This One Year, After Band Camp ...

I fell in love with this activity during this one time, at band camp! Well, drum major camp. OK, well, after camp. It was at camp that I saw something about this drum corps show near my home (link), and went. I was thoroughly captivated.

By the small and energetic Emerald Knights. By the color of the San Jose Raiders, with that red rose on the uniform (this is waaaay back, when there were just a drum and bugle corps, not a winter gurad!). By the Colts, who didn’t forget the audience that night (and who in the audience would ever forget Harpo!)

And the Madison Scouts, who modeled precision and taught me in a brief pre-show clinic how to teach others to march and gave me a great taste of Strawberry Soup! Then there was the Phantom Regiment, who re-introduced me to my mother’s passion of the classics, with Spartacus (to be reprised in 2008!).

Even in my little high school band, I was inspired to make a difference, to apply the lessons, to learn how to push myself.

In college I wasn’t in band, but I was lucky – the state championships were held at none other than the stadium right on campus at the University of Texas at Austin. And so I still learned.

In graduate school, I took a class on starting a business. I broke a rule. My business was a non-profit, a drum and bugle corps. I studied all the successes and failures, and then made a few more of my own, luckily on paper.

Then in Raleigh, North Carolina, a hand scrawled flyer got in my hands, letting me know about a few other people in Charlotte, who shared the dream of starting a drum corps. I was lucky that they let me into their club, and I was able to then see the paper dream become a reality, an organization you may know as Carolina Crown. I was lucky enough to serve as president of the board as the group matured, and fortunate that my tenure didn’t drive them into the ground! From that summer in 1981 to now – with the exception of 2006 – drum corps has been a part of my summer. Now, it is high school band again.

Passion is a big circle.


Thanks for sharing the ride this year! And Happy New Year to you!

Band on the Web

Once or twice I volunteered to work the concession stand our local Kiwanis Club had at Texas Stadium. While others would sneak off to watch some of the Dallas Cowboys games, I would work non-stop from pre-game to halftime. Then at halftime, when everyone else came back I took my break. I am a huge Cowboys fan (ask my family!). But band ... wow ...

Anyway, Lubbock’s Monterey HS is one band I remember from those days. How cool to see them on the field and in the program. I wanted to be in that band, and the other ones, too. The cool thing is that now I can be – via the Internet!

Check out this “band on the web” – Tarpon Springs (FL) HS. I hear their reputation exceeds this exquisite web site. Whether it does or not, they set the bar high for themselves!

Unlimited creativity comes with limits

I love Fast Company magazine. It celebrates the design, art and creativity of business, for a profit. Art not for arts sake but for, well, performance!

This issue (December 2007/January 2008) has a great article by Chip and Dan Heath, the brothers behind the brand book "Made To Stick". The article's premise is that constraints can actually expand your team's creativity in problem solving.

I often like to say that "Thinking outside the box presumes you are able to think inside the box to begin with!"

I love band for that reason – what happens within the creative boundaries:

A green canvas, 300 x 160 feet (with a bit of leeway).
10 minutes (or a bit more).
The number of kids on instruments.
The instruments!
The talent the kids have.
The potential they bring.
The music.
The storyboard.
The props.
The budget.

Stuck on a problem? Limit your creativity. Then see what happens.

(This message brought to you on behalf of late shoppers everywhere - two shopping days left!)

Starve a cold, feed a fever!

The 2008 DCI schedule is out! My summer is starting to take shape.

And Blast! is coming to Baltimore in April!

If you need to feed the fever between now and June 21 (unless you are moving right in to winter guard!), join me in a search for nearby screenings of this movie: From the 50 Yard Line. Apparently someone in Maryland has seen it … just not me … yet!

Never on a Sunday

The 1991 Star of Indiana (now known as Blast!) won the DCI World Championship with an unbelievable mellophone line and a fantastic drill. I was fortunate to be in the stands that night. and found the last 30 seconds utterly amazing then ... and still do!).

