Countdowns, Countdowns

Whatup Woodwinds?
Hope you're all doing well this evening... or this afternoon, or morning, or whenever you happen to be reading this.
For this week, there's not really that much to report on... just kidding! GUESS WHAT?!?! IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR BAND !


yeah.. I really like cheesy pictures :)

But just for your excitement, enthusiasm, and enjoyment:
COUNTDOWN TO BAND CAMP: 16 DAYS
COUNTDOWN TO DCI: 19 DAYS
and, for your enlightenment (yes... another e word):
WE'RE HAVING A WOODWIND PAR-TAY. hey hey hey hey. The party will be hosted by our lovely and beautiful piccolo section leader, Olivia Boorom (whom you met in earlier posts), and will include, if I'm not mistaken, a very very very large amount of pasta. So,
COUNTDOWN TO PUMP-UP PARTY: 15 DAYS (and I better see all of you there.)
[check the woodwinds facebook page for details, and ask Olivia, your section/squad leader, or myself if you have questions!]

Now, moving on. As I was wandering around Staples today, it occurred to me that we need quite a lot of office supplies for band. Yes, office supplies. Vets know what I'm talking about... the drill books, the dot books, the page protectors, the highlighters... the list goes on and on. Rookies, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you will learn! :) :) :) Traditionally, it has been the SQUAD LEADER'S responsibility to provide these items for their squadlings, but I know some sections like to do it a little differently, which is perfectly fine. Just check in with your sections and section leaders to make sure that everyone is on the same page with this, and that all members of the section are covered. I'm not saying you need these items IMMEDIATELY, but, like I said, it was something I hadn't thought about until today and I thought might be helpful reminder for you all (shout-out to Paige Shaffer for making me think about all this logistical business while I was in Staples).

Other than that, here comes the typical DRINK WATER, GET MOVING, AND KEEP PRACTICING announcement!
By now, you could probably recite this little speech for me! But, nevertheless, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start drinking water NOW! As Jon Swofford will tell you, your hydration during band camp depends on what you drink before you even show up to the school on July 27th! So please do yourself a favor and lay off the sugary drinks. :) Also, it's a super good idea to start getting used to the heat. I know I'm outside everyday at work, and even at 9 am (prime technique block time!) it's still really really hot!!! Get moving guys! You're hard working athletes now, ;) and, you're hard working musicians! So work on that CHAOS, and practice your scales, and just play some random stuff to get reacquainted with your instruments (they've missed you since school let out and you stopped playing them everyday ;).

Alrighty! Well I guess that's all... WAIT! Hah, you thought I forgot...

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ MEET MARY! ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫



Name: Mary Mai Kasper
Section: Alto Saxes!
Favorite color: Depends on the day
Least favorite food: Chili:(
Favorite Harry Potter Character: Tom Felton (NOT Draco Malfoy)
Interesting fact: My clothes always have to match; that includes my jammies and slippers.

Okay, bye woodwinds! Enjoy the Harry Potter Premiere this week! :D
Love, Sarah

A Midsummer Night's Blog Post

Happy Fourth of July, Woodwinds!
I hope you're all at the beach or somewhere else lovely watching wonderful fireworks right now. YAY!


If you're not... here's a firework shaped like a music note. Bet you don't see that everyday :)
...and speaking of BAND:

MUSIC IS POSTED! WHOHOOO!
I know you all already know this (shout-out to Fariha for being the first one to find it... that's what I'm talking about) and I hope that you've all printed it out and have started working on it! (If you have not done so, it's posted on the band website under MUSIC). It is FAST... and will probably be the most challenging part of our show as far as marching and playing technique is concerned. With that being said, let's memorize this thing!!! :D
Also, continue work on your basic scales... just a helpful little hint: you'll be playing them a lot :)

DCI IS ALMOST HERE! The start of July means we're even CLOSER to this awesome experience I've been going on and on about for several posts now. It's not too late to sign up though! Get your tickets, get your tickets! It's going to be ridiculous, I pinky promise. :)

