2002 November Bugle

From the Director…

Mr. Martone chose the following selection for his message this month. Enjoy!

FROM THE BLEACHERS

As the last retreat cadence fades into the distance, a stirring begins within the crowded stadium. At last we can stretch those aching joints which feel rigid from much time being spent in a poised position above the green rectangle. Just as we are about to relax, a new tension begins to engulf us as we think of the judges now busily engaged with the tallying of score sheets. This is an opportunity to remember back a few months earlier.

With the approach of the school year, it is time to stock an inventory of Ben-Gay, band aids, lip balm, ace bandages, and aspirin. It is the time of year that parents become proficient at how to grab an errant rifle before it hits the new lamp, slipping past a waving flag without getting poked in the eye, neatly sidestepping high kicks to avoid an uppercut to the chin, marching to the mailbox with absolute precision, and pretending ignorance in spite of the certainly that the notes assaulting our ears cannot possibly be written on any sheet music. It is preparation time for the marching season.

“Try-out trauma” comes and goes. Eventually a routine settles in - sort of. Dinners are often rearranged, schedules juggled to accommodate practice times, and balanced budgets become unbalanced. By the time field patterns and music nears completion, parents’ nerves are frazzled, teenagers are exhausted and grouchy, and band directors have undergone a personality change from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.

Finally, the first football game half-time show arrives. There is an excitement among the marching members at being able to don their uniforms and display their talent to school friends and families. We parents are fairly bursting with pride and utter relief. And the band director is grimly searching out needed corrections.

Further into the season, competition fever begins to take hold. We have become familiar with all the intricacies of field patterns and sounds. If those patterns or sounds waver, we hope against hope the judges won’t notice. After all, we believe “our kids” are the best. By now our fever has brought on “winning worries.” When we have reached the stage of feeling apprehensive about our applause affecting the judging, it is then time for a good look at what is really important. This is easily accomplished by merely focusing on our own individual member. We have watched this person from the very beginning.

We saw our young person struggling to perfect their own part in the show. We saw them limp to the field, execute a flawless performance, then limp away from the field. We have been witness to a short memory lapse during a performance which left them devastated with embarrassment and us helpless to console. We have been involved with the crisis of a lost glove, a chipped reed, a broken flagpole, or a missing shoe. And, above all, we have heard that never-ending question posed to us, "How did we look tonight?”

Briefly, in our enthusiasm, we almost forgot about the courage required for each and every young person to inhale a deep breath, take the first step onto the field, and march toward our sea of faces; their hard work now being put on the line. And each time, they strive to give us their very best.

To all of the competitors, Congratulations! In a short span of time you, the performers, have taught us an appreciation for music. You have given us a display of coordination, athletic ability and teamwork. You have shown us a courageous spirit in action. And foremost, we thank you for giving us the extra special gift—YOU!

Mom and Dad

President’s Corner

Dear Booster Families:

October has been a very busy and incredibly successful month. I have been providing weekly updates on our competition successes and weekly reminders via email. If you are not receiving them, please let the Band Office know your correct email address. As competitions go, I think most will agree that this past weekend’s success at Valley View has been the sweeeeeeeeeeeeeetest! It all came together and the student’s had self and team satisfaction about their performance. To review our weekend competition scores and weekly recaps you can go to our newly renovated website at www.tohsband.org. Thank you to Jeff Noli, our new Webmaster for taking on this huge task. Thanks also to alum, Steve Friedman, for maintaining the picture link on the website and for helping with equipment at the football games and weekly competitions. We thank another alum, Terry McCallum, who is always helping Mr. Martone and the Band with his expertise in many different areas especially electronics.

Fundraising makes the “band go round.” One of our biggest fundraisers, the TOHS WBA Field Tournament was so successful! Thank you to the over 170 booster families and alumni who volunteered. You saw first hand how great the day was. Thank you for making a difference. Betsy Connolly, our Special Events Tournament Chairperson, and her Tournament Committee made this day possible. Their tireless dedication made the difference. We are so grateful to them.

