Yes, this is long. Bear with me here. On paper this season was bound to be unsuccessful relative to 9 consecutive years in the top 5, a statistic that only one other band in the state can claim. However, despite all odds—starting off with 38 inexperienced freshman in an 86 wind section (44%), being rained out of every performance except one leading into the 1st competition, hitting that mental wall pretty hard due to a younger group, and being unable to address the refinement of the product from a staff perspective in regards to just getting it learned and on the field—this season is finally starting to hit me for what it truly is: a testament to what I believe in wholeheartedly. There is absolutely a difference between a 21 year old and a 15 year old, yet when you maintain the same standard of excellence held by any world class organization and teach just as you would any mature musician, this age group will amaze you. Programs will only improve if you raise the standard and maintain complete honesty with them in terms of their execution. What I learned from this program is they don’t want to have things sugar coated—being mediocre is never fun and they want to know the truth instead of feeling like they were cheated in the end. Striving for greatness and achieving a goal originally thought to be unattainable considering the circumstances will always be the best reward. Not striving for a particular placement, but working towards the power of that last note and the emotion you can tangibly comprehend and latch on to when watching that video. Comparing our kids reaction to earning 3rd with the groups awarded higher placements, it was clear what we geared the season towards and how we define success was the right thing. I have not had the chance to truly express how I feel about my experience. First full season of teaching marching band with the school I have always desired to be a part of since being a freshman in high school. For those outside Louisiana, the quality of our music programs is improving across the board and I am humbled to have been a small part of improving music education in LA with the Fontainebleau High School Crimson Band. After working with other schools, I can say that this is the most fun group of kids I have ever worked with. Very strong personalities and they are not afraid of being themselves. Some of the most confident individuals that I have had the pleasure of getting to know better and hang out with. None of this would have been possible without Lee Hicks and his trust in hiring me. I owe you so much considering you shaped the people I now consider my best friends here at LSU. Thanks Tyler Carey for being one of those people I consider as one of my closest friends and giving your only time off to teaching this program. To the members, thank you all for jumping on board and buying into the process. I cannot thank you enough for such an enjoyable and fun experience. You will always mean so much to me. Talked about it all season—first time FHS would finish a show strong. That last hit... WE DID IT!!! youtube/watch?v=j1GZ4aV-Hjs&t=7m57s
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 02:07:52 +0000
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