A Memorial to a Great Man...

"Extra work is the key to life"

Yesterday I found out that the man that had founded and lead the camp I attended to become a better drum major, passed away suddenly on Thursday from a heart attack very close to where I live. I couldn't believe it when I heard it, and if I had to compare it to coming, it would be when I found out that Steve Irwin had died. Both figures seemed untouchable in my mind, but for different reasons

It's a surreal experience for me, because I had just met George this summer at the camp, and while the camp itself was very difficult to get through, at the end of the day, he always had a speech that would make me smile. He would teach us a lesson in a way that we could understand. He taught us how a real leader should act, and the thing is, even though he never yelled at us, we listened! My other teachers continually tore me down, but he would build us all back up.

No one knows what will happen to the Drum Major Academy without him. Will it just end? I mean, his name is in the camp! The George N. Parks Drum Major Academy! It's his brain child! I've never met a man more passionate for band, or a man that could have inspired so many young people in the short life he lived. They said the cause of death was a heart attack. I guess his was just too big.

"Starred thought: life never was worth it until you've inspired at least one person"

Well, his life had more worth than many people more famous than him.

I try to think of the UMass band, his band, which he had been traveling with when he died. They slept in a high school gym, and when they did reach their destination, the Michigan band played their Alma Mater in his honor.

I don't really know how else I can describe George, only knowing him for 4 days, and I'm not used to writing stories about death. It's a shame. I guess George can describe himself.

"You know how there is a football captain, basketball captain, and cheerleading captain, just to name a few? You are a drum MAJOR! YOU OUTRANK ALL OF THEM!!!"

"Did you want to be drum major to make the band better?To be a leader?

LAIR!!!
You want the uniform and for everyone to say your name!"

"If you have to tear someone down, you need to build them back up."

" 'I am the field commander; Field...GROW' "

"When things get tough, get good."

"Raise your right hand has high as you can. Now go two inches higher. THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR LIFE"

"How many of you didn't think that a George Parks was actually going to teach you this week?" *raises hand* 

Every self respecting leprechaun has a beard, but that guy doesn't! *points to Lucky from Lucky Charms* I went through college, and I decided to shave my beard, and HE shows up! I feel like I should say 'Detail: Present CHARMS' !"

"Give me your eyes!"

"Detail, sparkle HUT"

Now he may seem like a total cynic, but all these quotes were in good fun, to make us realize who we really are as field commanders/drum majors. I'm honored to have been taught by him this year, and I hope his legacy lives on forever in all the people he influenced.

 

Ahh! Forgot to Post!

Wow! I was so bored yesterday after school, and yet I didn't blog anything! Well, I have a legit excuse (yes, legit. I don't say it often, but it slips). Yesterday was our final band concert of the year! That is, unless you count graduation, but that's not our showcase, plus, it's SOOO BORING. I hate graduation, because it depresses me, at least it did last year. I see all of these people going onto another part of their lives and becoming successful, while I'm just doing NOTHING with my life. But I'm trying to change that. 

Anyways, last night was the band concert, and we had a great program. The concert band did an awesome job and the symphonic band killed it, sometimes in the good sense and sometimes in the bad. We played 5 songs: Timestorm, Disney Blockbusters, Space and Beyond (Star Wars, Star Trek and The Planets), Pie Jesu (pronouced Pee-ay Yee-sue Dx) and Phantom of the Opera. I think Phantom was my favorite. In the middle, one of our members had to scream, and then a girl in the concert band in the audience screamed back. It was like an echo, but different tones and I just wanted to laugh. Someone always seems to scream at these concerts. Two years ago, as a freshman, the concert band did a song called "Electricity" and at one part, all the lights in the auditorium go off at once, and one girl screamed. It made us laugh in the dark. 

Tonight though, was the band banquet, a time when most of the band, colorguard and their parents, come together for a night of food and recognition. We get to cheer with our friends, wish off the seniors, and get pepped up for a new year ahead. Awards were given to outstanding people in each class, amazing seniors and to a junior for a senior picture package (too bad the girl was already a rep for another company!) Anyways, there was a lot of happiness and fun in the room, and it was nice getting cheers after being so shy for so long. I've been coming out of my shell with this wonderful group of people, through the hard times and the bad, and I just hope to make it an even better and more enjoyable group of people, as the head field commander and now historian on the Council! It was bittersweet though. All of my friends got on council except for my best friend in the whole wide world, who has wanted it for years. My other friends just want it for a college resume, and she wanted it because she loves the band, and I hate how she felt and looked after the whole thing. She's such a happy, bubbly and amazing person, and I hate to see her upset. I hope I can do something, anything to help her out.


I'm looking forward to a hopefully awesome senior year with the band kids, and hope that everything plays out well! (haha, band pun)


Happy Blogging!
-Devon

It's our senior year and will be closure for our marching band experience

                     -Katherine Smith

Clarinet Chaos

Seven years ago, I took the step in middle school to join the fifth grade band with about a million other people, and me, being so lucky, was chosen to play clarinet with about 20 others. My two best friends across the street played clarinet, and I wanted to too! Little did I know what a hassle it would be for me now a junior in high school. (almost a senior, can't forget that!) Last week, we received our audition music for next year, something new. Usually, we don't do auditions for concert band until after marching band, but my band director finally decided that this would be better because it better shows our playing abilities and some people don't play the same instrument in marching band as they do in concert band. That KILLED me this past year. It was my first year as a drum major/field commander/student director and therefore, I didn't play my instrument for about....5 months. I went down six chairs placements, from 5th chair and playing 2nd part, to 11th...last...playing 3rd. Now for all of you who aren't familiar with all these band terms, even though the directors say that's not the case, chair placements show one's proficiency within the band. First chair is the best player in the band, and last chair is the "worst". Also, there are first, second and third parts, with the first part being the hardest and the third part being the "easiest". While still in the top band, being last chair made me feel horrible, so I signed up for lessons to prevent this next year.

Lessons were awful. I'm a very sensitive person, and I was on some major hormone pills, which made it all the worst. Every Wednesday (pretty much) my mom would drive me out to my teacher's house, and we'd play. I'd feel horrible about my lack of ability, because he would always play complicated pieces from memory, and he taught the best 3 players, as well as the only freshman in the top band. Here I was, a junior, last chair, while the top player was a junior and had only been playing the instrument for a year. Yeah, I felt like crap, often having to hide tears. We stopped the lessons after about 2 months, and I felt even worse when I was called a quitter. Part of me wants to go back, now that I'm a bit more chill, but another just says "save your mom's money." After all, I'm only going to be in band for one more year, since I probably won't play in college.

So now, I'm wetting my new reed and getting ready to practice my music. The chromatic scale is going to kill me, because I never learned it all the way up and down, while other people just zip up and down the whole thing. I feel like I should ask for help, but when? Yeah, it's just a huge fiasco, and hopefully I won't feel as emotional and crappy once I get my destined last chair once more. I hate being pessimistic, I really do, but it just slips out sometimes. I hope I don't get last chair, because we're graduating five seniors in the section, but we're also getting a bunch of kick butt freshman apparently, and there are a bunch of soon to be juniors and a soon to be senior in the other band that have a change to come up. I just gotta work at it! Tryouts are the week after Memorial Day, wish me luck!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

I look at my clarinet sometimes and I think, I wonder what's going to come out of there tonight? You never know.

                                    -Acker Bilk