Young At Heart Music Choir

                     The Young at Heart Choir is pretty much what it sounds like, it’s a choir. But there is something very unique about this group. Every person in this group is over the age of 70. They are independent and share a passion for music. After watching the documentary “Young at Heat, You’re never too old to rock” I was inspired to write about them.

                     Throughout the film the group faces a lot of difficulties. Such as the death of two members in the group. Even with everything they face, they are still working hard to out on the best show they can in loving memory of the two lost group members.

                     Many people in the Young at Heart Choir have been in this group for quite a long time, for example Eileen Hall was in the choir for over 20 years, until she passed away at the age of 93.

                     Everyone in this choir is so inspirational. They don’t allow their age or their health get in the way of doing what they love to do, sing. Just like Fred Knitle, who originally left the group due to a decline in his health but he still came back to sing for one more concert.

Band kids

With as much time band kids have to spend together, you would think we would get sick of each other and with some people that is the case, but most of the time spending all this time with everyone it just makes us all that much closer.

During marching band we are always together, we have marching band every day during 1^st hour plus every Monday night from 6-9 pm, then competitions on Saturdays and the bus rides there and back, and even rehearsal before leaving school or when we get back. Plus don’t forget football games.

During concert band season we are still always together, every day we still have band and after school rehearsals for Jazz Band, plus there is Combo in the evenings. There is always something going on. Especially once basketball season kicks up, then we have pep band for all the home games.

Sometimes we all get tired of some people but we just have to bite our tongue and deal with each other because we are always together, there’s no getting rid of us. There are rarely ever any problems between people in band because we all know much time we have to spend together and how awkward the tension gets, and we are all there for the same reason. We just want to play our instruments and become better players.

Transitioning from middle to high school

The transition from middle school to high school, from 8^th to 9^th grade, is rough for everyone, switching schools, more people, harder classes, not knowing people, getting separated from longtime friends, everyone knows how this goes. For band kids it’s a little different.

Yeah we are still all starting at a new school with new people and not knowing many people or where our classes are. But band kids start the second week of August with band camp so if you don’t know anyone at that point you will meet new people which helps at the start of the school year.

If you meet upper class men and stick with them they will help you so much, from helping with homework, to showing you where your class is if you forget where it is and get lost. Many times if band kids see another band kid lost and not able to find a class we help them try to find it because that’s what “family” does.

Even band is a lot different, it’s a lot stricter than middle school and you get a lot more work done in a less amount of time. There's really nothing to worry about, as long as you know how to play your instrument and you are willing to get better and put work in you will be perfectly fine.

Balancing time

Sometimes it is pretty difficult to balance band and all of the other activities that people and students are involved in and out of school. But most of the time it’s pretty easy if you don’t over book your schedule and you know how to manage your time.

People in band are in a lot of activities, from show choir to Spanish club. Most of the time clubs are during SMART lunch which helps with time management but sometimes we have band rehearsal during lunch if we need extra practice. But many times we just use class time to get work done.

Many times kids are in AP classes which means a lot more homework, which means even more of a struggle to balance time, many times AP classes give out homework every night plus nightly readings for some classes if you have to read a textbook.

Time Management is a great skill to learn if you haven’t already, especially if you have a lot of classes and extra-curricular activities.

Fun Times in the band room

Sometimes the things that happen in the band room at times are questionable. When band kids get together it’s interesting. Since most people in band have no life outside of band we are all crazy when we are together. We are all like a huge family of 140 something of us.

Many times whether it be during marching band camp or just during SMART lunch, you can find many band kids in the band room or in the band locker room. Some people play stupid little card games, others work on homework or practice music.

No matter what the case there is almost always something going on in the band room, even during class. Since there is so many of us there is usually at least two if not more of us that have release the same hour so we all go to the band hallway or the locker room and mess around.

Although the band might seem very strict and uptight, we aren’t, many times during rehearsal people are cracking jokes or nicely making fun of other sections. There is always something to do in the band room.

Different instruments

There are so many different instruments out there, sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect one for you or maybe it was easy but finding a new one to try is hard. Just pick one and try, sometimes you might hate it and never want to play that instrument again but sometimes you might love it and want to play that one full time.

There are many kinds to try for example there are orchestra instruments and then there are the band instruments, which include wood winds, brass and percussion. If you don’t have rhythm I would suggest not percussion, maybe a wood wind instrument?

To name a few winds there are a lot with reeds such as: Clarient, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax and Bari Sax, then there are double reeds like the Oboe and the only wood wind without a reed, the Flute. Then there are a lot of brass such as: Tuba, Baritone/ Euphonium, Trombone, and French Horn.

There are a lot of other band instruments but those are the “basics” so if you already play a wood wind instrument maybe try to learn a brass and vise vera. You are bound to find at least one that you like.

Cedar Rapids Municipal Band

The Cedar Rapids Municipal Band is full of a lot of very good and experienced musicians. Some of the people who are in the band give out private lessons while others are just long time musicians who are very good.

They have many concerts during the summer from June to August at various parks around Cedar Rapids. For information on their schedule check out their website http://www.crmuniband.org/

June of 1951 was the first concert played by the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band and since then they have been playing concerts all the time. It is such a great experience to go and see them play especially if you are an inspiring musician.

Jazz Band

There is three different jazz bands at Kennedy. Normally there are only two but this year is special. For the past two years there have not been very many people in jazz two but this year we had 40 people who wanted to be in jazz two so we had to split the group into two separate bands.

This year we have Jazz 1 which is the top jazz band and then we have Jazz 2 and Jazz 2.5 which are the “beginner” jazz bands.

