The hills are alive!!

Zayn, Nathan, ______, ________, Corrina, ________, Tim, Bre, ________, Carly, Will, Ryan, Braedon and Mr. Todd.

Last year Ryan participated in his first year of All City County Honors band.  We were so proud of him!  7th grade is the earliest you can participate on the Middle School level.  Now that he is a Freshman in high school, he will compete on the high school level this upcoming year.  Assuming he is invited to participate.  Somehow I missed posting this back in January when it actually happened.  As always, we continue to be so proud of Ryan's musical accomplishments!!

This is the program that was given out to each person who came in to watch the performance.  The Honors band is comprised of middle school students throughout our area.  The four middle schools within our county and the middle schools of Harrisonburg City Schools and a local private school are included.  There are only a certain amount of kids who can participate from each school as there are only a certain amount of kids who can participate in the program.  It is quite an honor to make it at all.

This year when I opened up my program, as I got to my seat, I noticed that Ryan's name was listed first in the percussion section.  My son made "First Chair" Honors Band!  This is huge!  The chair you receive determines your level.  If you are first chair, you are the best of the ones you are seated with.  Second chair is the second best and so on.  6 schools.  He made first chair!  And the person who appointed him first chair, never met him before the first of the two days they spend at Honors Band.  So proud!!

At the same moment I realized he was first chair, the father of the kid who is listed just below Ryan's name (also a Ryan and second chair) happened to ask me if Ryan was part of District Band this year.  District Band is something that you also try out for, but the judges can't see you or know who you are.  They are not aware of your talent and what you could do up to the district band competition.  Therefore if you don't practice like you should, you basically have no chance of making it regardless how talented you are.  The student who belongs to the father who asked me, made "First Chair" for district band.  Ryan made "First Chair" for Honors band.  In front of the district band kid.  Ryan tried out for district band, but only practiced the song one time before going in to audition.  Needless to say, he didn't make it.  However, he made first chair over the kid who made first chair district.  This leads me to believe that he most certainly could have made first chair district if he had practiced.  He is so used to not needing to practice too often because this stuff comes so easily to him.  He will just hear something and just get it after a few times of playing it.  So he really didn't think he would need to practice until the very last minute.  Then it was too late.  Oh well, there is always this upcoming year.  He will make both I know it!!!

I am guessing he gets this talent from my Uncle Bill.  Mike and I have NO musical talent what so ever!!  :) 

All in the Family???

The band director at Elkton Middle School is so amazing!  He has worked so hard to build the music program at EMS and now works with the ERHS director and they collectively attempt to grow the program in both schools.  It is working!  The middle school director went to the different elementary feeder schools last year to work with the 5th graders.  This was in hopes that they would decide to join band.  The kids who were a little uncertain if they wanted to be in band, but knew they didn't want to have it as their elective, he offers a primetime class (all students have a primetime during the lunch shifts) where the students could do a little playing of an instrument and get a taste of it.


Emily and Lydia decided to take Mr. Todd's primetime this year, but for some reason Lydia didn't end up with it.  I never understood that, but Lydia ended up being ok with it so I didn't rock the boat and try to move her. As a result of the Primetime class, Emily participated in the winter concert this year.  It was Mid-December 2016.  She just played one song and she only played two notes on her trombone, but she was in it.  Mr. Todd used some 8th graders to help with this particular band as there was not a tremendous amount of experience.  So, Ryan and Emily ended up being on the stage at the same time.  I was not fortunate enough to be able to get them in a picture together (on stage), but a picture of each one of them.  I wondered, as I sat there watching them, if Emily realizes how good Ryan actually is.  I don't know that Ryan realizes his potential either.

 I think this is Ryan during the 7th and 8th grade portion of the concert and not the 6th grade one with Emily.  Below is a picture of Ryan and Tim. Tim is our neighbor and we carpool with his family from band practices.  He is also part of the ERHS Marching Band and his sister was part of the Color Guard.

Emily is still undecided on band.  She likes it, but it is not a strength.  She didn't catch on quickly like her brother.  Part of it is simply she doesn't get the playing time he did his first year, but part of it is there are other electives she wants to do a little more.  Who knows, maybe she will spread her musical wings again sometime.

Raising Band Money

As you know from prior posts, Ryan is a member of the East Rockingham High School Marching Band.  He really loves it and is really good at it!  The arts don't get the money that athletics do so they often have to have fund raisers to be able to grow their program.  ERHS has an agreement with one of our local BINGO halls to have the band members prepare and serve food for the BINGO night and the school gets a portion of the earnings for that night.  It often helps the band get about $300 once a month.  It's really great and great for the kids to volunteer!  It is my understanding that the same people often volunteer over and over again and there is not a lot of parents who are willing to volunteer with or without their kids.  It is unfortunate that more people don't help.  I have volunteered a few times and take Ryan with me when I do.  It is really good for him and the money is being raised for his particular activity.


