WEEKEND WITH THE STAFF!

Daddy V and Lucia Hart

One of the best parts of my job is the people with whom I get to work Not just the kids - most of you are a pleasure to work with - but also the adults who I work with in and out of school time. Saturday was a staff reunion at Scotty's Brewhouse in Muncie and a good time was had by all! On Sunday, we had our first creative meeting for next summer's show. We listened to a lot of music and tossed around some show ideas, themes, and titles. Certainly not in a position to make any big announcements yet but probably some time after New Year. Stay tuned.

FLIPPIN' INCREDIBLE!

That's right! Flippin' incredible! I was in total shock yesterday when the saxophones tested on the parade tune and FIVE, count 'em, FIVE students could not play the required measures. Not due to lack of practice but because their instruments were not in working condition! That's incredible! It's like going to take a test in class and forgetting to bring a pencil! And I'm sure there are similiar problems in the flute and clarinet section. Within 10 minutes I had all but 1 of the saxes up and running again - small problems! How can you sit in class day after day with an instrument that does not work and do nothing about it! Everyone wants to win - everyone wants to be the best - everybody thinks we get shafted - yet we proved yesterday that many of us do not know how to be champions. People are griping that we are testing - they're gonna quit - they hate concert band - it's boring! But next summer - whoa baby, we want to be the best! Well ya know what, in the words of legendary band director Dave Humbert "Everyone wants to go to Heaven but no one wants to die!" If you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen! We don't need you if your best is a broken horn and a half-baked attitude! Anderson Highland used to have over 200 kids in their band and were moderately successful. Many quit when Mr. Fletcher came along because he held them accountable for their ability to play their instruments in a correct and musical fashion. The numbers are steadily increasing and guess what - they won State Fair last year! If our summer marching program is what you consider to be your be all and end all of bandom then suck it up and start working now! This is a class with a state mandated curriculum and standards and as long as Mr. Smeltzer is in charge it will be run according to those standards. If it's too much work then, again, in the words of Mr. H, "don't let the door hit you in the butt!"

Talk to me, I'm
Daddy "Steamin Mad" V

SAVE THE DRAMA FOR YO MAMA!

:(

Once again the ugly face of drama has begun to surface in the Patriot Band program. For a while, the drama always seemed to be limited to the guard, but it seems to have infiltrated the flute and trombone sections. I hope you all know what I'm talking about. That "woe is me", "I'm the only one who cares", "she said this about me", "he looked at me cross-eyed" attitude that does nothing but cause problems in the organization. The worst is the "I heard that she/he said such and so about me". In the legal world, that's called heresay evidence and is not permissable in court. In the band world, we call it the "telephone game". You know, I say something to you and you say it to the next person, who says it to the next person, etc. and by the time it gets to the end of the chain "Four score and seven years ago" turns into "A bucket of wings and a six-pack to go" (six-pack of rootbeer, that is). Get used to it! It happens in the adult world, too, but there it's called gossip and it hurts just as much whether your 15 or 50. But folks, it's only words and words can't hurt you. Hurt your feelings, yes, but that's it! That's also when you find out who your true friends are. Friends support by lending an ear not a fist. A shoulder on which to cry is better solution then revenge. There's a great line from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" in which one of the townspeople insists that the Jews fight the Russians. As he says "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (Old Testament - The Bible) Tevye's comeback is "So then we all end up blind and toothless." Think about it and then "save the drama for yo mama".

Talk to me,
I'm Daddy "Back Again" V

BACK IN THE SADDLE.....

Greetings to all my TTMDV fans and my apologies for leaving you hanging for the last month. Secretary (aka Jason Hart) told me that the server that takes care of TTMDV was hit with a power surge, effectively frying the drives and shutting us down. Personally, I believe it was a plot by left-wing liberal, tree-hugging, Bambi-loving, Hillary-supporting Democrats who are trying to take away my inalienble (or is it unalienable) rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness! But I digress! I have a boat-load of issues backed up in the "Daddy V file" that will be posted shortly! As always, my thanks goes out to my two favorite tekkies Jason "Secretary" Hart and Mark "Melon-soon-to-be-wed" Garringer for their help in getting TTMDV back on line. You guys are #1!!!!

Welcome Miss Hargraves

The JCHS Band is proud to welcome Miss Becky Hargraves to the band staff this semester. Miss Hargraves is a student at Taylor University and will be completing a portion of her student teaching with the Patriots before her anticipated graduation later this year.

Well now...Where to begin?

 Look at the pictures of the summer as well as listen/view some of the media. It was another super successful summer with the Patriots. Some people seem to think 5th place at State Fair isn't a good thing but I'm super pleased considering there were 50 bands there. I know one of my years we placed 3rd and there were only around 30 band there. Not to mention the fact that the kids just played their hearts out and sounded awesome. It's definitely not the kids fault that the judges didn't like the content of the show.