Even though we are separate bands we still all do stuff together, for example Jazz 1 and Jazz 2/2.5 go to some of the same Jazz Band Competitions. Although Jazz 1 go to some competitions that Jazz 2 doesn’t because they are the “better” band and are stronger as a band.

In Jazz 2 you can play almost any instrument, while in Jazz one you can only play the “normal” jazz instruments. Jazz 2 allows flutes and clarinets if they want to join.

Jazz band is always a lot of fun, although it takes up a lot of time, it is so much worth your time. And it doesn’t take all that much effort. As long as you know your music you should be good.

Winter preforming arts concert

The Winter Preforming Arts Concert is on Tuesday December 15^th, 2015. For everyone who is preforming in the concert it is a lot of work. There is so much rehearsal time put into each song played for each group, and many people are in more than one group. This year the concert is split up into two “acts”.

For each group that preforms, there is a difference in the music picked and the sound of the group. For example the difference between Jazz 1 and Jazz 2/2.5. This year jazz 2 was too big to just have one so we had to split jazz 2 into two separate bands so we now have three different jazz bands preforming at the concert on the 15^th. Jazz 1, Jazz 2, and Jazz 2.5; although Jazz 2 and Jazz 2.5 are basically the same thing we have been working on different music.

Then there are also the different choirs which I know nothing about, since I’m not a choir kid. My expertise is in the band room and with instruments, not singing.

There is also the different bands that play, there is concert band, symphonic band, and of course, Wind Symphony. The different bands work on different music since everyone is on different levels in their playing. There is also one where Wind Symphony and Symphonic band play together, which is always fun.

There are even little groups that play, for example Santa’s Saxes “open” the concert and the flute choir plays during intermission between the two acts. There are even little chamber choirs that go as well.

This year’s Winter Preforming Arts Concert should be a blast and go over really well, as the first concert band season performance it should be a lot of fun.

Honor Bands

Every year there are many chances to make it into honor bands, although they are really hard to get into and take a lot of work, they are extremely worth it. Some of them are just a weekend thing and you stay in a hotel like UNI and ISU Honor Bands.

There are others that last two days, usually two weekends; you go in one day and have rehearsal all day and then the next weekend you usually go back for the concert, such as Coe College. High school honor bands are a lot different from honor bands in middle school.

In middle school when you make an honor band, it basically only takes up one day, you usually go to the school in the morning and practice all day and have lunch there in between practice times, and have the concert in the same day later at night. There are many different middle school honor bands although many people don’t make it into them.

There is different ways to get into middle school and high school honor band. For example when you are in middle school, in order to get into an honor band your director has to tell them that you would be good for it. While in high school you have to fill out an application on your own and give it to your band director and they turn it in for you.

Honor bands are a lot of fun and are really worth it, you learn a lot, become a better player, and you even meet a lot of people from a lot of different places. So if you are in band and haven’t been in honor bands, it’s worth trying it.

Band Party

Every year the band program has a party, it’s usually in the winter when not very much stuff is going on. It usually lasts a couple hours and we basically roam the whole school. From the band room to the gym.

Usually in the gym there is dodge ball, soccer ball, and basketball, on one side of the band room there is usually video game counsels, while on the other side there is mainly board games, such as chess and cards, sometimes there is even a movie playing. Then in the hallway on tables there is food galore. There is always chips and cookies and pop, sometimes even huge bags of candy. And with so many of us, a lot of it gets eaten.

Towards the end of the night we all gather in the band room to find teams for our game of school-wide hide- and- seek. That’s always fun but it’s really hard because there are so many of us and only one team to find everyone. There are boundaries to this though. You can’t go down by the gym and you can’t go past the band hall.

Many people hide in the hallways and doorways up and down stairs. Even under the back stair case. Since all the lights are off in the hallways it makes it even harder to find people. Sometimes the team of seekers end up using flashlights on their phone so people don’t jump out at them.

The band party is our way of celebrating the marching band season and a way of bonding for all of us, since many of us get separated from our friends during the split in the bands.

Private Lessons

Many high school musicians who are serious about music or have a real passion for it, and want to be the best player they can be have a private lesson teacher. Private lessons are very useful if you want to go somewhere with music. Most of the time they are pretty cheap and really easy to find if you know where to look.

There are high school musicians who give lessons, but there aren’t as many and they don’t have as much experience as older teachers. For example there is Robert Manson for trombone and Joanne Chadima for flute and hundreds of others that are around this area, you just have to find one that works for you.

Many lesson teachers are pretty laid back but they help you so much, I have been taking private lessons for 6 years now from Joanne Chadima and she has helped me so much, without her I wouldn’t be the player I am today. Every lesson teacher has a different way of teaching, a different schedule, and a different price.

Some teachers cost more than others, for example McKenna Woods is a high school musician who gives lessons and she charges $10 for a 20 minute lesson whenever convenient while Joanne charges $20 for a 30 minute lesson every week. It just depends on how they teach, but all in all private lessons are a great thing and will help you become a much better musician. 

Margaret Kegel

Margaret Kegel was a great person, anyone who knew her was greatly moved by her openness and her passion for music. Margaret was a flute player and she helped with most of us flutists at Kennedy. All of us who were helped and taught by her are better flute players because of her.

Margaret was fighting cancer and even while she fought she was still coming in to help all of us whether it be for private lessons or for All-State clinics. Even though she lost her battle with cancer, she lives in all of our hearts. She touched so many lives and inspired so many people to become better flute players.

