Seaweed Chronicles

Inspiration

I admit I've been a bit disillusioned with the band stuff lately. Competing in the Worlds in Glasgow was a lifetime highlight, and once we returned home, the glamour evaporated a bit.  Weekly practices, parades, rehearsals, etc., all felt a bit like a chore. 

But we had a workshop today with our amazing mentor, coach, trainer.  Twenty-eight years old, and possibly the best drum major, snare, and tenor drummer in the USA.  Actually, not "possibly" but often - these things are voted on annually and he has been at the top more than once and is currently in the top position for a few roles.  I wish I could mention his name.   I'm inspired, and as much as I love the tenor position, I'm thinking I want to move up to snare.   See good examples of both here. 

I'm asking Santa for a practice snare pad and sticks for Christmas . . .

Abracadabra. It's Easy.

I recently saw a collection of Disney Princess Magic Wands at my supermarket and the timing was perfect:  one of my fellow lunch ladies (i.e., the amazingly awesome group of women I eat lunch with most workdays, aka the "therapy" group) was about to celebrate a birthday and damn if this wasn't the perfect gift.  At least I thought it was perfect until I found out she already had a much larger, more sparkly model, but she also loves the one I gave her. 

I loved it too, and went back to the store a few days later to purchase my own version.  It has a button you press that causes it to make a really magical-wandy noise, and it's small enough to carry in your purse.  And by the way, if you google "magic wand," you're going to find other things that make noise and are small enough to fit in your purse.  Just sayin', in case you're on a work computer or something.

Anyway, my magic wand made its debut at our band competition a few weeks ago, and good stuff happened.  Like, we didn't come in last.  And so the Head Princess of the band took a liking to the wand, but I wouldn't let her have it.  Thinking this selfishness might just jinx the wand, I went back to the magic wand store a few days later to buy a THIRD.  But alas, there were no more wands to be had.  

So I turned to the equally magic internet for help, and that's when I discovered the many different types of magic wands available.   Many not suitable for me to be giving to the Head Princess of the band,  but one was just right.  It came in the mail a few days later and I was impressed that it made not just one magical-wandy noise, but four or five different ones!  So I dressed it up with a few ribbons, and delivered it to Head Princess on Saturday morning.  After she oohed and ahhhed, she promptly stuck it in her left hose for easy access when a spell just might be needed.
So a coupla minutes after this we headed off to the Princeton P-Rade.  Mostly known to them as "The Reunions." 

Mind you, we did not have reservations, or a gig lined up, and no one in our band was reunioning (if that's a verb).  But we knew of the event, knew it to be a grand par-TAY, and THAT is kind of a magnet for a group seeking as much attention as we do.  In a good, publicity kind of way.

So we were on the campus for all of 10 minutes before the wand worked its magical magic.  Not only were we invited to participate in the alumni parade, we were asked to LEAD it.  Ushering in the Class of 1985 as they celebrated their  25th reunion.  I can't even begin to describe how much fun it was to be playing for them as we wound our way through the campus, through the crowds lining the sidewalks, 'tween the ivy'd walls and halls, past the banners of dozens of alumni classes, through the roaring herd that would be graduating two days from then, and finally, out on the field and finally hearing our band name announced as we marched through the canyon between the bleachers full of attendees. 

It. Was. MAGIC.

I had to hand over the camera while we were marching, but got a good number of pre and post photos. 

Hey, Class of 1986, you need a band next year?   

Carpe Diem

How much fun can one lifetime get?  I don't know because it's not over yet, but it keeps getting better all the time.  This weekend, our band competed at the Fair Hill, MD, Scottish Games.  We're still new at this, having just moved from Street Band status to Grade 5 last year, and this was only our second competition.  We placed 11th out of 12 which is a step up from our first comp last summer, 13 out of 13th. At this rate, we'll be in first after another 10 Games or so! If it only worked like that . . . but no.  It takes a lot of practice, determination, hard work, masterful organization skills by our managers, and a lot of sacrifice from everyone involved - members, family,.friends, groupies, and roadies.  A phenomenal group that I am so proud to be associated with.

