And the Winners.....!

Last night was the second annual Pasadena Unified School District Band Fest. The four high schools presented their 2010 marching/pep band shows on the field at Pasadena High School. I love this event. Having never played in a marching band myself, I am always in awe of the kids out there playing their instruments while moving around the field into various formations.Last year's show was notable for happening at all, and it was a joy to see all the schools in one place. Last night's show exhibited bigger groups and better musicianship and is, I hope, a harbinger of years to come.

One of the reasons I like this show so much is that I get to see some of my "winners" from years past. For me, the endgame is to get a music student successfully plugged into a high school program. When this happens, I consider it a "mission accomplished" and feel high levels of satisfaction. At least four of the students in the PHS marching band are products of my programs. I love to see them in their cool uniforms, completely in control of their instruments, participating in what will be a memory-making event in their high school careers.



PHS Cirque du Soleil Field Show- Music arranged by David Miller!

 Last night one of my current eighth graders appeared in the stands with her dad. She's a clarinet player who has been a consistent, if somewhat lackadaisical, member of her school ensemble since the third grade. Her dad couldn't stay, and didn't want her there unsupervised, so she asked if she could sit with my husband and me. She's a busy kid: Tae-Kwon-Do, Japanese school and Art classes all compete for her free time. She never practices her clarinet, though keeps up with the demands of our orchestra music at school. I was happy to have a chance to hang with her. She really enjoyed seeing kids she knew from our orchestra in the band, and when the show was over, I asked her if she thought she would want to do that next year, to which she enthusiastically replied, "YES!" In my mind, I made a little check mark in

the Winners' column.

I reminded her that her attendance at the Band Fest was worth 100 minutes of logged practice time (toward a goal of 500 minutes for which she will receive a certificate worth $2.00 at our local music store) and that she can also earn those minutes by actually PRACTICING. This is a standing joke conversation between us: I say "why don't you take your clarinet home and play it?" and she always says, "I don't have time to play it".  I imagine she could actually go from being an adequate clarinetist to being a superstar, if she spent any time on it at home. This time she giggled when I made my usual pitch, and for the first time in two years replied that she WILL practice, once her art classes are over at the end of this month. Ka-chingggg!