Thank you to Melody Fouse, our Ways and Means chair, and her helpers, for giving us the opportunity to sell Great Kards and Fresh Holiday Wreaths, trees and centerpieces. These items benefit both the Band and your student accounts. Thank you to those who participated.

Remember, we always have available paper, national and e-scrip that also benefit the band and your student accounts. The holidays are coming and it’s a perfect opportunity to participate. See the scrip update on page four, Mary has a new scrip supplier, Scrip Advantage, that offers even more vendors than before. Thank you to Dorothy Hatfield and Mary Tessendorf, our scrip sellers.

Please plan to join us on Saturday, November 9 for a family picnic and student performance at the TOHS football stadium. We will be providing final details for our trip to Indy. Detailed information regarding this day will follow soon.

Our next Booster Meeting is Tuesday, November 19. We will have just returned from Indy and will be providing details on our trip to State Championships in San Diego.

Before we know it Thanksgiving will be here and we have many people and things to be thankful for. We are blessed to be a part of this awesome organization and to live in a great community. I know we ask a great deal from all of you, money to support the program and then your time to further support the program. I hope that you receive something back in return. The joy of watching your young adults grow, the pleasure of making new friends and being a part of one big family who all care deeply about each other. As parents, I believe, it is our job to help guide our students into adulthood and future chapters in their lives. That is why we are all here.

Thanks for being here. I am thankful for the opportunity to be here with all of you!

Musically yours,

Lynne Phillips

We’re closing in on the “Road to Indy”

With the awesome performance at Valley View are students are poised for great things at the Bands of America Grand National Championships this month. In less than two weeks we will depart for Indianapolis for five days of fun, hard work and excitement. Just a few reminders about the trip. There will be an all day rehearsal and packing session on Saturday, November 9. We will load all of our equipment, props and large instruments on the truck that day. We will have a farewell potluck that day. Betsy Connolly and Nancy Skewes-Cox are organizing this event, expect a phone call from one of them in the near future.

Valley View Recap

Here is a brief recap of the scores from the Valley View Field Tournament. For more details go to the worldofpagentry.com website. You can check out all the competitions’ scores there.

Class AAAA

86.60 –Thousand Oaks—Sweepstakes Award

85.95—Mission Viejo—1st Place

80.55—Gilbert (AZ) - 2nd Place

High Auxiliary, High General Effect and High Music awards all went to Thousand Oaks, High Visual and High Percussion went to Mission Viejo. A couple interesting items of note, last year Gilbert went to Bands of America and placed 27th. Gilbert is also performing the same music as we are this year.

The uniform crew and preppers where in a great position on Saturday night to see the reaction of the students after their performance. Here are just a few comments from some of the kids:

Sean Cohen: “I was able to play the parts tonight that I usually have trouble with. It was just so great.”

Gina Barukh: “That was my best performance ever!”

Before they performed, Sarah Williamson, “I just want to win tonight!”

David Feldman, on his performance, “I got it right tonight!”

Mr. Martone: “You performed like a national band tonight!”

Alum mom, Lee Lorensten: “I’ve never seen them perform that well!”

PACKING LIST for Indy

Start planning now for the items that your student will need for the trip to Indianapolis. Listed below are the things they should include when packing:

~Alternate shirt, black pants, alternate jacket or letterman

~Black marching shoes and black socks

~Undergarments– we suggest long underwear and warm pant

~T-shirts - black, you may want two of these

~Sweatshirts or sweaters

~Warm jacket as we will be outdoors for practice on Thursday and Friday

~Hats - knit and alternate baseball hat

~Scarves and gloves may come in very handy-especially the gloves.

~Comfortable shoes/boots - it may be cold and damp outside, remember we are marching two days outside

~Warmers - little packets you buy in a ski store or Walmart for cold weather-for gloves and shoes

~Rain gear just in case - umbrellas, waterproof jackets

~Socks - lots of them

It will be very important to layer while we are there. Better to have too many layers than not enough. It will be dropping to 32 degrees at night. Questions? Call Shari Smith.

