Ferndale Marching Band Camp Diary, Day 1 - 4...
18 August 2005

Day 1

Monday night rehearsals have really paid off! This group is ready to play, and so we can teach them their moves (‘drill’ in marching lingo) this week and be ready to do the show at the very first football game this fall. During the morning we confiscate a few ringing cell phones and chewing gum. Expectations are rising, both for proper behavior and for a great fall show.

One of the instructions for the day is how to stay hydrated. The heat is not overwhelming, but several students get overexposed today. Pretty typical. Trumpet section leader Alex Crocker, who is also newly returned from a summer marching with the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps, is finding the weather easy. He’s endured 100° with 100% humidity more than once in their tour around the US. He bounces to the next position with a smile, while other students are dragging with the heat.

The pit crew (xylophones, marimbas, bells, chimes, gongs, cymbals) is VERY young! But they have a great attitude, and instructors Stacy Sjolund with recent graduate Candace Quist are pulling them together nicely. There are a lot more of them today than there was in our Monday practices. That’s good!

The guard (flags, sabers rifles), on the other hand, is mostly experienced. The new member, Chrissy, is hanging in there. In addition to instructor Wendy Lynch, alumnae Mehgan Knight and Carrie Crocker are available to assist.

Other Alums are hanging around. Bart Klein and Brian Eastman are put to work for the morning, but move on to other activities for the afternoon. Chris Finch endures the day.

The uniforms will be washed tomorrow (thank you, Pioneer Laundry!) and fitted during the rest of the week. The parents in charge of uniform fittings are a little worried about fitting two very small freshmen. The good news is that both are promising to make a big impact on this band in this season and the years to come.

Day 2

It’s cool and windy today, which was actually really nice, because it was a long 11 hour day. The heat yesterday began to melt a few students, but they lasted through the evening today, all the way to 8 PM, with energy.

Little Caesar’s Pizza helped us with dinner tonight, donating some pizzas, and giving us a great price on the rest. Cost Cutter donated watermelon, popsicles, and cookies. Thanks, Ferndale businesses! You are the best!

Rehearsals are going very well! We’re really impressed with how quickly the group is picking up everything.

Day 3

The morning drill block was dripped on a bit by the weather, but we’re Pacific Northwesterners, and we need to be watered regularly anyway. It dried up pretty quickly, and at 4 PM the sun showed up big time, just in time for an attempt at a complete run through. More on that later.

The pit crew (the students playing the percussion equipment that doesn’t travel around the field) is just making huge strides. They are all either freshmen or rookies. Anderson has stopped stressing so much. A capable pianist, the xylophone was just not feeling right for him, but today he is much more relaxed and enjoying himself. Frank got a lesson on Everything About the Tympani in One Morning, and clearly demonstrated this afternoon that he Got It.

The afternoon playing and sections block showed that this group is learning music and drill at an amazing rate. Usually we expect freshmen to be really awful, not knowing some of the notes, being a little spacey, just not knowing where to be at the right time. But they are really performing, really stepping up to the plate. This comment was heard in section leader’s meeting: “It’s like they don’t know they are supposed to be bad.” We’ll write them job recommendations in a few years that will read:

Willing to try new things
Persists in learning new tasks
Great attitude
Hire this person!

Yes, the sun came out for the afternoon block outside. We got the winds, guard, percussion and pit in one place, and attempted a complete run through of the entire show.

That has never been done by Wednesday in the recent memory of Band Camp.

We almost made it! The last section kind of fell apart. But what an effort! Mr. Menefee took video of it, so perhaps we can get that online soon, and you’ll be able to compare our first efforts with the final show.

Be proud of your kids! This is a Mt. Rainier kind of climb, and they are completely on board for the adventure.

Day 4

Work, work, more work! But it pays off when we really are able to make a complete run through in the evening with the entire band, guard, pit, and all. It’s still rough, but all the parts of the puzzle are present and now in the same frame. It’s good to have everyone see the whole picture.

Part of what made it worth it was the very tasty dinner prepared for us by super organizer Marcia Eastman, along with her crew of cooks, servers, and clean up (Stacy, Molly, Tammy, Betty Jane, and Valerie) served up a spectacular hamburger dinner, provided by Haggen (fresh beef patties and buns), Cost Cutter (chips, condiments, and water melon) and Small’s Gardens (the BEST sweet corn on the cob). Thank you everyone!

Perhaps the best prepared section is the Drum Line, instructed by Dave Vaughns. Awesome rhythms, a rack of equipment to carry, and complete control.

We think you will love this show! We know we do. We hope you can see our run through tomorrow afternoon before we break for the weekend.