Along with teaching the flute at Kennedy, she also helped at Jefferson and other places, and she even played in the Cedar Rapids Municipal Band. Margaret touched so many lives and she will forever be remembered as an amazing flute player, teacher, friend, and beloved family member.

Wanted by Hunter Hayes

The song Wanted by Hunter Hayes might just seem like another love song just like all the others that are out there but to me it has so much more meaning than just being another love song. To me it was a matter of life or death and somehow it helped me choose life.

As you know in my last post about the hospital and how music helped me, why I was in there and this song is a very close to my heart. Every time I hear that song I think of one person and I think that’s what love songs are supposed to do, they want to make you think about that one person you are with that you love dearly, or maybe even think about an old lover who you let get away.

If you think about it every song tells a story, and the song Wanted by Hunter Hayes is kinda like my story in a way, maybe it’s not the newest or upbeat song that’s out there but it’s my song and I think everyone should have one song that they can listen to and think of something or someone in their life that went right.

There is so many things to this song that can change the way you think about one person if you just sit and listen to the words, with me it just helped put feelings into words, which isn't as easy with everything, sometimes it's easy to put feelings into words or on paper but sometimes it's just impossible. It's hardest when you are really passionate about something or just really feel strongly towards something or someone and it just leaves you at a loss for words.

My time in the hospital

The week of November 29^th through December 4^th was spent in the hospital at 3E, for those who know what that is, I’m sorry it's a place I wish no one had to go to, and for those of you that don't know what it is be happy that you haven't had to go there. 

3E is the behavioral and mental health ward at St. Lukes for children and adolesents. People get put in there for many different reasons, such as drug addiction, behavior problems, or the reason I was in there depression and suicide attempts. While your in there it's really hard on everyone. Family, friends, school, even though you go to "school" while you are in there you still get really behind in your class work.

In my room, me and my room mate had a little radio that the nurses that were in there gave to us. We always had it on, music was the one thing that kept me from going completely insane being locked up in there all week. We were always singing or dancing around the room trying to keep ourselves occupied when we weren't in groups or in "school".  Cause there's not much you can do in that place.

While we were in groups or "school" many times there wasn't any music playing an having to talk with the people who were also there for sometimes the same reason made it even harder to concentrate. We all just wanted to get out of there and see our friends and family and as much as I hate to say it we all wanted to get back to school.

So I guess moral of this post is music is a great thing, for me it helped me get through a really rough time, and even now that I'm out of the hospital I almost always have music playing when I can. It is one of the biggest coping skills that I used in the hospital and that I use now that I'm out. So if you're ever feeling stressed put everything away and just listen to music and focus on the words and nothing else. Music can be a life saver.

Dot Books vs Drill Books

Dot books and drill books. Many people who are not in band have no idea what these are or what we mean when we talk about them. But any band kid who marches knows exactly what they are and why they are so important to us.

Drill books are in a binder, normally we have music, and drill in separate in page protectors with everything in order. With the drill we have to find our number and highlight it. We also have to find out last spot and mark it so we know the path that we have to take from point A to point B. Also don't forget to make marks on the yard lines and hashes to know where they are and can see them at all times.

Dot books are kind of similar to drill books but they are different in many ways. For example they are not big binders they are just little spiral notebooks basically. Even though they are little they are very helpful because it’s a lot easier than holding the binder.

The dot books need a couple different things than drill books, for example you have to cut out little sections of the drill around where your number is so that it fits on the sheet. You also have to highlight the yard lines and mark the path from point A to point B.

All in all the dot book it a lot more useful and a lot easier to use rather than a drill book, even though it takes more time to get done. There are also a lot of ways to get extra credit on them, like putting in music it and stuff.

Drum Corps

Just like I said in my last blog about the different types of bands, Drum Corps is a really hard thing to get into, but there are so many good things that come out of it.  It helps you become a better player and you meet so many new people. I have never personally been in drum corps but I have friends that are and they love it.

“Don’t forget about Drum Corps. This is a big deal, you have to audition and you are gone most of the summer to practice, these are the best of the best. They are marching bands with only brass, drumline, and color guard. They don’t take any winds, so if you are a wind player and want to be in drum corps you have to learn to play a brass instrument.”

Maybe you can’t be in it if you aren’t brass, but what’s stopping you from becoming a brass player? The answer is probably you. So why don’t you try stepping outside of your comfort zone once in a while and try learning a new instrument, who knows you might like playing that one better than your normal one.

Many high school musicians only know how to play one instrument because many people don’t care to learn a new one. And many band directors don’t push the idea of learning a new one unless they need a different instrument then they try to find someone they think would be good on that instrument they need and talk to them. But other than that they leave the idea alone.

If you want to learn an new instrument find a friend that plays that instrument and talk to them or even talk to a band director, anyone is willing to help, you just have to step up and be the one to ask because they don’t take hints and they won’t come to you.

Different bands

There are several different types of bands. There is the actual pop star bands, then there is marching band, concert band, jazz band, combo, honor bands, and then of course drum corps. Each of them have very different opportunities to go different directions with music. You just have to find what you like and what you want to do and go for it.

The first one is a pop star band. They are very hard to get into and not very many instruments, because many times the lead singer or another member of the group itself plays a guitar or something so that really limits the choices and the needs for many bands. And you have to be a perfect player and able to play without music flawlessly. Also don’t forget, no stage fright. You can’t be afraid to play in front of people cause there will always be eyes on you at a performance.

The next type of band is marching band. This is a group effort, and I know I talk about marching band a lot and that’s only because of how much it means to me. There is so much time and effort put into it but it really pays off. There no way to explain the feeling you get after marching off the field when you know you had a great performance.