State Championships in San Diego

WBA state championships take place in San Diego at Southwestern College, 900 Otay Lake Road, Chula Vista, 91910, the weekend of November 22-24. We will leave TOHS on Friday, November 22 at 12 noon and return on Sunday afternoon around 2pm. Tickets will be available for $15 at Southwestern College the day of the performance. Preliminary competition is in the afternoon and finals are in the evening. The ticket is good all day

Band Hotline 805-435-4331

While we are in Indianapolis and San Diego we will have the Hotline available the entire time we are gone. You can call the Hotline anytime during the day and night and find out the latest update on our scores and activities. Voice mail provide by Adelphia Page Time.

A New Look for Scrip

It’s NEW and here in time for the gift giving season! It’s Scrip Advantage. Take a look at all the new scrip that is available...Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Exxon, Mobil, Shell and Union 76, Von’s, Jo-Ann Fabric...just to name a few. Something not listed that you want?? Ask Mary and she will try and find it for you! A new order form is enclosed.

Arco can still be ordered from National Scrip but we must order $1000 at a time. An order will be submitted when we have accumulated the needed amount.

Please have your order to Mary Tessendorf by Tuesday morning via the Band Office White Box or by dropping it off at the box in front of her home, (this is the most direct way). December 10 will be the last date to order before winter break. Please order your gift scrip early to avoid disappointment due to back ordering by Scrip Advantage.

Purchasing scrip is an easy and painless way to put FREE money in to your student’s account. Tell your friends, family and neighbors we now have Von’s scrip. Scrip makes a wonderful corporate gift, raffle prize or teacher gift. How about buying a bit of Marriot scrip each week and then taking the family on that well deserved vacation after marching season. Or call Merry Maids to dig out the family room or use Service Master Home Service scrip to clean the carpet ...you’ll get a sparkling clean house and 8% of what you spend goes in your account. Please call Mary for more information!

Honor Band Application Deadlines Approaching

Mrs. Martone has put applications for Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association (SCSBOA) Honor Bands outside of the Band Office door. If your student is interested in trying out for one of these prestigious honor bands they should complete the application right away. SCSBOA sponsors three honor bands: middle school (this includes ninth grade, that is why we have this application), postmark deadline is November 8; high school, postmark deadline is November 27 and jazz ensembles, postmark deadline is November 22. Applications require the director’s endorsement.

The California Band Directors Association also sponsors an All-State High School Honor Band. Applications must be postmarked by

December 1. Please check both applications carefully for audition requirements. There have been changes from last year. Need more details? Talk to Mrs. Martone in the Band Office.

TO Field Tournament Declared Big Success!

Betsy Connolly, tournament chair, and the entire Booster Executive Board extend a big thanks to all for the hard work and planning on the part of a host of volunteers that made this year's tournament a success on many fronts.

¯ Preliminary figures indicate that over $6,000 was raised.

¯ We had virtually 100% family volunteer participation.

¯ Directors and Judges were delighted with the accommodations and the hospitality extended to them.

¯ Band members were provided with convenient facilities.

¯ Spectators enjoyed wonderful performances and great food.

Betsy would like to say a special thank you to the planning committee members. You took control of your areas, made decisions and acted on those decisions while treating each other and our guests in the most exceptional manner. The success of this tournament is your success. What an outstanding job!

SEE’S CANDY

ALWAYS AVAILABLE

Supplement your student account by selling See’s Candy. Every box you sell means $12 for your account. See Mrs. Martone for details.

Dinner Dance

February 1, 2003

The annual dinner/dance has been scheduled for Saturday, February 1. Please start thinking about possible donations that your family can make. We need new, unused items or donations from area businesses and we would like to have a donation from every family. The Jazz Band will be playing that evening also. So mark your calendars now, you won’t want to miss this evening of entertainment and fun!

Friday, November 1

Rehearsal 1-4:30pm

Dinner 5pm, Football Game 7pm

Wednesday, November 6

Booster Executive Board Meeting

7:30pm

Wednesday, November 13-

Sunday, November 17

BANDS OF AMERICA

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

Tuesday, November 19

Booster Meeting

7:30pm