Band in Odessa

You just never know what they will remember 50 years from now.

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As I age memories flail in and out of my mind with little regard to my position at the time. I can be sitting in my car, in church, on the back porch - no matter - wham !! like a meteor from space a memory flashes across the brain that has not surfaced for years and years. Some are good. Some not so good.

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Just now, quietly sitting in front of my mindless computer game, I flashed back to the 5th grade. I attended Lamar Elementary in Odessa, TX for the entire 5th grade. An amazing thing since my father moved with the oil company regulary until that time. 5th grade had its ups and downs. I forget the downs.

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We moved to Levelland in time for the 6th grade. During that summer I attended Summer Band at one of the Odessa Junior Highs. Frankly, I can't remember a great deal about that time. It was a band hall. Band directors waved in front of us. I sat and blew on my King cornet, happily, oblivious of anything around me.

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I do remember one particular rehearsal. We were playing some stupid little song that future 6th graders muddle through, when suddenly the director stopped the band. I put my horn down and waited for his jewel of knowledge.

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The director was J. R. McEntyre in his youth before he moved up to run Premium H.S. I just realized that spelling Permien is not in my spell check. Premium H.S. is funny enough though. I will look it up later. Spelling has not flashed across my mind this morning.

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J. R. McEntyre slammed down his baton - Stopped the full band - and looked straight at me - It was "that" look - Nobody moved especially me. Loudly he barked out, "DO WANT TO COME UP HERE AND DIRECT THE BAND?" I was too stupid to understand what he really meant. Apparently I was showing great leadership in the future 6th grade cornet players, and they were following me.

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Wisely I kept the mouth shut. I distinctly remember thinking, "Yeah, that would be fun." I froze, he glared, we all waited, J.R. restarted the band. To this day I have not the slightest idea what I did wrong. I don't want to know. I am sure J.R. doesn't remember the episode.

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My folks were good friends with McEntyre...or maybe they thought they were. I don't know. Over the years I talked to him on several occassions. Is it Permian? Yeah that seems right. During one year, my band director, W.R. Wheeler packed me up and another couple of kids, and we drove down to Odessa for the marching contest. I believe we stopped off and picked up Gilligan from ?? ?? ?? Lamesa??

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I was young at the time. I remember listening to Permian march and play. Never before had I seen a high school band so fine. They stopped in the middle of the show and played "Saints Go Marching In" featuring the trumpets. I was in Heaven. Side note - since Bill is reading this - I remember hearing him say at that contest - He remarked something about how good it was, but the piccolo was out of tune. I was in awe.

That's it.

Y'all enjoy the rest of the day.

M>Mtz

Corsicana H.S.

Sometimes people get their heads screwed on wrong and bad things happen to good people.  One can bring it upon himself by doing "stupid things."   It might be that old "can't see the forest for all the trees" concept.   But bad things have happened to good people - and some (not all) are self - inflicted. 

To muddy these waters a bit:  I have had good things happen to me when I was good.  I've had bad things happen when I was bad.  Conversely,  good things have happened to me when I was bad, and bad things happened when I was rfeally good.   There does not seem to be a rule concerning this particular issue.   I have looked:  it is not in the Constitution.

The Corsicana band director last Monday (week ago) was accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to one of his students.   By Tuesday he had resigned.  It took until Friday for the Dallas stations to pick up on it.  The press does love this type of story. 

I do not know what happened.  I have never met the guy  (Rick Wygant).   He doesn't know me.  I do not know anything about the student (at this point, I assume it is a female student - even though I never heard that).   And more importantly,  I don't want to know anything.  Leave me out of this problem.   They tell me that Rick is a terrific trumpet player.  We trumpeters do have an arrogance problem at times.  I have seen his Corsicana band.  They are not in the top competitively; but are far from being terrible.

My issue is that somewhere down the line someone turned off the brain function that eliminates problems like this.  We all know that teenagers lack a mature brain.   They look at the world through different lenses than we - [ I might add (politically) like these squirts who are doing all of this "occupy" protests. They have not the slightest idea that protest should be aimed at the goverenment - not the businesses that make America great. ]  He should have known better.  Students do not always see the consequences of certain actions.