T-SHIRT RUMORS:
Alright... so I know that the brass section has been talking about making an overall brass section t-shirt, and I wanted to just let everyone know that this does not make them better than us. Yes, we do have a little healthy competition between the brass and the woodwinds, but, as we all know, woodwinds kick brass, every time. SO, for t-shirts, we have decided to make INDIVIDUAL section shirts, which will be headed by SECTION LEADERS, instead of an overall woodwind shirt. This will give us the opportunity to promote more section pride as well as overall woodwind spirit, and will be better than the brass' lame shirts. (Just kidding, theirs will be pretty cool too. :) Anyways, talk it up amongst your sections, bounce some ideas around, and let's get this thing going! Just remember that everything you chose to go on this shirt must be SCHOOL APPROPRIATE... and nice.
HAVE FUN!

OTHER REMINDERS:
Don't forget to start conditioning for band camp! Get outside and get used to the heat, and especially get used to moving in it. Drink LOTS of water, too! We don't want anyone on the sidelines this year!!
Also, enjoy a few freeze-pops if you'd like. Taste every flavor and find your favorite one (mine's yellow). It's crucial to band camp enjoyment :)

Oh, and I almost forgot...

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ MEET CHRISTIAN! ♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫



Name: Christian Thomas Sutherland
Section: Clarinets!
Favorite Color: Carolina Blue
Least Favorite Food: probably pork chops. gross.
Favorite Harry Potter Character: none of the above....i dont really like harry potter. Don't hate.
Interesting Fact: I'm always hungry.

Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone! See you here next week :)
Love, Sarah

Belated Update!

Hi everyone!
I'm so sorry about the lack of updating recently, I started work last week and suddenly my summer became a whole lot crazier. To make up for it, here's an adorable picture of a turtle mailing a card. He's pretty cute right? Yeah... I tried. HOWEVER, I will get back on the weekly posts, because I know you all just love band blogs so much<3.

So, first order of business:
We're about a month away from the DCI TRIP!! It's on July 30th, we're taking a bus down to Atlanta, and I want to see ALL of my lovely woodwind players there. That would make it even more fabulous! :) Get excited whoop whoop!!

Also, I've received a TON of emails and texts lately concerning the music. I promise, I'm doing everything I can to see if we can get it posted, but at this point, we're just waiting on parts to be finalized! Keep checking the blog, and the website, to see if anything's gone up yet, but when I know for sure I'll send a message down through section leaders/squad leaders etc. so that everyone can get it! When this does happen, PLEASE start practicing! It'll be really helpful when band camp comes around if we all have a head start on the music.
For now though, PRACTICE YOUR SCALES! Muscle memory is your friend!! :)
COUNTDOWN TO BAND CAMP: 30 DAYS (YAY!)

Other than that, PLEASE be sure you're getting outside (it is HOT!) and walking around! Take your ipod, pick a song, and try to walk to the beat around your neighborhood! It's cool, I promise. :) When you get back from your walk, DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Those roo cups are nice, I know, but really, sugary slurpees won't help you much in two hour technique blocks.

and nowwww..... (drumroll please).

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ MEET PAIGE! ♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪



Name: Paige Elizabeth Shaffer
Section: FLUTES!
Favorite Color: PURPLE
Least Favorite Food: hahahh uhhhh...anything slimy or stinky i don't really know. i don't like jello! ew gross.
Favorite Harry Potter Character: Luna Lovegood.
Interesting Fact: ummmmm gosh i have no clue! im not interesting.
(yes she is! Paige loves anything that sparkles. Like Ke$ha, but with more class.)

Alright guys! That's all for today :) Tune in next week for more fun woodwind updates! :)
Love,
Sarah

Meet Your Section Leaders!

Hey everyone! I hope you're all settled into summer mode by now and having a wonderful time! :)
Just a few quick announcements for today, and then we'll get to the fun stuff!

