National ChampionS

Plural.

Nazareth Area HS Blue Eagle Marching Band won the USSBA National Championship. (As they say, "Wahoo!")

Avon HS Marching Black and Gold was crowned Bands of America Grand National Champion. (LD Bell, last year's champion, was second, leading to the following IM comment: "Ding dong. Avon calling.")

There are countless state champions, too - divided by various classes - and other associations such that award "super-regional" championships such as the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Champions and the Western Band Association and others I know I've missed. (Note: The TOB link will take you to a high school band site that is generally more up to date that the TOB home page).

In a way, crowning a National Champion in band is like crowning a national champion in college football. Lots of divisions, lots of bowl games or playoffs, lots of polls - er - scoring methodologies and philosophies. And not everyone competes at a certain level, even if they could. Witness the debate about non-BOA appearing Flower Mound (TX) Marcus HS band! A national high school football champion is nearly easier to award (witness the USA Today weekly rankings).

Professionally I work in medical practice management with a focus on anesthesiology. Finding the "right" and "best" is about as hard. Is the care team best or not? (Band speak: Do we count the guard in the members or not?) What is the optimal way to determine a band class - experience, band size, school size? (Anesthesia speak: Is medical direction best at 1:3? 1:4? 1:10? Or does it matter?)

Besides, how do we weight General Effect and Music? (Anesthesia speak: What is good vs. excellent vs. superior anesthesia care? Well, yeah, they wake up and are pain free, but the bedside manner was a mess and the case is always delayed, so ...).

I wrote before, I think, on one of the best bands I saw - a relatively small band from a relatively small Texas border town winning Class 5A, where then big boys and girls play. It hasn't happened since then.

Lately I have wrestled with the concept of excellence, especially personal sustained excellence. It is not easy, nor is it easy to do in everything. We succeed. We fail. We fail at previous successes. We succeed at previous failures. Sometimes we fail a lot and figure out that maybe we shouldn't play that game, or use that particular scoresheet. Sometimes we succeed and own the game. Sometimes we succeed and forget to check to see if the rules changed.

So are we all champions? Well, clearly we cannot be. But we can at least give our best in the field of play, whatever it is, and we can give our best at each "game".

I guess all of this is to say what a National Champion really is (six words?): Singular performance in a singular time.

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!