Rick made a mistake of putting something in writing - a text message on the phone to a girl - she won't deleted it - and, when troubled, she will share with her best friend or troup of friends.   Now, teenage girls do this type of thing all the time.  They write notes to each other with some of the wildest stuff.  Then, she is are destroyed when the note shows up in a public place.  I own several of these notes in a box in the garage.  Never write something that should be said - in person - it will come back to bite you.

Side bar:  Three of my favorites:  1.)  my mom gave me a note written by a 3rd grade girl.  The girl stated that when she got home, she took off all her clothes, climbed up on the dresser, looked in the mirror and said, "you're tuff."   2.)  a 6 page note written in hot pink ink - single spaced - both sides of paper -  in which a girl is suggesting certain sexual activities to her boyfriend in order to keep him happy.   He answered back in blue on the same paper.  It was quite detailed.   What's funny is his cool response:  "I guess we could do that if you want..."    3.)   a girl writes a note attacking several other girls - last sentence "don't lose this note."  It was not lost.  It was left in plain sight on a music stand.   But, I regress.

Now Wygant faces 10 years or so in prison - if nothing else, certainly he faces a career change - if he is not making license plates, he won't be  back in teaching for quite a while.  Went to school with a guy (Dalvin Boone) who was a fantastic trumpet player and person.  He was on the right track being chosen as band director for Amarillo H.S.  This was in the early 60s.  He went out with the guys to celebrate - leaving the bar, he wet the pavement - beer - what goes in, must come out.  Arrested for public displan, he lost that job before it began.  He was such a good guy.  

What did he do?  Dalvin pulled up stakes and moved to work on his Master or PhD at some major midwest University like Michigan or Ohio State - some big school.  I know nothing after that.  Good guy in college.  Bad situation afterwards.  It is a shame.

A thought:   Universities need to have a class in ethics - or whatever it is to be called.  All of these type of situations should be discussed with young, weak minds as they prepare to enter teaching.   They should learn the pitfalls as they learn how to give CPR or to teach the minor scale.

Perhaps, just maybe,   a school system should have this as a fall training topic when they have those unrelenting boring sessions prior to school.  Those meetings are such a drain of one's brain.  I don't suppose they will ever quit.  Everyone has a new plan to improve teaching / discipline / etc. - a hot new plan is offered each year - doesn't matter.  The good teachers teach; the bad ones "occupy" space.

The rambling is over.   I feel sorry for the student - I feel sorry for Rick - I feel sorry for the Corsicana Band program - I feel sorry for the family of the above - I feel sorry for the other band directors in the local system - I feel for the administrators who must be scrambling to correct a bad situation.

Here is an issue that probably won't get much notice.  One of the remaining 3 directors has been chosen as interim director.  I believe she plans to apply for the head job eventually.  If she is not selected, I am sure she will be in a compromised position with the new director.  She should find a way to apply but not be embarrassed if ignored for the job.  It is a tough world out there.  

I am retired ....  might I add:  sitting on my backporch watching the lake dry up.

Later guys, call me if you need me to solve your problems.
mtz  

Tequila & Manor

I spent 38 years as a band director in Texas and Oklahoma.  I took a couple years off after I left Amarillo Tascosa.   I never should have gone to that school - the previous guy had been there forever.  It is tough to follow legends - or anyone who is considered to be a legend by the locals.  But, enough of that.

I got out of the biz for a while.   Eventually after a couple of re-entry band jobs in north Texas, I decided it was time to move south. . . anywhere south.  So I drew a circle around Austin and sent out letters.  I did learn a lesson that year:  never quit a job before you have another one in your pocket.  So, I sent out the letters.  June passed.   July was passing.   I went to TBA convention.  Found nothing.  I was almost in a panic.  The wife still had her job, so it was not a disaster yet.

