Great week!

Perry's mad at me.  I didn't take him to band camp.  I tried to explain that if THE Perry showed up, he would distract all the new students.  It's hard enough for me to get you to listen to ME...imagine the difficulty if a "star" was in the room.  I don't think that helped.

I wanted to thank everyone for a job well done at band camp.  As always I came in expecting the worst.  (I am not as dumb as you think and know that most of you never pick up your instrument over the summer.)  And as always, you prove me WRONG!  I was overwhelmed at the balance we have already started with.  I was impressed with the newbies who actually learned their music.  (Trace & Eddie only had their instruments for a few days and came in like pros!)  I have compiled a special list of "thanks" and "no thanks" for the past week.  Enjoy....

Special thanks to....

• Caleb, Matthew Holmes, & Tommus for keeping the insanity to a minimal. (Only once dressing up in the 1984 color guard outfits?  I'm impressed.)
• Ashley, Sarah, & Savannah for checking out uniforms/tuxes for me on the first day.
• The percussion--for keeping their aloofness to a minimal.  Kade...Blake...now that I know it is possible, I'll make
• Neil for not acting like the low brass so I didn't have to yell at him this year (and then later feel guilty and draw flowers for him as an I'm sorry.) 
• Trace for bringing me get well cookies
• Rebekah who is going to be an amazing band-aide.  The library is neater than it's been in...a LONG time!
• Andrea for not hurting Neil.
• Caleb for sitting right next to me.  You may have thought you were ignoring me, but I rather enjoyed hearing your mature tuba sound.
• Braden for bringing me sausage rolls!
• The low brass for actually DOING their sectional. 
• David for wearing the hamburger shirt.  As ugly as it is, it has this special cool factor about it.
• Matthew Hu mom for being there to fill in if I needed to go to the doctor.
• Maddi & Leandrea for not falling off the cliff on the day they SKIPPED band camp.
• Tyler who helped me carry stuff in one day.  
• Kai because I can't think of anything naughty he did.

No thanks to...

• Caleb for changing the background of my computer to the ugliest dog in the world.
• Caleb (again) for stealing my phone and changing the names of my contacts....For example: Ginger (Andrea)
• The people who took extra pizza and we ran out before the poor 8th graders got food (naughty)
• The ants, wasps, and scorpions who once again found their way into the bandroom over the summer. (I'm sure we'll find a snake soon.)
•  Dylan for coming up with a ridiculous question to everything we had to review. (Where do you come up with these things?)
• Caleb & Tommus who had to had their own comments to every little rule in the band handbook. 
• Caleb & Matthew who switched instruments when I had to go into my office. 
• Savannah for spilling Braden's coffee all over the uniform room, the fan, her shoes, her legs...
• Everyone who always seemed to be on their cell phones when I walked into sectionals.
• Cade and the bass drums for always playing over. Typical trumpet, but percussion? 

Over all it was a great week.  Thank again for taking appropriate control of camp during my "near-death-experience."  Section leaders, you did a MARVELOUS job!

Enjoy your last few days of freedom.

Oh, don't forget.

PRACTICE BEFORE WEDNEDAY

A LOT! :)