Then there is concert band; concert band is not all it’s cracked up to be. Now I’m not saying it’s not fun. But everyday it’s the same thing. Go to the band room, get your instrument out, sit in your seat and play. Many times it’s the same piece for weeks at a time. So it can get kinda boring at some points, but it’s still band so its cool.

There is also jazz band. You get to choose if you want to be in jazz band or not. This year is my second year doing it and I love it. You are in a smaller band which gives you more opportunities to get solos, and who doesn’t love solos. You get the chance to show off your musically ability in front of many other musicians and families at concerts. For combo it is the show choir band, and in order to get into it you have to be in jazz band and willing to give up a lot of your time for it. You also have to audition with either Mrs. Fleer or Mr. Wacker.

Don’t forget about Drum Corps. This is a big deal, you have to audition and you are gone most of the summer to practice, these are the best of the best. They are marching bands with only brass, drumline, and color guard. They don’t take any winds, so if you are a wind player and want to be in drum corps you have to learn to play a brass instrument.

Music therapy

Music therapy has become a bigger thing in the last couple years. (http://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/) It is a type of therapy that uses music, such as creating their own music, singing, dancing to, and listening to music to help the patients in other ways than typically what you would think of a therapist. It is extremely helpful to “address: physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs for children.”

This type of therapy also helps to provide an outlet for communication for people who find it hard to express who they are in words. The result of music therapy is effective in so many ways; it can help with “overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing the motivation in people to become engaged in their own treatment, provides emotional support for patients and families during this therapy, and also provides an outlet for the patients to express their feelings” instead of keeping them all inside.

Music therapy also helps with children with autism. Many children with autism have speech problems or just problems talking in general if they can talk at all, so music is very good for them. Since many people and children with autism cannot speak as well as others it is a very difficult task for them to express their feelings and emotions. “Music became the shorthand of William’s emotions. It gave him the opportunities for speech, emotional contact and mental focus” said by Leo Tolstoy, about Williams experience with music therapy.

So many people who have had music therapy either in the past or even now, have gotten so much help or are slowly working on getting help. Music therapy has become such a great branch of therapy. It targets certain people who it will help and it is more focused on that one patient it isn’t as generalized as most types of therapy, whether it be physical therapy or a therapist you just talk to.

Thank You

Music therapy teaches

 Social skills.

 It's about communication.

 It's about what William's taught,

 In nurturing situations.

 He's learned patience

 And tolerance,

 Growing in many ways.

 His social skills developed,

 Made him what he is today.

 So, thank you for your guidance,

 As only music can touch.

 Thank you for reaching our William,

 Because it means so much.

Parent testimonial, written by Tamera Norris

This was a letter written by William’s mother, who was talked about above, and how much music therapy has helped him and his family.

(http://www.musictherapy.org/about/personal_stories/)

Today's music

Music today has changed a lot in recent years. For example the audience for music has changed dramatically and also don’t forget how much the topic of the songs have changed. There are so many songs in today’s society have become more and more about sex and drugs and partying. They don’t care about who hears it. For example they play these songs on the radio without caring who hears or listens to that radio station.

Music today has become a lot more sexist. (http://cupoequality.blogspot.com/2015/11/obsessive-themes-in-jealous-nick-jonas.html) This blog post by Rachel Maly about the song Jealous by Nick Jonas is a great example of this. Today when people write songs it isn’t to express feelings as much anymore it’s just to get their song on the top charts to get more people to listen to it to get more money.

If some singers and song writers actually thought about who and why they are writing the song or singing it songs today might be a little different. If there is no reason or story behind the song then there is no reason to really sing it, is there? It just becomes a waste of time.

Maybe if they took time to think about what they are writing or even just what the words mean today's songs would be more appropriate and okay for little children who listen to the radio with their parents. Even little children who can’t yet understand what the words or songs mean still isn’t a good idea to have them hear it. 

Writing music

Writing music is a lot more difficult than people think. People think, “oh you just have to write down a couple notes on a staff” but there is so much more to it than that. You have to have a time and key signature, also there is a bunch of sharps and flats plus there are also accidentals that make the music more interesting.

Dynamics are a very important part of music, it adds character to it and can make it more dramatic if written and played correctly. Dynamics are almost as important as writing is the melody and rhythm, without rhythm notes are just random and make no sense which completely ruins the sole purpose of writing music. If you just have notes scattered on the page that makes no sense at all it takes away the appeal of the music. As a fellow musician, and instrumentalist of 6 years when you see music already right away in your head you can see and hear what the music will sound like.

“SILENCE MEANS JUST AS MUCH AS THE NOTES THEMSELVES” rests in music might seem extremely pointless but they actually create just as much impact as playing notes. Also musicians need time to rest their mouths. Some need it more than others, for example trumpets need rest more than a flute or saxophone. Without rest in music and all the instruments playing at the same time the whole song can make the music sound messy and hard to hear the separate parts and instruments, because of the different pitches and tones of all the instruments. For example the tension between lows and highs.

Another important thing in writing or composing music is you have to know who to give the different parts, like melody, harmony, counter melody etc. to. In many pieces it more often goes to the highs instead of the lows. For example giving it to the flutes, clarinets, or trumpets instead of giving it to the tuba or euphoniums. There are some cases where lows get the melody but it doesn't happen all that often like highs do.