Now intead of working 8-5 for the day job, then 5-9 for the band, then 9-1 for the day job I might actually have some free time to look at houses and get things back to a semi organized state!

Nahh...

Final Thoughts

The Marching Patriot Band & Guard placed fifth at the 2007 Indiana State Fair.  The performance entitled, “The Colors of Russia” was certainly a show that people will remember for years to come.  Although the Patriots did not necessarily bring home the first place trophy, there should be no doubt in anyone’s minds that these fine young men and women performed a fantastic show!

The elements that were in our control were completed with pride and honor as these musicians and performers represented the many cities that have become Jay County.  The commitment, hard-work, and determination that these kids give to the band, to the community, and most importantly, to each other, is second to none!


To the Class of 2008, thank you for your dedication to the Marching Patriots.  Although you have finished your last competition, you have countless memories that will last with you for a lifetime!

Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen: preparation for next year’s competitions starts today!  Think of how much we could improve over the next year if we all strive to better ourselves with our marching, playing, tossing, catching, and all the other elements that make us Marching Patriots.  The time is now… the staff will be ready… will you?

Thank you to all the countless parents, volunteers, benefactors, staff members, and students that have made not only this season successful, but the past 30 years…

Top 5 in the state for 19 years straight!  Are you ready to hit 20?  Give us your thoughts!

2007 Photos

R E S P E C T ...find out what it means to me!

There is probably no one in the band or the band staff who is more qualified to speak on the differences between groups in the band than me and I have been very bothered over the last several years about the criticism which has been leveled at the guard by band members. I have heard way too much criticism about what band members think is a lack of talent and ability on the part of our guard members. Remember, boys and girls, when we get a score at a contest it's for the entire band, not just for the winds or the percussion or the drum majors or the guard. I'm here to tell you right now that the ones with hardest job in a marching band are the members of the color guard, followed (rather distantly) by the bass drummers, and then the rest of the drum line. Now before you go off on me, think about it for a second. If I take a dozen flute players and ask them to march and play their show, we certainly hope that they could all do it, but we know the reality is that if a single flute player stops playing for 10 or 15 seconds, no one notices. If 2 or three stop - same result. This is not only true for flutes, but also clarinets, saxophones, etc., especially in a band our size. If, however, I take a dozen guard members and ask them to do their show, everyone notices if one of the girls stops even for just a few counts. Guard is so visually dominated that any pocorn eater can tell you whether the flags are together or whether the rifles dropped or not - its a no brainer. But can the same audience members hear a flute player drop out of the ensemble, or even a trumpet! Yes, the bass drums are almost in the same boat as the guard. Drop out a bass drum or two and things can get ugly quickly! Same with members of the battery. Although percussion is not visually dominated, it is easy to see if someone is not playing.

In short, there's a story in the New Testament (that's in the Bible, genius!) where the Jewish leaders bring a prostitute to Jesus and ask if she should be punished by stoning. Jesus' answer was simply "Let the person who is without sin cast the first stone" Let's keep this in mind when dealing with other sections and members of the band. If you must criticize, offer and help with a solution!

Agree or not agree? Just talk to me...I'm
Daddy V

BAND CAMP 2007 - DAY 4

PEACE, YO!

Another hot one today. Continued locking in new tempos. Transitions w/ new tempos are becoming a lot more consistent - finally! Marching show is improving in leaps and bounds - difficult to tell the newbies from the vets! Guard continues to improve and new eq at show finale is starting to come together. Long week starting to show in more injury time-outs and general fatigue. Long days and short nights! Evening activities included chubby bunny (a band camp tradition - ask a band kid if you don't understand) and singing of section songs bbased on this year's show. Band camp olympics were won by the Trombubatones, I think their 2nd or 3rd victory in the last several years. Following the songs the entire band was treated to a movie, "Night at the Museum", entertaining but not great! Friday's activities will include run-throughs and the annual band camp section awards as well as packing and our last good meal until summer 2008! See ya on Sunday!

BAND CAMP 2007 - DAY 1

Peace, Yo!

Patriot Band arrived at Miami sans luggage after blowing two tires on the choir trailor. Cheryl, Leslie, and Deven took care of the break-down while the rest moved on. Arrived, checked-in and got right to work. Guard is working on incorporating large red, purple and white flags into the production. Horn line worked on drill changes which will allow the 1st trumpets to be on the 50 for the company front. Several new horn moves and foot moves have been added. New faster tempo in "Carol" is eliminating foot problems. Other tempos will also be "goosed" a bit. Kids all working hard. Marched 'til 9:00 PM. Lost a couple of rookies to the pace of band camp but they all hopped back in following a break in the shade. Weather is reasonable for this time of year. Golf cart for staff errands has worked out well - thanks Randy Hunt. Tuesday schedule - company front work, music cleaning and tempo changes, working guard transitions and 3 square meals!