Looking back more than 15 years later, the Roman Images show’s solid religious overtones still come though. (It's a comment heard about the book American Band as well.)

Two of the best bands I saw this year are from religious private schools – the consistently solid Lancaster Catholic this year performing a show Requiem. But (without being a homer) my one of my favorite shows of the season was performed by Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS).

This year TOB Groups 2 and 4 finals were on a Sunday. Lancaster Catholic placed 2nd in TOB Group 4. But AACS did not complete in TOB Group 2, where I believe they had a show that could have placed them in the Top 5 (where places 2-5 were separated by 0.8 points!). Like Eric Liddell, the Scottish missionary and Paris Olympics competitor portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire, AACS doesn't compete on Sundays.

Many consider AACS's shows overtly evangelical. I think this is a band that knows what it is. And I found this year’s show with the too-long-title got better with every viewing, and I wish I could have seen it at the USSBA finals, where they finished 5th).

It was clear that the kids loved performing it. I bet the directors loved teaching it. And I know the audiences (of all faiths or even non-faiths) loved feeling it and responding to it. (Click here - see for yourself!)

What I liked about this show was how it showed what C.S. Lewis called "Mere Christianity." It is a passion that is genuine and deep, not the religion of flashy televangelists. It is the Christianity I aim for: You know where I stand because of the passion of performance. It isn’t forced. It isn’t flashy. And it was something else.

You see, for me marching music is a true, three-dimensional, audio-visual experience. It is a group experience. So is worship.

So all that begin said, I respect AACS’s decision not to perform on a Sunday. But, in a way, I wish they had, using their show to remind others that on that particular Sunday morning, that there is always time for organized worship experience, if even for 10 minutes.

PHOTO CAPTION (partial): AACS garnered a fifth-place award, scoring a 93.4, which is believed to be the highest score ever attained by an AACS band in competition. (Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Marching Band is serious stuff

Just ask the Rice University Marching Owl Band (aka "The MOB"). Or the Bridgemen or Velvet Knights, two drum & bugle corps that are gone but live on in our memories and on YouTube. Then there is Cal-Berkeley ... and this video to demonstrate just how serious they are at band and academics, especially in that critical field of computer science.

Oh, a suggestion before you click - if you are over 40, get someone under 25 to help translate it for you. And remember it is upside down.

Yep - it's a new season!

Funny how fast time move!

Check this video out! Although I stepped back from my role with the Carolina Crown family in over a half-dozen years ago, they are still close to my heart. Although I often say "Drum corps is for the kids, not the adults", the kids in Carolina Crown gave me a lot over the years.

Check out the video ... give if you can!

Yup - season's over ...

Funky Winkerbean, 11/28/07

2007 Season ends on a "high note"

Seems like I just started, and it's over. I know this because corps are hosting open houses (good news) and DCI announced its major event schedule for 2008 (good news!), and Annapolis isn't on the list (boo).

I celebrated the end of the season at the USSBA National Championship two weeks ago - Friday night, or "small band" night. I missed the first Group 1 (sorry, Central) and had to leave before the last half of Group 2, but I enjoyed all the bands in between!

Sayreville War Memorial game me a great welcome with a great sound, and Cumberland Regional brought back orange and white memories of my, er, younger days. Unfortunately, USSBA can't stop planes - well, helicopters - trains and automobiles, and so the were drowned out from time to time. Timber Creek projected well for their size and added a not of nice kinetic movement. North Carroll wrapped up the set.

Criticisms are difficult, my impression was that Southern Garrett had a great concept (pirates) and props get away from them. The show just didn't have a popular feel to it. Haddon-Heights was ambitious but not clean.

Gateway brought the 60s and 70s to life, followed by a band I commented on when I first started this blog: Deptford Township HS and their "In the Spring" show. Well, the Group 1 champion stepped it up, and being in the wonderful M&T Bank Stadium venue gave me a new perspective on the hats, set on the ground in the shape of a cross. I knew what to expect, but still anticipated it! The Iwo Jima and yellow ribbon was quite moving!

