Good morning band faMily. I hope this message finds you doing well.
Today starts a new week full of hard work and high expectations. We ended the week on a very good note and we want that success and good feeling to propel us through another week. The heat is back, but the rain has subsided for now. Time to get in some much needed drill work.
The plan is to work and learn the drill for the ballad this week and next week. Who knows if we will get it on the field for a performance, but the goal is to learn it and be ready when we decided to actually do it. It is a little different drill and music than we have done but it’s going to set the mood for our show perfectly.
Reminder: Monday and Wednesday 4th block only done at 3:15, Tuesday night rehearsal and Thursday until 4:30.
FRIDAY: Our game is against Florence AT Florence. Our first away game.
Basic Friday thoughts: We will leave at 4:30 for Florence on school buses. We plan to load the trucks and trailers for the first time at 2:45. We need to be ready for this, especially rack players! The First game is the training session. When we come home after the game, we will unload everything and put in it’s proper place for Monday the following week. More detailed schedule for Friday later this week.
A director’s memory from Thursday Night
This may get long. But I think you will enjoy the read.
The band directors at Muscle Shoals had decisions to make regarding this year’s marching band. Decision’s like “do we do a competition show? Do we go full out or scale it back and take it easy? Should we do another easy show like last year? How will the kids react to either?”
The decision obviously was to go wide open and get back on track to what we want it to be. Basically a sink or swim situation and drag the students to success kicking and screaming. Well, it hasn’t been easy. It actually been slow and will be slow all year. There have been moments of triumph and moments of sheer misery and many unsuccessful attempts along the way. All this scattered with a good deal of heat, sweat, insistent directors, several quarantines and sicknesses, injuries, and a great deal of private prayer from directors and students I’m sure. Leading up to Thursday night we didn’t know what was going to happen, if we would get through the show without falling apart, passing out, or even make it to the game due to rain. The anticipation (worry and anxiety maybe) was felt by everyone associated with this band program. Obviously the show went very well and many many positive comments from may people.
Now, on to my story and experience. It started with a rainy senior night and directors watching the radar intensely. Ponchos on, we celebrated our awesome 2021-2022 senior band class and went into the stands to wait for the rain to stop and the band to come to the stadium. Sure enough, it stopped, I called Mrs. Hood to send the band on and let’s get this first game underway.
I was sitting in the stands with the seniors as they begged to play just them alone 🙂 The game atmosphere was pretty dead with cheerleader’s cheering and a very quiet student section. Everyone was pretty much drying off and most fans were just walking in after the rain stopped. At about 7:00 minutes left in the first quarter the trojan marching band rounds the corner on the gym headed into the stadium. And THAT is when it happened………….maybe the most important significant moment I have ever witnessed in my 24 years as a band director at MSHS.
As the band rounded the corner, the cheerleaders and the student section began to cheer for the band. And they didn’t just cheer, they screamed and cheered loudly for quite a long time. It wasn’t fake, they were truly excited to see the trojan band headed into the stands. I have never witnessed this in all my years. Our band entered the stands and the student section and cheerleaders cheered literally the entire game. Student section highly involved in the band cheers and the cheerleaders doing such a great job with what they do. At the end of the game, so many students came over to tell the band how awesome the atmosphere was and one cheerleader going home to tell her mom over and over that was the most fun she has ever had at a game and it was because the band was so awesome.
Folks………that is what it is all about. I was right in the middle of it too. This moment should not be overlooked or under appreciated. It was EXACTLY what we needed at a time the kids needed a boost. I cannot thank the student section and the cheerleaders enough for doing that for our band program. I believe due to the band being in the end zone last year and away from the audience, that the students and cheerleaders appreciate what the band does now more than ever.
What things do we have in our every day lives that we take for granted? Family? Health maybe? Or maybe is something even smaller than that? I plan to spend today looking for those small things and being appreciative.
If you are reading this I appreciate you. Remember to always LOVE first and there is never a bad time to do a good thing! STRONGER TOGETHER!!!!!!
