My blog posts. I hope to write a post every week. Generally you can find a new post on Sundays.
-
Reinventing myself
I’ve been thinking a lot about reinventing myself. I’ve been running on a straight line since the late 70’s. But, the question for me is… what’s next? Dreams I spent the better part of three decades being driven by a dream. I wasn’t going to work in the morning, I was on a quest. That…
-
Marching arts in decline?
Are the marching arts in decline? On April 2nd, DCI’s Cadets announced that they have filed for bankruptcy. 90 years of excellence could not save them from financial insolvency. The Cadets fall was hastened by the actions of their long time director, George Hopkins. There are stories online that you can read to get a…
-
Meditating through Holy Week
Today is Easter Sunday and this year I enjoyed meditating throughout “Holy Week” using the Lectio 365 app. I’m from a family of protestants and I wouldn’t know what to do in a Catholic church. For this reason, I haven’t been raised thinking about “Holy Week”. Meditating with Lectio 365 I’ve developed a habit of…
-
1985 Inaugural Band
I had the honor of participating in the 1985 Inaugural Band. The band consisted of students from around the country and was assembled for Ronald Reagan‘s 1985 inaugural celebration. Winter of 1984 I was in my second year of college at James Madison University (JMU). Marching band was one of my great loves. So, when…
-
Teaching Sight reading
Teaching sight reading is an invaluable skill for band directors that can be learned. What follows is a systematic approach to improve your ensemble. Tone production If your tone production is poor then your sight reading ability will be irrelevant. Work on long tones and lip slurs every day. Matt Harloff‘s Inside the Circle warm…