What about how do you know where to put an accidental? Well you don't, there is no specific spot to put it. Reason why it’s called an accidental. Any musician will know how much of a pain in the rear end accidentals are. Plus they carry through a measure so you can't forget about them as quickly you want to. Accidentals go completely against the key signature. For example putting a B natural in when Bb is in the key. That is why you really have to pay attention with music so you don't miss them. They are put in the for a reason, whether it be trying to make the music sound better or creating dissonance between parts. Or even just to create suspense.

There are so many moving parts in music that no one takes the time to pay attention to. So next time you sit down and listen to music, listen to the separate parts. And listen how they work together to create the sound they make. The words of a song doesn't matter, it’s the music and rhythm that make it work.

Love Songs in the 21st century

Love songs are constantly changing some of them are slow and meaningful, such as “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston or “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. Then there are songs like “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes that are about love in a different sort of way. What about the songs about love at first sight as well? And with every song about love there is also those songs about heartbreak that you can’t forget about.

There are just as many, if not more, songs about heartbreak; as there are about loving someone in the moment and not in the past. Songs such as “Stitches” by Sean Mendes, or “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss almost any song by Taylor Swift. Some songs such “We are Never Getting Back Together”, “Mean”, “Back to December”, etc. There is too many songs about heart break or a bad break up written by her to name. But she also has songs that just about love in general.

Songs such as “Our Song” or “Love Story” or even “Mine”. I have absolutely nothing against Taylor Swift, I admire her for what she does, she sings about things most people wouldn’t even think about singing about, or just things that people don’t want to realize is going on.

There are even country songs about love, but in a different way. They aren’t all about the lovey dovey part of love, they sing about the down to earth part of it, where they can connect to people on a heart to heart level. There are even songs about break ups in country music as well. But not as many as other types of music.

So no matter what kind of music you like to listen to, next time you turn on the radio don’t just listen to the words, actually think about what the words are trying to say. Sometimes what they are trying to say in the world is more important than the words or rhythm themselves.

The split in bands

As concert band season is getting ready to begin, we have to make a couple changes, such as we have to make more than one group, because we can’t have all 140 something of us in one band. So we go into three smaller groups. We have Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band and Concert Band. Most people who really care about band and want to be a good player strive to be in one of the top two bands, but there are some people who really don’t care about what band they are in and purposely fail their chair audition just to be in concert band.

The people in Wind Symphony work their butts off every day to make sure their music is perfect with little if any mistakes, the people in the next band down, is Symphonic band, and again in that band they work hard too, but not as hard at Wind Symphony, then there is Concert band. Most of them don’t care, some of them are there just for the easy A. So many of them don’t even try to play right. Some days they don’t play at all.

As much as it sucks to get split up from all your friends, the split is good. It puts people who have the same determination together to help the band as a whole. Like in Marching band there is some people who don’t care and don’t try and that hurts the band as a whole but there isn’t much anyone can do about it. So in concert band season the split puts those people who don’t care and don’t want to try together and it also puts those who work their butt off and those who want to be there to play and who don’t care about the grade together to create an even stronger band.

Even though it is based on music ability people think it’s more about someone being better than another person, and that’s not always the case. Although many times people in Wind Symphony act like they are better, they really aren’t. They are just better at playing their instrument and have more experience with playing in band. Because a majority of the time it is upper class men, not many freshmen and sophomores make it in. 

Wind Symphony

Wind Symphony is the top band at Kennedy and it is very hard to get into. You have to physically audition for it. But there are a few different ways you can do your audition, you can do it in person with either Mrs. Fleer or Mr. Wacker, depending on what instrument you play, for example if you are a wood wind player or are in percussion you would do your audition with Mrs. Fleer, and if you are a brass player you would do your audition with Mr. Wacker. You can also do it on a recorder that one of the directors give you, or you can do it the way everyone prefers to, on Charms, which you can do at home as many times as you want.

The auditions are usually difficult, there are several scales you have to play, for example this year we had to play (all in concert key) the flat scales of: Bb, Eb, and Ab; the sharp scales of: G and D; and of course our C scale and Chromatic, and all of them have to be done with as many octaves as your instrument allows. So for flutes all of them have two octaves except the C and chromatic which have three.

The next part of the audition is the etude, every year it comes from a part of one of the All- State etudes. This year it happened to be the fast etude, which was very difficult. An example of the flute one is at the bottom, it went from the beginning to the first note in the fourth line.

A couple things that made this piece every difficult was that it is very fast plus it has a lot of sharps, and it also has double sharps, which makes it even more confusing. It also jumps octaves while slurring which is a very hard thing to do.

Even though the audition music is hard, being in Wind Symphony, or even just trying out to be in Wind Symphony pays off. And it shows Mrs. Fleer and Mr. Wacker that you really care about being in band and about becoming a better player.

Concert band

As marching band starts to come to an end, concert band is just beginning. Band kids don’t have an “off season” we always have something going on. Such as last year during concert band season our wind symphony made IBA which is Iowa Band Masters Association. Which is such a great honor. They had to put in a lot of work and practice time to prepare for the performance.

Also the symphonic band has to prepare for Large Group contest, it isn’t very strict but our music has to be correct. We just go, play our music, and get a score and then leave. It is very laid back and easy. Nothing to stress over, Right?

Most of the things that happen during our year we are very well prepared for. Mrs. Fleer and Mr. Wacker make sure everyone is prepared for everything that is happening. Because they want us to be the best players we can be. They push us to do well and excel in music.

There are some people who are just in band for the grade, because it’s a easy A if you just show up. But there are many people who are there because they want to be and because music is very important to them.

Different judges

For marching band there are different kind of judges. You have the ones on the field and you also have the ones who are in the press box. The ones on the field do a couple different things. And the ones who are in the press box do sort of the same things but they judge in a different way.

