Hello Children

Hello my drumline brethren. Welcome back to another weekly installment of the 2011 drumline blog. Summer still going all right? Perfect.

To keep in tradition, let's start with practicing. All of you should have had Chaos and the opening hit for almost a week now. If you were completely unaware of it's existence, you're cut, but make sure to email me at EGDekker@gmail.com for a copy asap and get yourself caught up. Otherwise, I hope all of you realize how big of deal having our music this early is. "But Eric, we have all summer to learn this" is the opposite approach that you should take. Legitimately sitting down and practicing even a small section each day is a must for a fast-paced, successful early season. Nobody wants to be the one of ten players unprepared for his/her part. Especially with the opening hit available, there is no excuse for not being miles ahead of everyone else day one of band camp. This is serious guys, any vet will tell you that their worst experiences were those they forgot to prepare for. Let's all avoid those experiences all together :D

Don't forget the five M's of practicing! met, music, mirror, marktime and...met.

Next, just another friendly reminder to watch your food and drink intake. I know some of you, especially those with a handy dandy driver's license, have been replacing breakfast or lunch for a daily RooCup slushie, or as I call it, the devil's chalice. That icee cup of syrupy deliciousness will be your downfall come July 26th, I guarantee it. It be hypocritical of me to demand you cut every drink but water out of your diet, but it's not a bad goal to work up to towards the last few weeks in July. You will be working harder and getting less water breaks than everyone else in the band, and you're expected to be physically prepared for that.

Almost there. Sectionals! They are important, and a pretty fundamental supplement to practicing on your own. Nothing will sound good as a line if a section sounds bad within itself. I know Forrest and Dylan held their first sectional today, and snares have one lined up. A section leader's primary responsibility is to put together sectional practices, both during the summer and mid-season. However, Forrest should be sending everybody contact information for the entire drumline in the coming minutes. Anybody is always free to contact me, Forrest, or their section leader if they have complaints, suggestions, questions, ect. Communication is key guys, never let yourself be in the dark about anything, especially if you're new to the marching band scene.

Make sure you treat this weekly blog seriously. It might sound overstated, but Forrest and I wouldn't waste out time writing things we didn't mean. You should be excited and intense, not scared :) Forrest is absolutely correct, the best is definitely yet to come.

Love, from the deepest chasms of my soul,

Eric

P.S. If you haven't seen the Brass blog, go check it out. They made "flat Jon" versions of Jon Swofford that are traveling all over world and country with various brass members. Fortunetly, we have space shuttles, air planes, control of physics and a time machine at our disposal, so this summer, the real Kimball will be traveling the universe. Please enjoy tracking his progress. His first destination was, of course, Mars.