Band Camp Day 5

Band & Color Guard cooling down.

My feet really hurt.  Today at band camp wasn't as physically demanding, but we did a lot of standing.  We did our first run through of the season, everything we knew, which is the beginning and middle sections.

The weather this morning was beautiful.  It was very cool out.  In the afternoon,  the clouds went away, and it started to get hot.  It was very sunny today, and practically every one's legs got burned, but I was lucky, I didn't.

One thing I like about marching band is that the band boosters try to keep us cool.  They brought in a fire truck to spray us down, which felt good.  They also bought Rita's for us.  Every day they have a cool, sweet treat for us.

Now, I can read a drill sheet, but I make mistakes while reading it.  For all the new sets, my section leaders had to help me find the correct position.  When I'm a senior, and if I'm a section leader, I predict I'll be the music section leader, and not the drill section leader.  I'm not very good at marching.

For me, dressing can be a pain.  I have to make it to my spot, and be in line with everyone else at the same time.  So if the whole line is way off, I'll have to follow them and be way off, but that's not usually the case, I'm sometimes a step away from everyone else.

During the morning session, I was physically there, but only half mentally.  I think that all the tempo changes were throwing me off.  My drill section leader offered to prompt me when the tempo was about to change right before a hold.  She said that  I NEED to make that set, because of the hold. I couldn't play while marching if I tried.  I still need to count the beats in my head and concentrate on that, but when I do, I'm usually in the general area of where I'm supposed to be.

Fortunately, I was more focused during the afternoon session while we were working on the second part, the ballad.  It doesn't have many tempo changes, and is slower.  I make all my sets, mainly in line with everyone else.  The instructors were continually telling us to watch our intervals, so that way we stay even.  It didn't help me that the two clarinets diagonal from me were missing.  Another instructor on the field told me that I'm rolling my feet well, which is good for style, but I need to keep me upper body still so my tone doesn't sound weird.  The instructors just HAD to make changes, and I'm still confused about them a little bit.  I just know which sax player I stand next to.  I commented to my music section leader that by the end of the season, parade marching will seem like walking.  

In the ballad, there's this part that we hold for sixteen counts in groups of five, and are supposed to pose.  My group couldn't come up with anything for two days, so we got the color guard to help us.  They have two girls that have a lot of time just to sit because they're features.  We told them we'd give them something to do.  There's a tall girl in the middle, so she puts her hands over her head and claps them.  Me and another girl on the sides put the arm closer to the center put our arms straight, almost touching the girl in the middle.  We hold our instruments in the arm that's straight, because we have a flute and a clarinet.  The two people in the front and the back wave their arms like the ocean, only side to side.  We hold this position for eight counts, and the girl in the middle brings her arms back to her sax, and me and the girl on the side get our instruments ready to play. 

There are a couple parts of the show I'm concerned about.  There's this one set that used to be twelve counts, but it was changed to move six, hold six, and I almost never make it, the set for me is about eight steps.  That throws all the people behind me off.  I'm also concerned about the beginning of the show, because I just learned it today, and don't know it as well.  I can fix it with the next set, which is twenty one counts, but is only about five steps, so I can move to the spot I'm supposed to be in after the set that's hard for me.  My drill section leader told me that if I make a mistake, to not fix it because a judge at a competition is more likely to notice, but probably won't if I don't move.

I feel like I have the marching part of the show that we've been taught pretty well.  My mom got the time wrong and thought that she was supposed to come pick me up at three, but she needed to pick me up at five.  On her account, my handwriting on the family calender looked like a three.  She just commented that she said that it looked like I had my part down pretty well.  My mom doesn't know anything about music of marching. But her comment inspired me.  Who do you think is at football games?  People who don't know anything about marching, and plus, they don't know where we're supposed to be.  That's good.  

So, I'm glad for band camp's length.  At least I can get the show down by the end of camp.