There are times when you feel as if everything that's going on in your life is completely out of your control. You have no way of stopping or changing what's happening. You feel weak as you are forced to follow the path of others instead of creating a path of your own.
Yesterday, the Cougar Marching Band traveled to Johnston, IA, and Mount Pleasant, IA, to perform in their first competitions of the season. The morning performance was in Johnston, and there were no actual band placements, just a critique. The Cougar Marching Band had about half an hour to fix some little things before they took the field, and then they were on their own. As they marched onto the field, fearful last minute thoughts rushed through each members' head. "Will I fall? Will the drum line stay with the drum majors? Will our band be able to hold it together and look good at the same time?"
After the performance, and successfully not falling apart and having minimal phasing issues, the band was critiqued by a peppy white-haired man who couldn't get the DVD player to work. The band was ecstatic when they saw their performance and realized that they had actually done quite well. The drum majors were thrilled too--their salute looked awesome. The band director praised them, and told them to perform that well in the evening.
Later, after a long bus ride, a chilly rehearsal, and an unhealthy meal at McDonald's, the band was ready and knew, with false hope, that they would be the best at Mount Pleasant's competition. They lined up to take the field, and this time they weren't worried. They knew they had done an excellent job that morning, and that this performance would be the same if not better. Little did they know, they had a lot to worry about.
The first initial "hit" in the show was powerful, but it only went downhill from there. People couldn't march as well due to wet turf, and the drum line-drum major connection wasn't as solid as it was before. This show suddenly needed a lot of work and a lot of practice.
It was obvious that the band wasn't as good as they thought they were when they got their butt's kicked by the school across town. Disappointment was in everyone's eyes as they clapped their hands and pretended to be happy with where the placed. Tears were one blink away from the drum majors' eyes as they accepted their Third Place trophy.
This is the point when you feel out of control. You can't make the band march better or play better, it just has to happen. If eleven hours of practice a week isn't enough, then the entire band's doomed. Every person has to try that much harder to make it work. One person can't do all the work, can't fix everything, and it drives that person crazy. In this case, that person would be me.
I've had the song "Fix You" by Coldplay stuck in my head for nearly twenty four hours now. It reminds me of everything that could have been but wasn't. It reminds me that I've lost all control of the band and that I'm now dependent on them to better themselves. It reminds me that no matter how hard you try, you can't win if not everyone is completely dedicated.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Wolfgang is Quite the Genius...
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a well-known name in the classical music world, is easily one of the top composers to ever have lived. In modern music, light is particularly shed on his Requiem Mass in D Minor, composed in 1791. I'm here to discuss one movement from this requiem: the Lacrimosa.
Okay, so I promise not to bore you with all the musical details of this piece, I'll just give you the general information for now. The word "Lacrimosa" (can be spelled Lacrymosa) is Latin for "with tears of" or "having wept". Mozart's requiem is an arrangement of music having to do with death. In order for you to understand the true eeriness and powerfulness of this song, I'm going to post a video of it.
Hopefully you enjoyed that morbid piece of classical music. What I find most interesting about this piece is that it's about death, and ironically this was the last piece that Mozart ever wrote before he died. Perhaps he saw it coming?
A modified version of this piece was sung by "Evanescence" from the album The Open Door. I find this version even more haunting than the original because it's blended with a new melody that adds a modern twist to the madness. Here's a video of that version:
Alas, we've gotten to the part where I become acquainted with this song. It all began in January 2011, at Virterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I was at a show choir competition and I took my seat to watch Linn Mar's varsity show choir, "10th Street Edition". They opened their show with this piece, and I was completely mesmerized by it. Here's a video of that performance:
Fortunately, our band director was also at this show choir competition, and she too saw this song performed so well. She was so fascinated by it that she decided to have it arranged this year for our marching band to perform.
Okay, so I know what you're thinking, this is crazy. This song went from classical to hard rock to show choir and now to MARCHING BAND? What?!
The only way to describe it is that there's nothing better than standing up on my podium, listening to the band play this piece, and thinking to myself, "Laaaaaaacrymooooosaaa" as the music corresponds. When I listen to it, I think back to January at the show choir competition, where I first heard it sung by outstanding performers. Sometimes I even wish that I, too, could play this music, instead of just conducting it. The song has such a cold, mysterious feel that's very fitting to chilly marching band nights. It always leaves me walking off the field feeling as if I've done my duty by exposing the rest of the world (or the audience, at least) to this timeless epic.
The Lacrimosa has survived for more than two centuries now, and there's no doubt that it will survive for many more. The fact that it's still being performed and modified today allows us to conlude that Mozart was a pure genius. What could be more legitimate?
Okay, so I promise not to bore you with all the musical details of this piece, I'll just give you the general information for now. The word "Lacrimosa" (can be spelled Lacrymosa) is Latin for "with tears of" or "having wept". Mozart's requiem is an arrangement of music having to do with death. In order for you to understand the true eeriness and powerfulness of this song, I'm going to post a video of it.
Hopefully you enjoyed that morbid piece of classical music. What I find most interesting about this piece is that it's about death, and ironically this was the last piece that Mozart ever wrote before he died. Perhaps he saw it coming?