Prior to this past time, we have only signed up to prepare food.  There are two different shifts you can choose from when you sign up.  Food prep is the first shift and server is the second shift.  We have always done first shift.  On the day that suited us in November, there were no more food prep slots left so I signed us up for a server shift.  Ryan was not happy with this as he enjoys preparing the food and is not too keen on having to talk to people he doesn't know.  Pushing him out of his comfort zone--he loves it when I do that.  :)  We were on the serving line and put Ryan serving the chicken and bread.  The only talking he had to do was to ask if they wanted light or dark meat and if they wanted bread.  Not too bad.  When they could hear him.  ;)

I love these pictures.  I couldn't take pictures until the line died down.  The line is usually out the door that you see in the picture.  When people were coming through I was working too hard to take any pictures.  I was serving the potatoes, gravy, pork (if they wanted that over meat) and the green beans.  :)  I was really proud of him.  We did this on November 12, 2016.  We will do it again before the year is out.  Next time Ryan wants to prepare again.  He didn't care for the serving as much.  I like the serving better.  :)

All City County??? What??!!

 

All of the high school and middle schools in our area participate in the All City County Honors Band each year.  The majority of the Middle School honors band is compiled of 8th graders and the high school honors band tends to be juniors and seniors.  However, there are kids that are asked to be part of honors band who are not in these grades and Ryan was one of them.  I was so excited to see him and was BLOWN AWAY by the talent that was on the stage for both middle and high school!!  The best of the best for both and the songs they learned, they learned in less than a 24 hour period.  CRAZY!!  Middle school played 4 songs.  Songs they had never played before, with kids they didn't know and learned everything in 8 hours of one day and 5 of another.  THAT'S IT!!!  High School played 5 songs that they learned in the same amount of time.  It was amazing!  They even had a different director that they didn't know.  Had to learn from someone else.

Sadly, I could only hear.  I was not able to see him.  I have not learned where to sit when my child is shorter than the drum he stands behind.  I have no pictures, but did video tape and you can hear what he is playing. In coming out of the auditorium, we ran into a family from our church.  They were there seeing their daughter who is in high school.  They said "Ryan was great!  He was really wailing on those things wasn't he?!"  I almost cried when I said "I couldn't even see him!  I was sitting in the wrong place.  I have no idea where to sit."  Their son plays the drums too, but was not part of the all city county.  They said they learned where to sit before their son was taller than the drums.  Much like Ryan.  They told me where to sit the next time.  I just hope I get to see him next time!!! 

Thankfully, his band director took and sent pictures of the kids to the parents.  They were taken the day before when they were learning the material.  Better than nothing I suppose.  :)
 















Ryan and the All City County Band Middle Schoolers from Ryan's school.  Just wish he would have been holding drumsticks or something.  :)  The guy in the middle is Mr. Todd.  He is their band director.  Yes, I know he looks like one of the students, but he is an adult.  :)  He is such a great guy and so good for the kids!  He works very hard with them and has taught Ryan everything he knows.


This is the band director who directed the middle school kids for the event.  Ryan had never met him before that day, but said that he liked him.




Crazies!! 

Ryan's winter concert

I know I am constantly posting band pictures!!  I feel like when Emily first started playing softball.  Softball pics ALL THE TIME.  And soon, will be throwing a bunch of Lydia's theater pictures up.  Unfortunately, her theater stuff is kind of a one time pic opportunity thing.  Each time she has a performance.  With Ryan, band is such a new experience for us and we are just so proud of Ryan's accomplishments and his desire to play and learn so much about percussion.  Both his Middle School band director and his High School Marching Band director can't say enough about him and his ability!  They also mention how quickly he picks up music.  We do give my Uncle Bill snaps for this since there is NO ONE else in our family who has any kind of musical ability!  He just seems to have gotten Uncle Bill's musical genes in this one.  It's great!!

Ryan's middle school director does a spring concert and a winter concert.  During the winter concert the 4 middle school students who were part of the High School Marching Band were recognized ad well as the students who were picked for All City County Band.  There will be a posting of city county band later as I am writing this post so far away from when Winter Concert happened, that the City County Honors band has already happened.  :)  Since Ryan already stands on the stage, he stood on a chair to be recognized.

The 6th grade band played first (many more students as they are "trying out" band and are not completely sold on whether they will participate in 7th grade) and then the 7th and 8th graders came out.  As always, it was a nice concert.  Some students more talented than others, but certainly some students on their way up in the music department.

Paradin' through town

Being part of the East Rockingham High School Marching Band, Ryan got to march in the Harrisonburg Christmas Parade and the Elkton Christmas Parade this year!  It has been many years since he has been in the parade.  There were a few years that we were in the parade for the Daycare where I worked and where the kids attended.

