RULE #9 - FIGURE IT OUT!

I had the opportunity to have lunch with Jason H and Mark G (the two geniuses behind this blog) during fall break. Jason was recounting some of the comments that were made on those surveys we did in September and one of them really got to me. Jason said that someone said that Rule #9 was just a way for staff to get out of work. Hello! I hope this was from one of our "fall freeloaders" and not a summer person. People - you have been "spoon fed" most of the knowledge you have by teachers who have been pressured by their "superiors" to improve test scores. You have become knowledge "regurgitators" but you do not have the capacity to use that knowledge. (Not all of you, but too many!) Rule #9 is all about using that knowledge in practical problem solving. In my 6th grade band, I have kids who will walk up to me in the middle of class and ask me a question - no hand, no asking permission! I usually send them back to their seat without an answer. Why? Because I'm to lazy to help? Nope! As I point out to these kids if I spent just 1 minute with each student answering a question we would have 3 minutes of band class every day. Now multiply that by 5 with the high school band and, well you get the idea! Beyond simple logistics, Rule #9 is all about having you, the student, learn to identify a problem, explore solutions and, ultimately solve the problem yourself or by committee (with your friends - ask three ask me)

What do you think? Right or wrong, yes or no, win, lose, or draw, TALK TO DADDY V!

TALK TO ME, JC!

Greetings Patriot band members and welcome to my blog. This blog is for me and the rest of the band staff to post thoughts, ideas and concerns regarding our band program and to get responses from you, the band members.

Your responses to any blog items will be sent to my personal e-mail where I will read them before posting. Anything considered in poor taste, inflammatory, slanderous, dirty, obscene, profane or just plain dumb (percussion?) will not be posted! Its my blog and I'll post if I want to!

The future of this blog will depend on how it is used. This is uncharted territory for me and I hope that you, the JC band members will step up to the plate and help me develop this blog to fit your needs as well as the needs of the staff.

So, as Jackie Gleason used to say...and away we go!

Coming soon...

The meandering thoughts of our own Daddy V, Pete Vogler!!


The one and only!!

Football Game...

So Friday night saw me at my 3rd (i think) JCHS football game of the season. It ended up lightning and they postponed the game for 30 minutes and the band all left. I still don't know if they actually finished the game (enlighten me if you can).

Band Day

Last wednesday was the State Fair Band Day. Jay County finished an impressive 2nd out of 44 bands this year, 2 places better than last years 4th place finish. It's sad to have another track season over and done with but I'm glad at the same time. The kids this year did just awesome considering some of the temperatures we dealt with. I really enjoyed working with the staff so with the good kids it was a great summer from the staffing perspective. I hope to be back next year, and bring back a certain guard instructor as well, to do it all again.

Lotsa' Craziness!!!

So in the last couple weeks I've been super busy. Lots of things going down at work at the moment, mainly all good. The band season has pretty much came and went. Once the contests start it goes by in a FLASH. We got lots of 2nd's behind southside and a 3rd behind southside and richmond (i think). Last week was band camp which was defintely the roughtest to date. It was like having one full time job on top of another full time job where the second full time job is conducted 24 hours a day and in ungodly heat and humidity!!!

Yesterday was the ice cream social (minus the ice cream though me, Emilie, and Hart stopped by Dairy Dream) where the band put on its usual bad run through for the parents. Definitely not the best representation of what was produced by band camp. If you want the real deal show up Wednesday at state fair!

Summer 2006 on Film

Jason's Graduation...

First off, I am still alive. Also, Hart (Jason, Jay, Jake, however you know him) graduated from Ball State this last weekend and I wanted to give him a public congrats for his achievements. He had two weddings, a band contest, and his graduation all this last weekend so he didn't actually walk across the stage but he's an official graduate. He threw a little hoopla at his house on Sunday afternoon and I posted some pictures of it. So if you see him tell him congrats!!
-Mark "Melon" Garringer

Hmmm…

This weekend was the DCI contest in Indy, go Blue Devils!! They beat the cavies by .5 points for the victory. I could tell that this year the show was 2 weeks earlier. It just wasn't quite as crisp as it normally is. It was still a great show and I hope to watch the semifinals at a simulcast someplace.

Band has been going good this week and we're making headway. Yesterday was a music day as it rained most of the afternoon. The pit is getting better and better and I'm pumped to hear them with the actual band. They still play a bit quite but they've got the show memorized (most of them) and it sounds pretty good. The judges' jaws are gonna drop when they see the complete change from last year.

Back to Work...

Summer band started. The awesome part is that we have a HUGE pit this year.