching Tigers have forgotten equipment (mainly coordinates). We are slow to reset between the sets, and (as the meme above references), we move around a lot and talk when we should be set.
There are a few things the staff and I can do to address some of these issues. For those that are late, they owe us two laps around our practice field for every five minutes they are late. They will be earning that P.E. credit! The same goes for missing equipment.
However, the energy and purpose of each rehearsal really comes down to whether you, and your fellow students, show the dedication to make it happen. Mr. Vaal, Mr. Tucker, Mr. Weitkamp, Mrs. Deimel, and I cannot do this for you. My challenge is this. Rather than doing the bare minimum in rehearsal, work as hard as you can! Move quickly when we reset. Make sure your music is marked with the proper sets. Memorize your music and your drill. Verbalize 100% of the time. Don't rely on others to tell you where to go. Reference your coordinates and drill charts frequently.
By all rights, you should be a less capable band this year. There are 58 of you. Prior to COVID-19, the smallest the Marching Tigers have been was 74. We have even been as large as 94! Freshmen only met for band for lessons once every two weeks for the majority of last year. As it turns out, you have blown away everyone's expectations! Over the preseason camp, you learned the drill at a record pace. When you put air through your horns, you sound fantastic! Don't give up now! The choices you make now will determine if you are an average band, or if you will exceed everyone's expectations!
Tomorrow's rehearsal schedule will begin with music only from 7-8 AM. Color guard is excused from this portion of the rehearsal. Instead, they rehearse from 6-8 PM tonight. From 8-9:12 AM, everyone will practice on our practice field. The focus will be the second movement, with music. Mr. Vaal will run the practice on the field from 8-9 AM, while I pull students aside for playing tests. The point of the playing test is to see who has, or has not, memorized the The Greatest Showman (1st movement). Only those that have not yet passed the memorization test will meet with me tomorrow.
Memorization tests over This Is Me will take place next week. Please make sure you are prepared.
Last but not least, there was a typo in the calendar on www.rchsbands.net. The calendar stated that Meet the Tigers is on Saturday, August 21st. In fact, we meet on Friday, August 20th. The call-time is 5:30 PM. We should be done before 7:30 PM. If at all possible, we need everyone there. However, if you are simply unable to attend, please let me know. The typo was my error. I won't penalize you for my mistake. There will be a make up research project instead.
Click the link for more information pertaining to Meet the Tigers. https://www.rchsbands.net/announcements--itineraries/the-marching-tigers-performs-for-meet-the-tigers-on-friday-82021
Tomorrow's