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 :)

Competition Season!

Hello ! So this upcoming week is going to be busy, but super fun if everyone is prepared and willing to work! We will continue to clean our show for fuquay and hopefully have a great performance saturday night. Just a few reminders, Homecoming/ Rookie Night will be this friday, so that will mean an early arrival time, so make sure to prepare you schedule accordingly. Saturday will most like be an early afternoon arrival time, and i'm sure an itinerary will be sent out soon. Everyone's squad leader should have recieved a football game/ compeition checklist (made by the lovely Cecily McClear) and if you would like a copy of said checklist, just talk to your squad leader or myself. Make sure to be passing off your music, and keep practicing guys!!!! I'm so excited for this season, and I hope all of you are too!

And we're off!

Hey Guys,
First of all, thank you all for an awesome band camp! I really think this season can be great, and its up to all of you guys to make it that way! If everybody can really make an effort to learn your dots, fill in your dot book, have your dot book at EVERY rehearsal, and practice their parts then we will have no problem being successful. I'm really proud of you guys, especially in the "BAM" block. Keep up that enthusiasm and we'll be perfect. By the way we were totally louder than the brass ;)
Just a few reminders, we have rehearsal from 4-9 on Tuesday and Thursday ( August 10th and 12th) and will have Tuesday and Thursday rehearsals until school starts. Please come ready to work hard and learns lots of drill! Also the car wash is this coming Saturday, August 14th, and is a lot of fun!
I don't know about you guys but the talent show was AMAZING! Thank you to all of the woodwinds that participated (and even those who didn't, you were a great audience)
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the sax-o-flies. You guys were super creative!