For example the ones who are on the field watch step style, they make sure every person who is on the field is playing when they are supposed to be, and they especially watch to make sure every one is in step. Which means every one is taking a step with the same foot at the same time. They also listen for right notes and watch the form.

The judges who are in the press box do similar things, they watch how the music fits the drill, how the music sounds, and watches the form to see if everyone knows where they are supposed to be at what time and playing the right notes. Also upper body is a huge one.

Anyone can tell when some bodys upper body posture is off. Since our uniforms are half white and half black it makes it very easy to tell. You just have to look at the colors. But with other schools like Washington or Jefferson it is a little harder to tell since their uniforms are all blue.

Judges have to judge by what they see and hear. They don’t have drill or music so they have to go by opinions so not every judge thinks the same thing.

The press box

The press box is a key point for marching bands all around the country and everywhere for that matter. There are some judges who sit in the press box, there are also some on the field. Since the ones who go around on the field watching us are so close to us, it is usually pretty hard, and rare for them to miss stuff that we mess up on, but in the press box it is a little easier since they are so far away.

 

Now I’m not saying they really judge, I’m saying that the judges in there need to hear you play!! In many of the John F. Kennedys marching band show every year, at least one time every year we have a visual where we either face the press box or lean back so we are playing right to it.

The judges in the press box or no lesser or better than the judges on the field. It just is a matter of where the hosting school places them, or wants them to be. One weekend, at one competition a judge could be on the field, as a marching style and technic judge and the next weekend at a completely different competition the exact same judge could be in the press box as a music general effect judge, or vice versa.

 

Facing the press box gives more of a musical impact to the music general effect judge who is sitting in the press box. Facing the press box during a big hit in a song, gives it an even bigger sound and makes it sound bigger than when we are just playing and facing the side line, like usual, because the sound goes up higher and spreads more.

So all in all, almost every good marching band director uses this in their bands favor. Some bigger bands might not need it as much because they have more people, and sometimes have more people playing so they might already have a lot of sound. But you got to remember, not every one on that field is playing all the time during the whole show.

I feel like smaller marching bands would use this a lot to their advantage, since they are already down on the amount of people and players on the field they might have the marcher face towards the press box more often to make their sound, sound bigger. Which sound is a big part of the score of a marching band.

Results

Valley being our biggest competition, is the most important placement. This year we placed 4^th!! We were placed over several very good bands. Such as Washington High school and Dowling. Even though I love band and we did a really great job and we had a really great marching band season compared to past years. I’m still not sure how we did that well and placed that high. It was a shocker when I found out.

 

Personally I had to leave as soon as we were done preforming so I was not able to watch any other bands to see how well they did, or to see bands from out of state that I’ve never even heard of before. Also I missed the awards and the bus ride home, band kids usually aren’t very crazy after we do that well. But since it was Valley, I can only imagine how insane everybody was on the bus.

 

We also had state in the same day; it is a performance but it is way more laid back compared to Valley. Such as we don’t actually get placed we just get a division. For example you either get a I II or III. For band kids or parents you know what those mean and how they divvy up but for those who don’t. Division 1 is the best you can get. Division 2 is like an okay rating; it is not good or band. And division 3 is the worst you can get. It isn’t saying that your band sucks but it says that you need more practice or just had a bad day of marching.

 

The score you get at State doesn’t matter all that much, yes it is another competition, but it isn’t like a super huge one like Pella or Valley. Such as state is at Kingston every year, and it can’t hold all that many people, whereas Valley is in West Des Moines and it is huge. It can hold like at least twice as many people as Kingston can.

State and Valley

For marching band kids, when competition time rolls around there is usually a lot of complaining, but there is also a LOT of excitement. Such as this weekend, on October 10^th, we have a long day. In the morning we will be at school bright and early for practice. Then we will get on buses and head to Kingston, for yet another competition that is held there.
 

This one just happens to be the “State Marching Band Comp.” which who doesn’t love state? Band kids that is the answer. Yes, it is another competition that we will have, but it is almost like a practice performance for Valley. What is Valley you ask? Well that simple.
 

Valley is our biggest comp. It is about a two hour bus ride and we compete against some really good bands. Such as Valley and Dowling. Both those bands have a long reputation of being the best. So it’s a battle for us; the last two years at Valley we have not placed all that well, so this year we have to prove ourselves.

This year is our year! Hopefully… So far this year we have done well at our competitions, we have placed 2^nd in a couple of them, and what isn’t better than that?! After those two everyone was really excited, and most people in the Cougar Marching Band are going to walk into this weekend thinking we have it in the bag, but do we really?
 

I hate to say it, but we don’t. We do not have it “in the bag”. If we want a good spot at Valley we have to work our tails off and most people don’t want to put in the work to get better. It is a team effort and there is some people in “this team” who don’t want to put in the work like everyone else is, and that can make or break us at Valley.

At the start of competition season, judges are a little more lenient when it comes to scores, because most bands are just learning their show, or music, or still haven’t had much time to clean the drill. But as the season wears on, the judges become more and more strict.
 

The judges at Valley are just down right mean. They know exactly what they are looking for and if they see something wrong, you get docked big time for it. Such as the judges this year are from the Cavaliers. Which is a great drum corps group. So they know exactly what to look for and what it should look like.

This year will be tough at Valley but it always pays off. Such as Mrs. Fleer is always yelling at us during the year. But after Valley when we get off the field we all circle up and she gives us the most perfect speech. It is very heart warming and many people end up in tears. Mostly the seniors since it is their last performance and last competition.