This time it was a true honor!  Carrying his heavy base drum, he marched almost two miles in the Harrisonburg Christmas Parade and marched about 3/4 of a mile in the Elkton one.  He was right on point with his marching and playing!!  Of course we are a bit bias, but pretty sure he was the best one out there.  :)

These two are from the Harrisonburg Parade.  My friend Rabia took them and sent them to me.  I was on the wrong side of the street and really did not see him well enough to get a picture.  He is the short 12 year old in between the tall 16 and 17 year olds.  :)

These shots are from the Elkton Parade.  Also not ones that I took. :)  A fellow band parent took the top one and my parents were able to come to the 65 degree Elkton Christmas Parade and my dad took the bottom two.  Ryan is kind of in the middle of the first and last picture, but towards the back of the middle picture.  So proud of what he is accomplishing and so excited at how much he loves it!!

Valley Band Showcase

 Last week, there were four area high schools that participated in an area high school band showcase.  It was at one of the high schools.  East Rock's band was there as well as the local tv news.  They did a story on it.  Check it out at this link.  Hopefully this link will keep this clip forever.  :)  Ryan is shown in the story two times!! 


http://www.whsv.com/home/headlines/Valley-Band-Showcase-327980251.html

 

East Rock is the smallest band in the county.  I believe due to there being three different band directors in five years--there has just been a lack of consistency.   The band director that is there now is really great so far and is working with the band director at the middle school.  They are doing everything they can to grow the program.  There are typically three people in the pit, but one of them were sick.  It was just Ryan and Blake.  They all did a fantastic job!!

Marching becomes him

 Coming down beside the football field to enter the stadium.  He is the first base drum.

 Marching around the track and playing.

 Standing and playing while preparing for the star spangled banner

 This should actually be above the one above it.  :)

Halftime show.  Have not started playing yet, but ready to go.  This was his second home game.  It was on September 11.  However, the first time I managed to take a camera.  He was so great!!  He marches in with a base drum and plays the base drum while in the stands.  It is crazy how they all play together and just know when to stop and when to start.  He is then in the pit for the halftime show and then drumming out as they leave the stadium.  I think that was the least amount of a football game I have ever watched as I was watching the band in the stands.  The youngest member of the high school marching band.  :)  Not even in high school!!

What a Band it!

 I am not sure if I mentioned in a prior post that Ryan was asked to be part of the High School Marching Band this year or not.  We are SO proud of him!  He was one of three 7th graders who were asked to be part of the high school marching band.  I was a little nervous about him doing this with these older kids, but in seeing the band kids at my high school (Spotswood--where I work) I have realized that they are such a great group of kids!  They work together so well and really seem to be accepting of each other and have each others back.  There is one song that he does where he carries a base drum.  This is what he carries when they are in parades and marching in to the football games on Fridays (when they start).  (Picture with base drum at bottom).

During competitions and halftime shows, his band director has put him on an instrument that I am sorry to say I don't know of the name.  It has multiple instruments on it and he plays them all at the same time pretty much.  It is amazing to watch him!  He even has to switch sticks in the middle and play something else.  We have been completely blown away at the way he has taken to this and has really enjoyed his time with the band and learning this new and challenging stuff!!!  Never had a music lesson in his life and Mike and I have NO musical ability!  All we can figure is that he has my Uncle Bill's blood running through him pretty thick.  :) 

This is a picture of Ryan and Blake.  Blake is a Junior at East Rock High School (where Ryan will go to high school and where he is part of the band.)  Sadly, he will be gone by the time Ryan is a Freshman, but this is the greatest kid!  I have never seen him with a hat on before yesterday so you can't see his face too well.  He always helps Ryan disassemble this instrument he plays and they walk together as Ryan waits for Blake while he gets his xylophone packed up and they walk together.  He talks to Blake more than any of the other students and I love that he is looking out for my little guy!!  Wish Blake was a tall Freshman or Sophomore so that they could be at East Rock together.  No such luck.  :)

Can't wait to show you pictures and movies of the actual band events!!

Spring Concert

Ryan participated in band in school this year.  He played percussion and really enjoyed playing the drums.  His teacher, Mr. Todd, held a concert in the fall and another one just before school let out in the spring.  The improvement in their performance was crazy.  While I don't have pictures from the first concert, I did get some from the spring one.  My camera lens was not that great in the fall.

We are so very proud of what he has accomplished as a first year middle schooler in the 6th grade.  to finish out his year, he was one of four rising 7th graders who was asked to be a member of the East Rock (High School where the kids will go) marching band.  Stay tuned for pictures of Ryan on the football field this fall!!  :)