Then, the phone rang.  This principal invited me down to interview in Manor.  For those who don't know, Manor is the school district that goes up against Austin ISD on the east side.  Austin east side is not the best - the Cadillac area - I didn't care.  It was a small 2A school out in the country.  The Principal seemed nice  (Steve Michail - rats, I forgot how to spell his name).  He was a good guy - and the superintendent, George Jett,  was an older guy who was terrific.  I liked them both -

It was August.  The previous guy split and gave them little notice.  They hired someone who failed to materialize.  They were in trouble and  frankly I had a pretty good resume.  They had a band director for 12 years. Joe Michel, who was good.  He built the 2A band up and did a great job.  Joe got sidewise with a couple of people and - as we all do at times - figured out it was time to find a better job.   Philosophy:  As in Joe's case, it is the director who makes the job good - not the school.  Sure, administrators can kill you - but Joe had it together.

So what did Manor do.  They went to UT and hired a first year teacher - a drummer no less.  Not all drummers are kooks, but there are more kooks in the drum section than other places.  This guy (something  Janez - spelling off again)  Yanez  - that is it.  I met him a week after I took the job at the TMEA region meeting.  Introduced myself - and the first thing out of his mouth was to correct the way I said his name - arrogant little twirp.  

Yanez had inherited a 80 to 90 piece 2A band from Joe and it dwindled down to 23 on my first day.  He was a killer.  the kids told me that he would take them out to play baseball and generally just let them do what they wanted.  That may not be true - beats me - wasn't there.  Arrogant little twirp.  I had to restart his beginners on page one of the first book they were so lost.  Arrogant little twirp.

So I took over a 23 piece 2A band...grade 8 through 12.  That is a large 2A by the way.  I revised their marching style as best I could - looked for music that they could play - and created our first halftime show.   It was not a home game.   Frankly, we did very little in our plan - but we didn't just stand there and play.

We have all been there.  The band went on the field and after an appropriate amount of time - fell apart.  They were in the middle of the field completely lost - stopped playing.  It was not good.    I was on the sideline - nothing else to do.  I went on the field and marched them straight off the field.  I was furious.  They were off the field on the visitor side - I was standing on the home side.  I took off around the field - I was going to read them a riot act and a half.

At that moment, near the goal post, I met my Mr. Jett, my new Superintendent.  He stuck out his hand and congratulated me and said some other things which were brilliant.  He taught me in that few seconds that it was not the end of the world, and he was proud of them.  They had done a pretty good job - I calmed and greeted the kids with a much different attitude.  We were better the next week, and all 23 were still enrolled.

So the year went by.   I think we squeaked out a II at marching contest - squeak is a good word.  Some of those 23 were fabulous kids.   It may have been a III - who can remember?  Not me.

Of course the football team was good.  Of course.  You have a marching band with issues, and you want to end the year after 10 games -- N A H !!  THE TEAM IS REALLY GOOD.  So we went into playoffs.  Contest is over.  Nobody wants to spend hours outside practicing marching.  We are all tired.   It is time to get it over - the first extra game (forget who we played) was out of town in Gonzales.  They had a pretty good stadium for smaller school playoffs.

We had an easy arrangement of Tequila in the folder - I had a vision.  Pee Wee Herman had just done his movie with his Tequila dance on the bar -- it was popular.   So -- We do the first routine from our contest show - do a quick shuffle of people to make a long line in the center of the field -- Play the first part of Tequila -  Create a short dance step to the Tequila beat, letting the drummers make up something while the band does minimal dance steps  (I had a couple of good drummers - one named Kim Orts who is now a deputy sherrif in Austin who could do just about anything)  -- finish the song - make a  big  " M "  and get off the field.  Most of this could be practiced inside.
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now store that away.
One of my 23 band members was a kid named Ernie.  Ernie was a skinny black kid who was a special educ. student.  He had problems - somewhat functional.   I could not understand what he said ever.  The kids had all gone to school with Ernie since grade one and liked him - even though he was a bit of a problem to guide.  At ballgames, boys would take turns - unasked by the way - to escort Ernie to the restroom or concession stand.  It was really nice.

Ernie couldn't play an instrument at all.  He was just there for marching season.  We took a cymbal and mounted it on a stand.  I gave him two soft mallets and he kept time on the sidelines.  Everyone liked Ernie.   It made me nervous, but that was okay.  Frankly, taking Ernie out of town on trips was a responsibilty which should not have happened to me - untrained as I am in the special education area ...
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Back to Tequila.
We learned the dance and could play the music.  Ernie was on the sidelines.   I was afraid that I would be fussed at if I didn't keep Ernie controlled.   So, before the half, I told Ernie to just stand there and play the cymbal.  Don't do what the band is doing.  Don't dance.   Just stand.  Ernie said okay.