My favorite in group 1 did not place in the top 3 and they were challenged by trains and helicopters again. Fluvanna County's show, "Simplicity" was just that, but more! Sure, they did "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Alphabet Song", demonstrated a marching block, and literally counted - and formed - numbers 1 to 10 (I think), they executed well and in an entertaining fashion. For 20 musicians, 10 percussionists (about evenly split between pit and battery), and 12 guard members, they were engaging and worth the price of admission. (The photo is from their website and their 2006 national championship award!)

My favorite Group 2 band didn't place high, either. Honestly, I scratched my head over Collingswood's Japanese themed show, found the Middletown (MD) band doing a nice job but overreaching all the same, and liked the "fire and ice" visuals of West Windsor-Plainsboro South, the band I put at the top of my chart was John F. Kennedy HS. No, they weren't a top scoring band, but they were a very confident band. Why? Well, start with what words fall short of doing - describing this, um, unique and fun band! A blend of traditional corps and traditional HBCU styles, with some high stepping and jammin' squeezed in for the show! A blended identity but not one where they were looking for who they were. I would pay to see these guys again! They also brought back memories!

What does this all mean? Well - creativity, knowing who you are, and playing confidently make a difference!

I wish I didn't have to leave (had to fly off to Texas the next morning) - I'd have loved to seen more of the night and the next day (a post on one of those bands that performed on Saturday will be done soon) - but at least I left with a good feeling!

Kudos to USSBA for a fantastic show, by the way - a great venue, nice seats, lots of vendors, and the big screen to boot! I hope you grow the show here in Maryland!

I "LUV" Band!

I've got a few posts I've got to get to - a review of the USSBA National Championship for one (a Dad and son field trip) and thoughts on a band on a mission - but until I get those ideas together ...

A few posts ago I wrote about the book American Band. If you still have not purchased this book (Christmas gift, anyone?), Southwest Airlines excerpted a chapter the book as its cover story in the November issue of "Spirit", its inflight magazine.

Hey, Southwest - I LUV you! (And the fact that your HQ is in my Heart-Q of Dallas has nothing to do with it!)

By the way, if you need another thing to read to tie you over until the summer drum corps season, check out Halftime Magazine, with a great issue this time out covering events around the country. I tip my hat to Christine Ngeo Katzman, CEO and Publisher, for daring to leave warm southern California to promote her magazine at the USSBA event in Baltimore! (I took a picture of her all bundled up, but the camera is cheap, so I borrowed this from her website!)

Oh, and by the way, Congratulations to the 4 Texas bands making the Bands of America Grand National Championship Finals, including champion L.D. Bell HS Blue Raider Band of Hurst-near-Fort-Worth-but-Dallas-will-claim-you-now, Texas!

Livin' the Dream

Some guys have all the luck ... check out this article in the Chicago Tribune. If I had a second life avatar this may be it.

TOB G3 ACC 2007

Saturday was Severna Park’s final show of the season at the Tournament of Bands Group 3 Atlantic Coast Championships. I was very proud of the band and their last performance of The Phantom of the Opera. The little additions since I last saw them made a difference, I think ... the staging with the tarp looked great! Of course, I love music of the night ...!

It’s a cool thing to see your kid march – I like watching bands but I found myself watching him. Such as it is! It's a good thing I watched, though; the Jolesch photographer didn’t get him a single time. And I think as much as TOB announced this as their new home, the stadium isn’t right. No concert side restrooms. Astroturf so old it had a sheen. I don't know if this facility is right for this type of event - the students deserve better.

