End of Band Camp Thoughts

I felt so out of the loop yesterday at band.  I missed so much the day I was sick. 

We did some run troughs of the opener.  The runs were the first time I marched the entire piece.  I know the opener in chunks, not as an entire section.  My feet knew where to go, but my brain did not.  I got a quick lesson on the visuals, but I was a count later than everyone else because I forgot were they were.  The runs were awful for me.

We also learned the ballad.  Drill wise, it's so easy.  We don't move that much.  I joked that there are five sets and ten holds.  Our director didn't give us the music until two weeks ago.  I didn't get the music until a week ago because of vacation.  Not very many people know the music, and only the brass can play because they can hold the music in one hand and play the music with their other hand.  It was really bad.  I mean, I COULD HAVE worked harder to learn the music, but I've been at rehearsal most of my time.  I need to learn the music so I can learn the show by the music.  The ballad is the first place I've missed having a drum major.  The drum major would start each piece, which was nice.  Now we have to listen to the bag pipes.  At least we'll supposedly score more points for performing drum major less.

By the end of rehearsal yesterday, my capacity to learn new drill was shot.  The directors pushed us to learn sets of the closer.  It isn't too difficult.  It's all in sets of sixteen, and the music phrasing is in counts of sixteen.  That means that every time we start a new musical idea, we move to another set.  I know this music a little, but I doubt I remember the drill.

I feel like I knew the show at the end of band camp better last year.  Oh well, I'll get it eventually.