For the first part of the song, he stood there.  As the dancing started, Ernie started to wiggle.   He couldn't help himself.   Before long he was dancing on the sidelines.   He brought the house down.  The Manor fans loved and knew Ernie.  He was a sensation.   The band did a good job.  We received a standing ovation from the crowd.  That helped our attitudes a lot.

Did I mention the team was good.  They won the game & I had another week of marching.  What to do.  I ain't no fool.   We were going back to Gonzales for the 2nd game.   I figured, why fight it.  We did the same show week #2.   Once again Ernie was great.  It made me nervous, but nobody said one word about exploiting him.  It was another standing ovation.  Did I mention the other bands were obviously disturbed because we were doing a dance?  I have learned since then that other band students will always be jealous if your band gets to dance on the field.  That may seem dumb, but it is true.

That was my first Tequila year in Manor.  Year two came - I have already told you that I ain't no fool.  The kids wanted to do Tequila again.  We expanded the routine - put in a free style section where the kids had 32 counts to dance what they chose - and it was a hit again.  Ernie was right there performing with us.

I was in Manor for 13 years.  We did Tequila - with variations - all 13 years.  After a while, some other bands would try to dance at the last game - they never figured it out.   It became the tradition to use it for the last home game.   The poor cluck who followed me into Manor was pushed into continuing.   My 13th marching year was in 2003.   It is now 2011 and they still do Tequila.   I would apologize, but would that help?

Little side bit.  It was so important to the Seniors each year.  One year a senior - who had failed a class and was ineligible to be on the field - jumped the stadium fence and danced with the band even though he knew he would be in major trouble.  He spent the rest of the semester in the in-school suspension. 
That's it.
mtz

In Heat

I was responding to an email and figured out - the response would be a good enough blug.

As all should know, we are having 100 +  degree weather here in north Texas.   I have lost count, but it is nearing 30 days in a row.   Now major rain for months.

Some lakes are down more than ours.  Richland-Chambers Lake is down about 5 ft. This gives us less than 4 ft of water under the boat on the dock. Our 100+ degree temps are continuing.   Read in the paper that El Nina is striking up again which normally gives us drier weather.   It might have been El Nino - but I would bet it was El Nina.

Our main prayer is for a couple of major hurricanes to come ashore around Galveston to Corpus. Then, we would get water and more water. Now, the ethical question - water for my lake and yard vs. the mayhem along the Gulf coast. The answer of course is simple...Katrina where are you when we really need you?

We are getting up in the morning in 85 degree heat.  Then, it gets hot.  I feel sorry for the band directors having to fight through this.  Athletes don't have my sympathy - working out in the heat is just the price THEY pay for becoming millionaires in the future.    Most band kids don't make it in the big time money pit.  All h.s. athletes do - or will - or just ask them....better yet, ask their parents.

Yes, as I sit here in the morning heat watching the sun rise, I can be thankful I am not herding 100 some kids back and forth across unwatered grass...keeping my eyes open for that kid who begins to sway funny in the LITTLE or NO breeze...they with their little flasks of water; I with my Super Big Gulp...trying to balance the upperclassmen power and knowledge   versus  the Freshman syndrome of klutz and childish-like behavior.  Then, lest we forget, the power struggles with twirlers and flags and  more seniors and drum majors and asst. drum majors -- and, not in my ex-world --  but asst directors who get in the way more than help.  I was lucky in Manor to be blessed with nice helpers.

Another thing that drove me crazy - I had to design a marching show around the number of students that I BELIEVED would show up the first day of class.   Let's say for arugument here that I have exactly 150 warm bodies expected for the fall.  Now I subtract the drum majors, flags, twirlers from the total.   Then, one must calculate a percentage of students who will fail some class during the first 6 weeks - your marching show at contest cannot use these.  Sure you have a general idea how many will fail = but are you right. 

