Amazing Job Everyone! Marching Weekend Recap

Congratulations to the Centerville Marching Program all around for an excellent showing this weekend! It's Monday morning and I'm still feeling good from the weekend.

Friday night's performance was so much fun for so many reasons. First - looking at the stands while you were all playing pep band together, it was great to see so many band students together! Most importantly, the halftime performance was phenomenal. CHS - looked pretty sharp with your new movements, the HJH kids were pretty impressed as they watched waiting for their turn to take the field. HJH - I think you played Paralyzer the best you've ever done it on Friday night - WOW! And the combined bands? Amazing. Flag team looked sharp!

Saturday morning's pep band was stellar. We had a full float with great friends and lead the Kiddie Parade off right. This is always a ton of fun and I hope to see it continue to grow. Thanks to Mr. Jackson for driving us safely around the square!

Saturday afternoon's Big Parade....I'm still on cloud nine after it! Unfortunately I was unable to be with the CHS flag team because of my duties with the HJH band (I wish I could have been two places at once), but I am so glad to have girls who can step up and take a leadership role. I had no worries leaving instructions in your hands and the reports I have gotten from several sources tell me that you did a great job in this performance (I had no doubt that it would be an excellent performance). Howar Band - looking sharp and sounded great! Our seventh grade friends are now officially Centerville Marchers! I am very pleased with how things went this weekend.

I have some photos coming in (and if you have some good ones, email them to me!), so there should be some photos eventually on the blog and then the actual web site!

Gloves are IN, Polos are OUT!

Today's blog will be about the fashion to be sported at upcoming Centerville marching events!

Howar Junior High banders received their RED POLOS during band today, hence they are OUT and in their hands! They will look smashing when paired with a pair of black pants and accompanied with matching black shoes and socks!

Centerville Flag Team members will rejoice when they learn that a shipment of black grippy gloves came today (so they're IN)! These grippy gloves allow for proper flag twirling technique while protecting the tender skin of the palms from blisters. As an added bonus, they should protect us from the cold when those last couple of games come!

First steps of a marching band

Congratulations, HJH Banders! You have officially taken your first steps as a marching band! While playing, too!

You're sounding excellent, and I'm sure in no time we'll be looking just as good as we're sounding... Keep up the good work and try very hard!

CHS flags - I'm going to be watching the music video Thriller in anticipation of our future performances! :)

Rain, Rain Go AWAY!

They say that if you don't like the weather in Iowa, just wait five minutes and it'll change...not so true when you want to have rehearsal outside! It's been rainy too much lately, and I'm hoping for some excellent weather this upcoming week! We did get a LOT of music prepared this week, and fixed some very important items, but I'm getting anxious to be outside!

Thanks for an excellent week... TWO WEEKS UNTIL PANCAKE DAY EVE'S FOOTBALL GAME AND PANCAKE DAY PARADE!!

Here froggy froggy froggy!

The HJH Drummers are an interesting crew... They have a new obsession over small frogs. For example, the little guy that they found while having drumline rehearsal outside this afternoon. How odd.

The count down to our weekend of marching has begun! We have 12 more rehearsals until we do our TWO performances! Things are looking/sounding good, but we still have so much more to do!

And, a belated picture post from this weekend... Here's a shot of the flag team relaxing before the Moulton parade!

Anyone know any good (clean) music jokes? Please post them as a comment here! I'll get you started... What do you get when you throw a piano down a mine shaft? A flat minor!

HJH Trumpets ROCKED this week!

What a week it's been...

Tuesday was HOT and pretty miserable, then Wednesday and Thursday were rainy and pretty miserable (thanks hurricane remnants!), looks like today might actually be a good weather day. Hopefully it'll be perfect weather for the big game tonight! Good luck CHS marching band on your first performances this weekend!

The HJH section of mention this week is the TRUMPET SECTION!! Wow! Not only did you work hard in your sectional with me on Wednesday, but yesterday in full rehearsal it was an amazing sound! The second trumpets especially have made some wonderful strides this week and I'm very proud of you! Keep up the good work and I hope to have you in the jazz band this year!

Watch for files!

Howdy! I'm working on a special place to post those HJH and CHS Flag Team documents... So check out http://sites.google.com/site/hjhband/!! There's not much up yet, but I'm working on it this evening (Tuesday) and there will be more in the days to come!

Marching 101

Top Five Things to Remember When Marching...

5. Look out for the dead critters littering the streets!
4. Don't look at your feet - they'll still be there!
3. Think it's terrible to be outside in the heat today? Just wait until the end of the marching season, you'll be missing days like today!
2. Put your hands out in front of you palm out...one hand will make an "L" and the other won't. The "L" is your left hand...your left foot is on the same side of your body!
1. When you're at attention, don't eat your pants!

Thanks for excellent rehearsals today CHS and HJH! CHS flags look like you'll be ready for this first weekend of performances! Can't wait! HJH - congrats on taking your first steps as a marching band today! Will we be ready for the end of the week? I think so!!

On a side note, I'm working on some ideas to get some of the HJH and CHS flag team hand outs posted... I'll either blog here that I've had them posted for me on the main web page OR I'll blog where you can find them... That is one of my evening activities!

Stay cool!