Catching Up...

It's the end of the quarter, and almost all of my grading is done. I have two projects on my desk to grade in the morning, and then I'll be all set.

All four bands seem to be in good shape for the concert Tuesday night. I feel like the concert groups are peaking at just the right time. Certain passages that have always been struggles are now falling into place, and there are some hints of glorious brass sounds at times in the SB and WE. Let's hope that the good work in rehearsal and at home continue for the next six days so we can have a positive culmination to the last 9 weeks worth of work.

The Warrior Marching Band finished the season in grand fashion. We accompanied the football team to their first round playoff game in the city. It was a very interesting setting--the field was a mud pit after a week of rain, much like our home turf probably would have been. The field was surrounded on the sidelines by bleachers (no running track) and in the endzones by the school building to the south, and a street and apartment building to the north. Field goals went on roofs and threatened to break windows. Just across the parking lot behind the home stands was a very busy L-train stop. To quote the Blues Brothers, "How often does the train go by? So often that you won't even notice it."

Our band played from the stands, reveling in the fact that we weren't being rained on (although it was cold and blustery). The opposing team's band was quite small due to their having a day off from school. Their director played along on trumpet, and it was fun to hear their pride. Unfortunately, we heard their fight song way too many times and ours not enough. By the end, we were beaten soundly. But, as always, we had our own fun.

My dissertation is going along well. My survey of Illinois and Wisconsin high school band directors is in its third week. I'm hoping for one last surge of responses to provide a deeper pool of data, but at a video conference tonight with my online peers, our supervisor told me that the 250 responses I have so far will probably be plenty. I'm at about a 22% response rate, and I think that's fairly respectable for an internet survey. 30% would make me feel better, but I think I'm in good shape. Once the questionnaire closes on 11/15, I'll have about four weeks to analyze the data for a presentation I'll be doing at a regional seminar in Chicago in late December. This will be good because it will get me moving on it right away instead of letting my research grow cold over the holidays. I'll share more over the coming weeks.

And because every blog should include some music for you to enjoy, I leave you with a taste of the Scott Joplin ragtime unit we'll be doing in SB and WE:

The Entertainer - William Albr...

And, just to show you that ragtime music is not dead, here is some contemporary ragtime by a Chicago composer/pianist, Reginald R. Robinson:

Lightning Strikes Twice - Regi...