So let's say you believe  you will have exactly 100 marchers ( + front line) for UIL contest.  You design a show - get music etc.   It doesn't matter what you think, you are always wrong.   Sure, some schools have 200 to 300 band students.  They have a different problem.   the guy with the 50 piece band, how does he plan for failures.   I had my plan.  Sometimes I got it  right - other times I was re-writing the show when the grades came out.

In Gainesville, many a year past,  I could count on 50% of all band students to fail at least one class EVERY 6 weeks  all year.  50%.   One year I lost BOTH drum majors and half the drums.   I was starting to get a little better group of band students in there when it became apparent, I had no future in Gainesville.  That, my dear, is another long bluggy which will go unstated here at this time.

enough - heat bad - retirement in the air conditioning good
3m/mtz

New Band Nerd

I spent my life as a public school band director.  I would still be doing it except that I am somewhat older now and it started getting to me in a negative way.  Teaching wasn't bad - I love standing in front of a band - the other things like administrators and parents made it less than 100% fun.  Wasn't heading to this subject now.  I got off focus.

I have a 5th grade granddaughter.  Smart, intelligent, brilliant, cute, well-mannered, lovely parents (am I spreading it on thick enough here?).  She reminds me of other 5th graders I have had in class over the years.  The band directors in her school are starting the process of recruiting beginning band students for next year's 6th grade beginning band. 

Of course, this process is fun for me.  As she begins, I do hope that she will enjoy the band life as much as I did.  .   .  .  not sure I want her to enjoy it enough to major in music and be a band director.  Teaching became harder as I aged.  Would I want her to do that?  HEY!  She could become a race car driver or sumpin' instead...maybe mess with computers like her fadder  or go into the medical field like her mudder.   A lot of water still has to travel under that bridge. 

Right now, I am just pleased that she wants to become a band nerd.  That is NOT an insult.  My band kids over the years have worn the band nerd title with pride.  That could be a different blog at a later date.   Yessir, I am looking forward to a future new load of band candy.

Over their spring break they visited our little mansion.  We had several discussions about band instruments.  She must pick one by summer.  Her father wants her to play oboe.  He sees the demand for great oboe players.  She doesn't see it.  I have always that oboe players had problems because of the air pressure they built up behind the reed - y'know, like it blows their brains out the ear lobes.

She talked about clarinet or flute or cornet or....  Her father, a trombonist, nixed that instrument because of the trombone crowd she'd have to be compete with.  Trombonist (in lower grades for sure) seem to enjoy making physical body noises and other classy things.   That is  okay.  She leaned towards the cornet and the flute - which, as you might guess, I owned one of each for her selection.   Saxophone and Drums were nixed too.

I oiled up the King Silverbell and she blew a good strong upper C on the first try (not high C, the other one).  Many starting cornet players have trouble with that.  I always felt this was a good sign for picking potential cornetist.  And, she made a sound on the Gemeinhardt flute.  So often young students have issues understanding how to make a first tone on the flute - they pucker too much.  She had no problem.  Both horns left our town and now reside in Lubbock.  I will be pleased if she picks anything:  even clarinet, trombone, saxophone,  oboe, etc.   No drums.  I wish I could draw a circle here with a slash going through a drum....No Drums.  (If one buys into this idea that young boy trombonist make classy body noises - you should see what drummers can create.)

Let me summarize.  In the Metze Clan, a new generation of band kids begins.  It will be fun for me to watch from a distance.   This past week, she sent me a i-tune type of thing with her playing "Saints" on the piano.  Genius, pure Genius - and I'm not even prejudiced.  Nope, not prejudiced at all

Nuff.  mtz

Malcolm Arnold

short little thing.
The wife and I are signed up for Netflix. We don't always order the newer films. When it arrives, we have a movie night in the living room: her away from quilting & I away from this computer machine.

Tonight we watched a 1954 movie called HOBSON'S CHOICE. It was cute & worthless as many movies are - Charles Laughton did a really good job as the father/drunk/etc.

But what got my attention was the music. It was by Malcolm Arnold. If you are a band guy, you know Malcolm Arnold. And this was typical Arnold music. I would watch the movie again to hear some of the songs. Now how old was Arnold in 1954? m