The Radio

When you get into the car what is the first thing you do? Put the key in, seatbelt on, and turn on the radio? I know personally that is how it goes for me and many people that I know or are in my family. For many turning on the radio when they get in the car is just like putting the key in the ignition and starting it.

The great thing about the radio, is that there is so many different stations. There is stations such as 96.5 or 98.1 for people who prefer to listen to country music; then there are stations such as 102.9 or 92.3 for people who like pop music. There is also the oldies and the Christian stations, so everyone can find at least one station that they like.

There is also down fall with the radio. Now a days there are so many commercials. When you turn on a station, most of the time no more than 3 songs come on before there is another commercial or a talk show. That is a reason some people prefer to listen to a CD versus the radio.

I feel that most people, when driving by themselves, with no one else in the car just turn on the radio just for the noise, sometimes people don’t even listen to it. It is more for the background noise, more than for the actual song, or the lyrics, or what is being said.

There are also some people that turn on the radio and turn it up so loud for absolutely no reason at all. Some people do it to irritate the drivers around them, or even to block out the noise or the other people in the car with them. In some circumstance I think it is okay to have music playing loudly, as long as you can still concentrate and focus on the road, and still able to hear sirens if something happens.

There is a down fall to listening to the music too loud though. Such as, from personal experiences, people who have their music really loud while driving are more likely to speed or are more likely to drive recklessly and take their eyes off the road a lot to either mess around with the radio, or to change the station, or the volume level, or even change the CD that is in. 

8th Grade preformance

Every year, usually on a Wednesday, towards the end of marching band season; the Cougar Marching band goes to Kingston Stadium to play for the 8^th graders who are in band from middle schools in Cedar Rapids. Jefferson and Washington are also there too. Most years, we perform in alphabetical order, which means, Jefferson goes first then Kennedy, then Washington.

We all sit on the track as the other schools perform and watch quietly. We all are supposed to support each other even though that doesn’t always happen. We aren’t there for us we are there to get as many 8^th graders next year to march. After we all march we all go into the stands in our separate schools, and sections, to get all the young ones to come to our sections. (Such as flute players go with the flutes, and trumpet players go with the trumpets, etc.)

Once we all get situated, we have pizza and talk to the 8^th graders about band. Sometimes you can tell right away who is going to do it, because they are really excited, and other times the young ones are on the edge on if they want to do it or not. No matter how many times we tell them it is worth all the time put in, some of them won’t do it.

You are probably wondering why I’m blogging about this, well the answer is simple there is no way in the world to convince every single 8^th grader to do marching band, or even stay in band at all. But once the next year rolls around and you see one of the ones that you talked to during the 8^th grader performance it is rewarding. You know, that you helped convince someone to stay in band and to march. And it’s a great feeling.

Sometimes the 8^th graders who want to do it, try to convince their friends or people they know to do it so that they aren’t alone, or at least know someone in band, the next year. Which that helps the band as whole because it puts us higher in numbers. Every year our goal is to get more and more people in band.

New Music

Now a days there is so many kinds of new music. There is the “new” country, the “old” country, pop, rap, rock and roll, etc. I think with the times changing it fits but some of the music is getting ridiculous. For the new generation, they are going to grow up on music full of people singing about drugs, and so many other bad things that little kids should not be hearing. Which could only influence at a younger age them just as they do to teenagers now.

Based on (http://chattanoogaentertainers.com/country-vs-country-bob-payne/) country music is constantly changing to bring in new fans. In order to keep people listening and to get more people to listen musicians, artists, and song writers have to continuously change their style, their way of writing and singing, the way they preform, and the words they use in their songs. There also creates a problem for song writers because they have to fit to the new style of music and to the musician they are writing the music for.

There are also a lot of changes in the music industry itself. Such as a lot of people are in it for the money now instead of just doing it because it’s something they want to do, or they enjoy doing. Also the way artists and musicians are recording have changed. Some instead of going to actual studios for a recording, they just do it on a computer at home or in a studio better than the older ones, and sent over the internet; says Greg at (http://urbanhonking.com/ideasfordozens/2008/01/12/a_brief_history_of_the_music_i/).

So all in all music and the music industry is continuously changing. It’s like a revolving door that just keeps going. It will forever change. As long as music is around it will never be the same as it was when it first began being popular or as it is today.

All- State Band and auditions

For high school band kids, and any musician, there is one thing similar. We all want to be an “All-Stater”. Many of us don’t get in and some of us don’t even get the chance to go to audition. Kennedy sends 30 kids from band to audition and it’s possible that maybe 7 will make it in. People who want a chance to audition start working in August or early September to prepare for the audition.

When school rolls around we start with pre-auditions, this is where Mrs. Fleer and Mr. Wacker figure out who will be going to the audition and who is getting cut. No one wants to get cut, but sometimes it has to happen; plus there is always the next year. This year about 10 people got cut from the group, which is a lot more compared to the last couple years. More and more people are getting interested in All State, which is a great thing for the band as a whole.

Once it gets down to who is going, it starts with clinics. Every Monday night when we have marching band practice, Mrs. Fleer and Mr. Wacker bring in people to help the ones who are getting the chance to audition. There is so much time, money and practice put into All- State. During SMART lunch twice a week, we have All-State seminars, which is set up to be a tool to help us get ready for the actual audition and to help us get more comfortable playing in front of people.

The audition for All- State Band happens in October; this year it is October 24^th in Oelwein, Iowa. It is the biggest opportunity band kids have. No matter how the audition goes you are still a winner, because if you don’t make it into All-State Band, you almost have a guaranteed spot in NEIBA. Which is a great honor band.