CLARINETS:
Your AMAZING section leader has arranged for you guys to have your first section meeting! YAY!
It will be on June 30th, 5-8 pm at Christian Sutherland's house (he'll be sending out directions to you all personally). Everyone PLEASE try to be there! I know it's summer and you're all really busy, but section bonding is so so important! Plus, knowing Christian, there will be lots of food, so there's some motivation. ;)
***NOTE: Christian has also asked for everyone to please bring $2 for pizza!!***

DCI DCI DCI!
I know I've mentioned it in every post, but if you haven't already signed up, you should! It really benefits our band by providing a standard for marching and playing technique, and helps so much with motivation for band camp! Plus, I've heard some of the show concepts for this year, and they are AWESOME. I promise you will not regret going, so please sign up!
(July 30th, mark your calendars!)

SQUAD LEADERS:
You all should have your contact information by now (and if you don't, your section leaders do) so start making your phone calls and making connections! You all are our most direct line of communication, which basically makes you awesome! Keep up the good work guys! :D

MUSIC:
Keep checking the website for marching band music! It should be going up pretty soon, and it would be really impressive if we could show up on the first day of band camp and already be familiar with it! I'll let you know for sure when it comes out, but be on the lookout!

And finally, we get to the fun part. This is a little running segment I like to call:
"MEET THE MOST AMAZING SECTION LEADERS IN PANTHER CREEK HISTORY"
...catchy, right? But in all honesty, these guys are cream of the crop. Top notch. A+. Ridiculous. Best of the best... you get the picture. We are so lucky this year to have such fantastic leaders, so I figured you guys might want to learn a little bit more about them! First up, we have our piccolos. So, without further ado...

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ MEET OLIVIA! ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫



Name: Olivia Ann Boorom
Favorite Color: Blue
Least Favorite Food: Onions (icky)
Favorite Harry Potter Character: A tie between Dobby and George
Interesting Fact: I'm allergic to many things. That little sea horse from Finding Nemo that's H2O intolerant? He basically describes my life. Oh, and I'm in love with my stuffed elephant named Elephant.

Well, that's all for today! Keep checking the blog guys! :)
Love, Sarah

Summer!

Pool-time, sleeping late, and lovely summer fun!
[...with lots of woodwind friends of course.] :)

Hey woodwinds!
I know, you're all having amazing summer breaks right now, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't forget to check the woodwind blog on at least a weekly basis! All the cool kids are doing it, I promise.

BREAKING NEWS!

DCI IS FAST APPROACHING! Most corps only have a couple weeks until their first shows, which means TOUR IS ABOUT TO START! WHOHOOOO!!!!!
If you don't know what Drum Corps is, watch this enlightening video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bX_DlPQd9Os
Basically, it's marching band at its best, and you DON'T want to miss out on the chance to see it, no wait, experience it, first hand.
(Helpful hint, PCHSMB is GOING to a DCI show in ATLANTA! on JULY 30th! YAY! here's the link to sign up:
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1105463465849-10/Band+Letter+DCI+show+2011.pdf
you should really really think about going! we want to see YOU there! :)

In other news, this week we said goodbye to our seniors :(
Playing at graduation was fun, but saying goodbye was sad for the band!
WE'LL MISS YOU SENIORS!

Also, COUNTDOWN TO BAND CAMP: 44 DAYS!
Everyone, PLEASE be sure you're staying hydrated!!! It is HOT HOT HOT outside, and Jon will be the first to tell you that drinking lots of water is KEY to band camp success. Get outside, get moving, and get gulping!

Final news: stay connected! Everyone should be getting a call/email/facebook message from their squad leader very soon! If you're not receiving any of these things, there's a problem! These squad leaders should be able to answer any questions you may have, but if not, section leaders surely will be able to! Just to re-cap, your section leaders are:
Piccolos- Olivia Boorom
Flutes- Paige Shaffer
Clarinets- Christian Sutherland
Alto Saxes- Mary Kasper
Low WW- Genevieve Levert
You'll learn more about them in upcoming posts, so stay tuned! ;)

Have a great week everyone!
Love, Sarah

Woodwinds 2011 !