I didn’t stay for the Top 10, but I enjoyed everyone else! Concord (DE) had an Irish theme, but no leprechauns with a 7’ drum major! (OK, maybe not that tall, but tall!) Middletown (DE) did a nice job with Ron Nelson’s magical Sonoran Desert Holiday. South Hagerstown (MD) was pleasing to watch with well known Russian-themed music taking us from revolution to revolution. Elkins (WV) had a Wicked show featuring music from the Broadway hit! I loved the bubbles to start out - they went all over the stadium - but the blow up emerald city and golden Oz was distracting. Bloomsburg (PA) gave us the first robust sound of the evening with a show concept of flight. Lower Dauphin (PA) storm-themed show was a bit confusing to the announcer, but I loved it with use of the huge, angled, window panes. They show was well designed, marched and played and is one I would pay to see again! They became my top ranked show of the night at this point.

JM Bennett (MD) did Humanity and they seemed a bit off from previous viewings. Pennsauken (NJ) titled their show Evolution, but my title for this was “New Spring”. The music was well integrated and the guard was very impressive! Shikellamy (PA) – I love that uniform, especially the hat. Thanks for getting us in a New York State of Mind. Camp Hill (PA) became my new #1 of the night with a great jazz sound and marching program. Parkland (PA) brought the set of five to a pleasant close.

After the break was the last set of five I stayed for. And I’m glad I did! Egg Harbor Township’s (NJ) Canon in D was very well conceived and then performed to the first level of "wow!" The arrangement fit the theme of Deconstruction and Reconstruction. The electric bass was perfectly balanced with the band – making up for a lack of low brass – and the woodwind sound was solid. I’d pay to hear this again, but the excellent marching would make it worth seeing, too. My top band of the night!

Calvert Hall (MD) sent Postcards from New York City, accompanied with a rich sound and a great sax soloist. Urbana (MD) took the concept of the heart – usually reserved for love themes – and make it aggressive. I loved the attitude of adrenaline and heart attack! Old Bridge (NJ) took us on a different scenic tour of NYC, this one via the subway, connecting themes of the city (Harlem Nocturne, Take the A Train, and a hint of others) in the great ride. Mifflinburg (PA) sent me on my way with some favorite selections of one of my all time favorite composers, Leonard Bernstein.

Scores aren’t posted yet – we’ll see what the judges thought!

Band Dads

Want to watch some creativity between shows? Study the pit crews. This fast moving ensemble has to be just as coordinated as the student marchers. Get the props and front ensemble equipment on the field. Then get it off. Fold it up so it fits on a truck or a trailer. Make sure it can withstand the beating it will take – not to mention wind, heat, sun and snow.

NASCAR pit crews – I love what they can do in 14 seconds. But they aren’t the only ones! So here is a nod to the Severna Park HS Pit Crew - TOB Group 3 Chapter IX award winners!

Okay, okay ... yes, I know! Yes, Band Moms are on the pit crew ... and in the set up crew ... and ... and ...

Music & Competition

This weekend is the TOB Chapters, the qualifying events for the Atlantic Coast Championships. We Americans are a competitive lot. Some believe that competition should not be a part of the arts, including marching band programs.

Look, competition is part of life, and that includes the arts. If you don’t believe me, think about the world famous Van Cliburn piano competition, or even the competition that values things the “finer things” of life every day at the Sotheby’s auction house.

Do all bands have to compete? No. Several bands I enjoyed this year right here in Anne Arundel County do not compete: Annapolis HS (with a great rock tribute titled Styx & Stones), South River HS (a big band with a big sound featuring the movie music of John Williams) and North County HS (reminding me of Texas high school “drill teams” with their pom pon girls). And throughout this year I have seen several bands that, well, were competitive, but not as enjoyable as the three noted above.

As this blog progresses I’m sure I’ll share my thoughts about competition. But for now, I wish the competitors their best performances (you make your own luck) and thank those who perform for the sheer pleasure of performance.