“Fake it ‘till you make it”; that phrase has become Mr. Wacker’s favorite thing to say. Most band kids live by that saying, so even if you think you can’t do it, just try and you will be able to accomplish anything you set your mind to. As a junior, I’m not a very good player and never thought I even had a chance at All-State but living off of that statement from Mr. Wacker I have just under a month until auditions and I’m pretty hopeful.

So all in all All-State is A LOT of work, but it pays off a lot in the end. If you go for the audition you basically have an automatic spot in Wind Symphony, which if you did not know if the top band at Kennedy, also it helps on trying to get into honor bands.

Cougar Marching Band

The 2015 Cougar Marching Band is off to a great start; way better than the last two years. And being in marching band, and knowing how it's supposed to work I can honestly say this year we might actually get somewhere. I think that marching band is a great experience and that everyone should be in it. Maybe marching band isn't the coolest sport or activity. But it is a great time and it creates a lot of great memories.

Marching band, for band kids, is like a way of life. It's not just an activity, or another class, or an easy A. It's just what we do. We don't do it cause we have to, we do it cause we want to be there. And the feeling you get taking the field is great, everything else disappears and nothing else matter except drill and your music. Everyone knows how we do after a performance before we were even told based on how we did personally and from what you can hear and see from down on the field.

I'm gonna be honest being a marcher it is a lot of work! We have evening rehearsals twice a week 6-9 at night. Then we have first hour every day cause it is considered a class. Sometimes we even have Saturday rehearsals before a compition to review and clean drill. Also football games, every home varsity football game, the band is there. We play the Star-Spangled Banner pregame, and march our show during half time.

Have you thought about college? Or do you need help paying for college? Band can help you with that. With most colleges out there you can get a music scholarship if you are a good player. Even if you don't want to major or minor in music, or do anything with music at all. And with college being so expensive now a days, any amount of scholarship money can help out a ton! 

Also most upper classmen in band watch out and try to help the under classmen in band. We are like one huge family. Need help on homework? Don't understand something? Ask your section leader or another upperclassmen. Cause it's almost garunteed that at least one of us has taken the class or classes that you sturggle or need help in. So advocate for yourself and ask.

So long story short, marching band is a great experience, and is a great idea.

Johnston

Johnston is usually the first competition that the 2015 Cougar Marching band takes place in. This year was no different. Saturday September 19th, we loaded the bus to head to Johnston High School. It was a pretty great day and a decent first performance. This year we were a lot farther along and had a lot more drill on the field compared to the last two years.

My freshmen year, the 2013 marching band. That year our show was from the movie and play Alice in Wonderland; Lost in Wonderland. That year, it didn't start out all that well. Going in to Johnston we had maybe 10 sets of drill on the field, at the most. Compared to this year where we have 43 sets of drill on the field already. But we ended out the year strong, In about 7th place at Valley(Valley is our biggest competition).

My sophomore year, which would be the 2014 Couagr Marching Band, we had about the whole opener on the field which is a big step up from the last year. The opener has on average maybe 25-30 sets at the most, which is pretty decent. Our show that year was from the tv hit Dr. Who. 

Each year we get better and better, like this year we have done better with our marching stay than the last two years, and we haven't done as well with our upper body placement and marching while facing the sideline. So we do have our strengths and weaknesses, but all in all we are a tough band, and we get what we need to get done.

How to march

During marching band there is so much work and time put into it. Most of it is even before school starts, usually the first week in August we start working. It starts with band camp, to the “basics”. The basics include several things that we use all marching band season, and out of season. And it carries with us most of the time no matter if we are on the field or in practice or just going to class.

The first thing you will learn is upper body; it is probably one of the easiest but most important thing we learn during basics. You have to keep your upper body facing the sideline and perfectly straight unless you are specifically told not to. It’s usually really easy unless we are doing an “8-5” facing the sideline. Most of the time it is really easy to tell if you are facing the wrong direction with your instrument. With some instruments it hurts to face the sideline, like flutes, we have to keep it straight all the time.

Then you learn how to stay in step which is the second most important thing in marching band. Being out of step is probably the worst thing you can do as a member of a marching band. If someone is out of step it is really easy to tell. So you have to really focus on staying in time even if that means not playing the music.

The next thing we learn is how to forward march; forward marching is the easiest thing to do. You pop your knee out on the “& of count 8” and take a step on count 1.  It might seem like you don’t even have to work on that, but there’s more to it than just taking one simple step. You have to keep your upper body straight towards the front with perfect posture.

The most important thing to forward marching is you can not bounce when marching! Or else it makes the whole form look funky. So upper body has to stay straight and stiff, and you roll through the step. It’s not like just walking normally, your heel hits the ground first and its one smooth motion. It can’t be choppy.

Then you will learn is how to back march, this one is a little more complicated. In order to back march you have to have a lot of balance. To start out instead of popping out your knee on the “& of 8” you have to get up on your toes. It’s kind of like tip toeing backwards, but harder. Your legs have to stay straight and you have to keep your weight evenly distributed between your feet or else you will lose your balance and probably fall over when we close.

Closing is hard to do back marching, because you are up on your toes, so you have to put your feet down softly or it will throw you off (Even upper classman lose their balance so don’t feel bad is you do). But with back marching, just like forward marching, it is even more important not to bounce. It look even worse when you bounce going back compared to going forward.

So all in all it is actually pretty difficult to be a marcher in a marching band. We just make it seem easy because most of us have done it for multiple years, and we really try our best to help the freshmen who can’t march, because we are like a family and it’s our job to help and take care of each other.