The 2010 Flute and Piccolo Section. We'll miss you, seniors!

COUNTDOWN TO BAND CAMP: 49 DAYS

Hey Woodwinds!
It's my first blog update!
I hope you're getting excited for a GREAT marching season! I can't wait to get started :)

But before we get there, we still have a few things to wrap up for the 2010-2011 school year:

First things first: GRADUATION!
All Panther Creek Band students are required to play for graduation. You need to be AT Panther Creek by 1:30 on Saturday, June 11, with your instrument and in concert attire!
Keep in mind that we will be carrying only instruments (not cases) on the activity busses. You will leave cases and other large belongings at the school!
It's so important that we make graduation special for our seniors! They've done so much for us, our school, and our band program, and they deserve to be recognized for that. Be sure to keep practicing your music! We need to represent the PC Band well at all times!

Next: CLEAN-UP !
It's the end of the year, which means that those dirty, smelly, and sweaty marching band shoes/clothes need to be cleaned out of band room lockers, and taken home (or thrown away?). We all know how disgusting that locker area can get if it's not taken care of, and we want our band room looking lovely for the first day of band camp!
Also, be sure to take your LOCKS off of your lockers and take them home for the summer.

and one final announcement: DCI MONEY!
Our band's trip to Atlanta for the Drum Corps International show (Saturday, July 30) is SO important! I've been for the past two years and it's incredible to see, AND it's open to everyone! Band students, friends, family, PC alumni, and ESPECIALLY rising ninth graders! To reserve your spot, print out this form,
http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1105463465849-10/Band+Letter+DCI+show+2011.pdf>
and send it in to the band boosters address listed there along with your payment. PLEASE consider going! We have three current Panther Creek Students marching with various drum corps this year, as well as one PC alum, and it would be awesome to have a large group to support them!

I'll be updating this blog frequently over the summer with announcements and other fun things, so be sure to stay tuned!
Also, if you have not already, you should be hearing from your Section Leaders and Squad Leaders about upcoming band camp news, which is always exciting. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! My email is sarahmorton232@aol.com, and I'm here to help!

I hope you all have a fantastic last day of school, and be sure to start drinking lots of water! :)

Love,
Sarah Morton
(2011 Woodwind Captain)

USSBA!

Hey Guys,

Last one guys. almost done... tear :( Let's make it worth the months and months, and rehearsals in 100 degree weather, the rainy days where the field was a mess, the stinky band room, the tennis shoes that were once clean and pretty but now are covered in softball field nastiness, the breathing blocks, everything guys, let's do it. We can, it just takes 100% buy in and contribution from every one of you. I want the run on Sunday to be the one that you remember years and years from now. All it takes is being prepared and focused on Sunday.
Now that all that sentimental stuff is out of the way, lets get down to logistics.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
- your INSTRUMENT!
- Dinkles
- White Gloves (preferably multiples pairs because it will be chilly!)
- Black socks
- "RED" show shirt (and other clothing that will fit and keep you warm under the uniform NO HOODIES!)
- Ladies (and some men) things to fix your hair so that NO hair touches the uniform, hairbands, hairspray, skull caps...etc.
- Athletic Shorts (or pants)
- movies for the bus ride and any other things to keep you occupied
- a pillow and or blanket
- pajamas and anything else you may need for the hotel
- clothes for Monday
- money for lunch on Sunday and Monday

I believe that it is. if there is anything I've forgotten please tell me and I will fix it!

Thank you all for a wonderful season, I couldn't have asked for a better senior year and I have all of you to thank for that :) I will miss all of you next year!
<3 always, Mary

p.s. I found it only appropriate that I end the season with this picture :)