Tricks and Treats

Lots of kids and costumes tonight. This brought on to the field of my mind another little band, Chesapeake HS of Pasadena, Maryland (I guess I'm just going to have to name names from here on out). They have a fun show based on music (I heard a lot on Saturday night) from Cirque du Soleil. The band show title is “A Strange Day at the Circus” and has kids ... and costumes!

Sometimes I hear people deride a band for doing what is perceived as an “easy” or “goof off” show. "They don’t take the performance or competition seriously." Hey, not this band! A creative program, designed for the band members abilities, and well performed for appreciative audiences! Fun is hard work, and this band makes it look easy.

I am sorry that I don't have a link for the band. If you want to enjoy a little fun on the field tonight, go on over to You Tube and search for the Bridgemen 1979 or Velvet Knights 1992.

Bye Bye to Bye Weeks

This weekend is a bye week. Not just for my son’s band, but for my Dallas Cowboys, too. Ugh. But I lucked out! The USSBA was holding their PA/DE State Championships just 45 minutes from my conference in Philadelphia. Some people like to go to conventions to run up great food bills – I went to a band show!

Coatesville is a great venue – turf field – and a great greeting to fans. As far as the bands, here are a few notes …

Whitehall HS had a nice look and a great sound from 25 winds and 7 percussionists. Their New World Symphony was well executed musically and visually, earning them first place in their class. Right behind them was North East HS (MD). What fun! They started the show right from the warm up, setting and keeping the jazz club feel. This was one of my favorite shows of the night, well done and enjoyable not only for the audience but apparently the kids as well.

Methancton HS had some fantastic mallets in the pit. Rustin HS had a great cheering section, probably the best of the night! Great fans make for a great performance.

Hatboro-Horsham HS brought their theme together visually (although I didn’t quite get it musically) as they celebrated transportation – rail, sky and auto. Their marching was well taught and make the visuals sharp.

Dowingtown West HS Whippets get my best mascot name award, and could “whip it good”, especially the percussion! The drum line enjoys playing together!

Easton Area HS (PA) brought "Bond, James Bond" to the field. I heard a judge say this band bought a college band type show to the field; for me it was like watching some of the bigger Texas high school bands when I was growing up. It was retro, but well done! When was the last time you saw twirlers on a competitive band field? The entire band had a great time with fantastic music selections: Bond Theme, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, the ballad For Your Eyes Only and the driving closer Live & Let Die.

My favorite band of the night was Central Bucks East HS. While the host Coatesville Area HS performed strong, and won the class, the CBE band is one I would definitely want to see again. They were clean and kept pushing through!

Thanks for a great bye week!

Killing Me Softly

It rained hard tonight. Bummer. I was looking forward to seeing the show. I was looking forward to seeing the reaction of the 8^th graders who came over for tonight’s invitation to spend time with the high school band, and get them fired up for next year. Playing in the auditorium just didn’t do justice to the sights and sounds of a game, the crowd, the warm up, the uniform … but I’m glad they came anyway!

A successful high school band depends on a successful middle school band. (Duh.) I’m not certain of the statistics – if anyone is, please share – but there is a strong share of kids who somehow don’t make the transition. And that share seems to be growing.

Around here, sports programs seem to be the reason. Marching band “conflicts” with sports, although I believe in its own way marching band is a sport. (I’ll have to write on that soon!) This town has great sports teams, and to develop those great sports teams, there is a great organization starting from the youngest ages – the Green Hornets.

I don’t resent them. In fact, for son #3, I also write a check. But with board of education and school districts “dropping the ball”, why don’t we have a Green Hornets for music? Not just school programs, though, but an organization that supports school programs from elementary on up, gets kids affordable private lessons and gives them what I believe they really like music for – the chance to perform!

Some kids are going to drop out, of course. More power to the middle school musician who is passionate about motorcross (36 of 52 weekends a year)! But sometimes I think parents and a community overplay one game, not seeing the intensity of preparation and performance in another.