A modified version of this piece was sung by "Evanescence" from the album The Open Door. I find this version even more haunting than the original because it's blended with a new melody that adds a modern twist to the madness. Here's a video of that version:
Alas, we've gotten to the part where I become acquainted with this song. It all began in January 2011, at Virterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I was at a show choir competition and I took my seat to watch Linn Mar's varsity show choir, "10th Street Edition". They opened their show with this piece, and I was completely mesmerized by it. Here's a video of that performance:
Fortunately, our band director was also at this show choir competition, and she too saw this song performed so well. She was so fascinated by it that she decided to have it arranged this year for our marching band to perform.
Okay, so I know what you're thinking, this is crazy. This song went from classical to hard rock to show choir and now to MARCHING BAND? What?!
The only way to describe it is that there's nothing better than standing up on my podium, listening to the band play this piece, and thinking to myself, "Laaaaaaacrymooooosaaa" as the music corresponds. When I listen to it, I think back to January at the show choir competition, where I first heard it sung by outstanding performers. Sometimes I even wish that I, too, could play this music, instead of just conducting it. The song has such a cold, mysterious feel that's very fitting to chilly marching band nights. It always leaves me walking off the field feeling as if I've done my duty by exposing the rest of the world (or the audience, at least) to this timeless epic.
The Lacrimosa has survived for more than two centuries now, and there's no doubt that it will survive for many more. The fact that it's still being performed and modified today allows us to conlude that Mozart was a pure genius. What could be more legitimate?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Why is it so Hard to Keep a Beat?
You know when you're walking down the hallway, not in a hurry, just at a steady pace? And then you think to yourself, "left, right, left, right, left, right..."? Okay, so maybe you don't know. But for most of us band geeks, this is a common occurrence. We count as we walk, we pick up rhythms of speakers, and we add tempos to random acts. We have internal tempos that are just dying to be a part of our everyday life, and once we get out on the field we are able to perform them without people looking at us like we're totally insane. That being said, why on earth is it so hard for a marching band to keep a steady tempo?
Last Friday night, the Cougar Marching Band took the field to perform the half time show at the Cougars vs. Warriors football game. The crowd was wild, the lights were on full blast, and that autumn chill was in the air. As they announced the name of the marching band's fall show, every member experienced a jolt of electricity that burned them to the core. The adrenaline levels were as high as they'd ever been. The drum majors climbed onto their podiums. Silence fell over the crowd. This was the real deal, the run-through of the show that actually mattered, the one that would make the band the laughing stock of the city if it wasn't up to par.
The practice run-through earlier that evening had went well, which was why everyone was shocked when the band completely fell apart. It happened like this: the winds slowed down, the drum line sped up, and the drum majors kept a steady tempo from the beginning. So at that point there were three different tempos going, but the real question was who to follow. Does the band use their ears and follow the drum line, or use their eyes and follow the drum majors? Who should adjust to whom? Eventually drum line is destined to take the lead, get the band back in step, win a great recovery, and finish strong. But my question is, why exactly does this happen in the first place?
Internalizing a tempo isn't a challenging thing to do. Most people could do it in their sleep. Sure, it takes focus and discipline for everyone to follow the same tempo, but it's really not hard to follow a beat pattern. Perhaps people are just lazy, and are only in marching band because their parents made them, or because they don't want to take gym. Maybe people just have a strong lack of focus, and their mind is wandering while the show is going on. Whatever the case, it gets rather annoying to those who are trying to keep the tempo and who want the marching band to perform well. Because of that performance, the opposing school's band now thinks that we can't march in time. Our student body has lost respect for us. Our marching band director has added extra rehearsal time. And why, you ask?
Because it's just so darn hard to keep a beat.
Last Friday night, the Cougar Marching Band took the field to perform the half time show at the Cougars vs. Warriors football game. The crowd was wild, the lights were on full blast, and that autumn chill was in the air. As they announced the name of the marching band's fall show, every member experienced a jolt of electricity that burned them to the core. The adrenaline levels were as high as they'd ever been. The drum majors climbed onto their podiums. Silence fell over the crowd. This was the real deal, the run-through of the show that actually mattered, the one that would make the band the laughing stock of the city if it wasn't up to par.
The practice run-through earlier that evening had went well, which was why everyone was shocked when the band completely fell apart. It happened like this: the winds slowed down, the drum line sped up, and the drum majors kept a steady tempo from the beginning. So at that point there were three different tempos going, but the real question was who to follow. Does the band use their ears and follow the drum line, or use their eyes and follow the drum majors? Who should adjust to whom? Eventually drum line is destined to take the lead, get the band back in step, win a great recovery, and finish strong. But my question is, why exactly does this happen in the first place?
Internalizing a tempo isn't a challenging thing to do. Most people could do it in their sleep. Sure, it takes focus and discipline for everyone to follow the same tempo, but it's really not hard to follow a beat pattern. Perhaps people are just lazy, and are only in marching band because their parents made them, or because they don't want to take gym. Maybe people just have a strong lack of focus, and their mind is wandering while the show is going on. Whatever the case, it gets rather annoying to those who are trying to keep the tempo and who want the marching band to perform well. Because of that performance, the opposing school's band now thinks that we can't march in time. Our student body has lost respect for us. Our marching band director has added extra rehearsal time. And why, you ask?
Because it's just so darn hard to keep a beat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)