Friday night, we got to enjoy dinner and rehearse at St. Andrew's School in Delaware. One of our members attends there, and I learned it was also the filming location for Dead Poets Society.  Beautiful place. 

Competition Day dawned beautiful and warm but not too hot.  We got to participate in the early afternoon Massed Bands, then spent some time walking around looking at the vendors' wares, watching some solo competitions, and relaxing before our tune-up and rehearsal session. It was during this break that I ran across the Kennedy Clan tent, and promptly signed up as a member.  In exchange, I got a good slurp of whisky from the quaich, a free pen, a lapel pin, and photographs taken with the organization VP and the other High Mucky Muck Guy with the Feathered Hat who was visiting from Scotland.

 

 We then did our competition set for the judges at around 3:00, then joined the closing Massed Bands at around 6:00.  Broke down the camp and got back to the hotel around 8:00 for our own "Closing Ceremonies." 

We learned, we laughed, we loved . . . we lived.  Awesome.

P.S. Here are more photos on the Flickr account.  Obviously, I can't be taking them while I'm drumming but I do try - see the picture of the bass drum with the number 760 on it and look at the reflection. You can see I don't put the sticks down but just pick up the camera and have both in hand whenever possible.  Anyway, hopefully, one of our roadies got pictures of the actual performance and I'll be able to post those soon. 

AP Band Workshop

Another workshop yesterday.  Our coaches are leaders of one of the three top bands in the US, Oran Mor, and the fact that they spend time helping us improve is awesome.  Yeah, they're paid, but they don't act it.  They are 100% professional and their teachings are so valuable to us, but they have also become friends. Yesterday, we spent time on technique and ensemble, and starts and entering the circle (important for competitions) but also setting up tents, and planning for competition days where you spend a good deal of time sitting around waiting for your time slot. Then, there was that awesome sunset on the way home that we just had to stop and photograph. It lit the trees up with gold leaf . . . here are Flickr shots, and a few selections below in case you don't want to go there.  Our first competition of the year is the Fair Hill, MD, Scottish Games next weekend (5/15) if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

 

 
   

Band Camp January 2010

OK, so this is totally out of order but I'm getting caught up.  These are pictures from the recent full-day band camp we held. We've got competitions coming up, people.  Including a huge one in Scotland!

Parade One and Two

 Well, now I know that marching carrying a drum, keeping in step, remembering your moves, keeping in line, wearing 25 pounds of clothing and keeping up with longer-legged people is HARD WORK. And in the heat/humidity we had on Sunday, well, that'd be the reason my face looks so red in these shots. 

 

This was in Hopewell Township. 

 

If I was a little more experienced, I would probably get in trouble for this shot above since I should be looking ahead rather than  "all over the place like a gottam tourist!"

 

I'm not quite visible here but it's a nice shot of most of the band just before we turned to face the reviewing stand.

 

Our spiffy new banner.  And banner carriers Gladys (Aberdonian), Lenny and Carol, both of whom used to be Jewish but converted to Catholicism and I don't think that happens too often. 

 

The young lad in the middle was also marching in his first parade as I was. 

And we did good.  The band took the trophy for Best Appearing Marching Unit. 

 

On Monday, following our final weekend event, we had a big old jam party at a member's house, and presented the trophy to Linda, our bass drum player, whose Mom Betty Jean died of cancer a few days before the weekend.  Linda marched with us all weekend, knowing her Mom was very proud of her daughter's band accomplishments. Here's to Betty Jean.

/Credit and thanks to Paul the Brit for the photos except for the last, shot with my crummy Blackberry phone./

Band Camp

Yesterday was my first Band Camp.  A full-day workshop, actually,  led by two of the best players from Oran Mor Pipe Band.  One of the hardest parts of agreeing to join the band and pick up the tenor drum was knowing that for many of the events and parades, it means putting down the camera.  I still managed a fair number of shots yesterday, although most are after the conclusion of the working session.  Here's a link to the Flickr set, best viewed in slideshow mode. 

Awesome fun, this is.  Towards the end of the set you'll see the small jam session that formed late into the evening.  I'm actually drumming on a metal folding chair, which sound kind of like a trash can lid but in a good, busker-ish kind of way.  Anyway, I think the fact that we were having a blast comes across loud and clear!