Music education deserves the emphasis of physical education. Music also win scholarships – maybe not music scholarships, but scholarships in math, literature, and leadership. Music programs, including marching band programs, develop these skills.

Of course, some band directors hate marching band, especially competitive marching band. But they have to admit this: if it wasn’t for marching band, who would see and assess the concerts? For that reason alone there should be an investment in building an excellent marching band program, even if it doesn’t compete.

Music (and arts) education is suffering. It doesn’t take a study to realize that. Maybe A/B and A/B/C days help in academic, but inconsistent in-class time is devastating to music without a community infrastructure. Band parents play a great part in supporting the school program. But we need more than just the parents in one school – we need a community with passion.

Sweet Home ... Indiana?

Indiana is best known for basketball. At least that what I’m told, and I have to trust the person who told me. After all, I married her. (And of course there is that great movie about the little school that could.)

When I brought my future-wife home to meet the family, it was right after a Circle K International convention, in August, right after DCI finals. I didn’t know the results – this being the olden days before Al Gore invented the Internet. But we did have VHS! When I came into the house, I essentially said, “This is my mom. This is my sister. Now you can talk to them or sit with me, but I’m going to watch DCI finals.”

She sat. For a bit. Then went to talk to my Mom and sister. It would be a few years before she really got “snared” (okay – bad pun).

What she either didn’t know, or didn’t tell me, was that was that in Indiana, football fields are used for not just the Colts. South Dakota has the Badlands, Indiana is BandLands.

Don’t believe me? If you have time to read - you know, a book! - get "American Band". (It was one of the inspirations to start this blog. The other was my sister.) If you don’t just know this – Bands of America is headquartered in Indianapolis, home of the Grand National Championships. This coming summer, after the first of 10 years in the new Lucas Oil Stadium – where it will premier the stadium – Drum Corps International is moving to Indianapolis, too.

If your music doesn’t move on a football field, that’s okay. Indiana University is well known for its music school. And Bloomington is home to the Tony Award winning Blast!, formerly known as Star of Indiana.

Football lives in Texas, Ohio and Florida. (Yeah, yeah – and California, Alabama, Georgia …) Bands live in Indiana. Whodathunkit.

Our next band ...

My son looked at this and immediately said, "You didn't write about my band."

Blogs can be anonymous or not. This one isn't ... and it is. I mean, if you tell people you are blogging and they look it up, they know who you are, right? But I want to talk about the joy of band, and not make this about getting a plug in for any particular band or drum corps. There are plenty of sites and blogs for that.

I'm proud of my kids - all of them! My oldest plays the mellophone in his band. It's kind of an in joke that the three Marching Mellophone Members names all start with M! I was a trumpet player (like son #2) in marching band, but always liked mellophone. I played French horn in concert band and in church orchestras. I auditioned for a corps on mellophone. They get all of the hard parts and none of the glory!

{An aside: son #3 just picked up the saxophone but primarily plays his game in a big square sandbox with 60 feet between corners; son #4 is just musical right now.}

Anyway, my oldest's band for the past two years is a flashback to the DCI championships in 1989 - last year the Phantom Regiment's "New World Symphony", this year Santa Clara Vanguard's "Phantom of the Opera". Wonderful music, from a wonderful band and a wonderful group of kids with a wonderful sense of potential.

Potential.

But as I've shared with him, and others, potential is not performance. The show your band is doing is going to draw comparisons. But the comparison I am making is not to the drum corps, but to the band itself.

Son - and band members - marching band (and high school) is a dry run on real life. Are you doing all you are capable of? Or are you going through the motions?

Once you start pushing yourself to your full potential, then you will stop playing and start performing.

Finals is in three weeks. Time to start performing ...

Our first band ...

There is a lot to say now that I can, but let's start with a band. My high school band was small; micro by Texas standards. The one I saw on Saturday was larger than the one I was in, but it is in the small Group 1 on the Tournament of Bands circuit.

This band took a complicated concert band literature by David R. Holsinger (based on scripture - 2 Samuel 11, 1 Chronicles 20) and made it about the modern war. I have a long memory, so I remember the Cadets doing this music in 1993, before most of the kids doing this show were even born. Whenever a band tries to do music that a corps has done, especially one that won a DCI World Championship with the show, I wonder what the staff was thinking. Why do this to the high school kids, setting them up for constant criticism by failing to achieve what kids 3 to 4 years older dedicated a summer to perfecting?

Sure enough, it started out that way. The first part was a bit too literal for me, like the staff was thinking about how to make the music work on the field from an interpretative standpoint, but gave up.

But when the black scrim came down between the guard and the band, magic began. The sheer scrim with a soldier on one side mirroring the guard member on the other, touching like a reflection on the Vietnam Memorial Wall ... it was a reminder of the sacrifice that others have given, no matter what your opinion is on this current war.

The band placed its uniform helmets on the ground and then moved away, leaving the form where they stood as a silent, graveyard like reminder. The band and the guard were elsewhere on the field, but the image of the space they left was moving me and the audience to near tears. Then came the haunting Taps, as the solider walked away with head high, into the backfield corner.

Oh yes, I remember the scrim and the helmets from other drum corps shows (Suncoast Sound, Phantom Regiment). But this time the unique take in the modern setting just clicked, and I hope everyone was suddenly jolted back to understanding that a real war has real sacrifice.

Thank you, band, for honoring the memory of our fallen soldiers, and reminding me of their sacrifice.


-------

Marching band is like that for me. The kids moving me to cheers or tears, and making me think. Yes, adults design, but the kids make it happen, and these kids did. Their size was irrelevant - larger bands performed that day but the performances were flat. Maybe since it wasn't under the lights (it was an afternoon show), they weren't into it.

This band was willing to say, "Forget how small we are, because we can perform." I hope through this blog I'll introduce you to - or remind you of - the commitment of performance in band and in life.

No matter what the size of your "band", performance is what matters.* What you get out of it will be what you put into it. If you think you need to be in a big band to "win", then look inside. Small may make you think it is hard, but performance when you are out there exposed makes the achievement so much sweeter.

I got a lot out of my marching band experience. We weren't much - legends in our own mind - that the effort in my last year that resulted in a II rating in the only UIL contest I remember - tops in our class! - the fun of putting a show on the field - that sense of achievement drives me even today.

Well, that and the two biggest lessons I learned from my band director:

1. "Always leave early so if you're late you'll be on time."

2. "I don't care if you have been in this band room since 4 this morning. If you are not in your chair, warmed up, ready to go, when the bell rings, you are late!"


* A shout out to the 1983 Laredo Nixon HS Band, Texas Class 5A champions - the smallest of the finalists that year.

You may take the field ...

The first step in solving a problem is to admit you have one.

My problem is this: I am a marching music geek.

Well, I am other things, too. A husband, dad, and healthcare business professional. A Christian (and that may well send some of you running, but stick with me a while). I call myself a Texan although I have not lived there in nearly two decades.

I guess it was early in life I developed a love for what goes on under the lights on a football field. Yes, the game is great, but for me, halftime became more than a time for hot dogs (frito pie!) and a coke (dr pepper!). The 15 minutes in the middle became as exciting as the 60 surrounding it!

I am a drum corps fan, but this isn't about just drum corps. I am a marching band dad, but this isn't just about my kid's (kids'!) band. It is reflections on what I see on football fields on Friday nights, Saturday afternoons, and then Saturday nights - under the lights.

If you are a fan of the book (movie or TV show) "Friday Night Lights", then you know the inspiration for the name. But the inspiration to start this came from someone else and a book.

More on that later. More on this, later, too.

"Readers (judges), are you ready?"

"Writer, is your keyboard ready?"

"Saturday Night Lights, you may take the field in exhibition ..."