Hoffie

I’m already missing my friends from this wonderful place, and I’ve been talking to them almost every day. This experience truly changed my life. And although I’ve already written an entry about this camp, I continue to think about it constantly throughout my day. Before that camp, I had never felt a real belonging anywhere as much as I felt it there. I wish I could be at this camp all of the time, where people share the same love for music as I do. My days since I’ve gotten home have been uneventful and boring, and I miss being busy every second of every day. I miss working hard and improving my leadership abilities and learning to become a good person. I miss everything about this place and I can’t wait until I go back next year.. <3

GUESS WHO’S HOME FROM THE GEORGE N. PARKS DRUM MAJOR ACADEMY?!
yeeeeeah baby. that’s what I’m talkin’ about.

To write about everything I learned at camp would be impossible. But I’ll try and explain as much as I can without making you bored.

A regular day consisted of three sessions with a group of 500 people every single time. Meals in between the sessions, and a concert every night. First session was always outside working on marching, second inside conducting, and third outside. The second sessions were my favorite, because listening to George Parks teach us about not only being drum majors but about being good people was wonderful. My notebook is filled with all of the famous “Star’d Thoughts” and funny things that George Parks said. “Detail, present CHAAARMS!” Funny moments during the entire week will be remembered forever. I’ll reflect a bit on each concert first..

Yamaha Young Performing Artists - Awesome soloists, however tiring.
Canadian Brass - Also awesome, and PICCOLO TRUMPETS! Incredibly talented brass players.
Warren Hill - One of the most talented sax players I’ve ever seen in my life.
BARRAGE - KICKASS! Violin players dancing and singing and doing it alllllll. Got both of their CD’s and autographed as well as pictures with them. All of them had amazing personalities as well.
DCI - Of course, it was my favorite. Bought a ton of Phantom Regiment merchandise. Cavaliers & Crown also did great.

The people I met here I’ll never forget, and the fun times we had here I’ll also never forget. I have tons of pictures up, so feel free to take a look. I wanted to say thanks to everyone I met because you all made it incredibly special for me. I hope all of us stay in touch, because you guys have really made an impact on my life. I feel like a completely different person coming back from this camp, and loved every minute of it.

YEAH SEXY SQUAD. OOH RAH!
I love you Power Squad. :)

Well, I leave in the morning for Drum Major camp. 4AM wake up call. Everyone’s sleeping at my house tonight, and my mom’s driving all of us in the morning. I’ve heard from everyone that it’s incredibly fun and I’ll never forget it. I feel incredibly fortunate that I’m going to get to go for three years… Three years of having fun and learning all about what I love to do.

I might be able to update from my dorm room, but I’m not sure..
Farewell for now! (For a week if I don’t get internet in the dorms.)

<3 Wish me luck..
-Alex.

Keeping busy is what I’ve always been best at. I can’t stand to be bored with nothing to do. Band camp has ended, and we’ve accomplished an incredible amount as a band. I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished so far, and I continue to love being Drum Major. The feeling is awesome when I nail the tempo and we nail the sets. Now that band’s over for now, I’m allowed to have a social life… Recently I went to the waterpark with all of my closest friends, the group of friends I had from middle school. I’m not going to lie, it felt awesome. Being with my closest friends and having a sense of unity with them was pure bliss. I’ve missed that feeling with them, it was good to rediscover it. Leaving for Drum Major camp on Sunday, and I can’t wait. The summer continues to be busy. I wanna do summer the right way. Living it up, staying up late, sleeping in, just having fun in general. Not having any stress at all. So far, so good.

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.

Today marked the start of Band Camp. The first official day. A million things to do, eight hours to do it. Harder music, less rehearsal time. A phenomenal leadership staff ;). I’ll admit I was pretty nervous for today. My first real day as Drum Major. Really conducting, leading, teaching, etc. It’s an entirely different experience, going from a year of marching to being DM. Having to criticize my peers on their marching is something I wasn’t used to. Luckily, it was really only the freshman I had to criticize. I got to meet all of the new members, introduce myself. Some even asked “Why aren’t you playing?” And I found myself explaining what a Drum Major was, which was somewhat funny.

I really love everyone that I work with. From my fellow DM’s to the helpers(namely Iza, because we’re so similar sometimes it’s abnormal), to Stolfe because he’s always welcoming me to work with the percussion. Speaking of which, I’m learning to love working with the percussion after only one day just because they’re such a fun group of highly entertaining people. Overall I haven’t found any personal problems with anybody which is always nice.

I would have never guessed how awesome it feels to be up on that podium conducting. Now I understand why Drum Majors love what they do so much, it feels absolutely phenomenal. Only the people who have been up there conducting really know how it feels. And to all of those that say being a Drum Major isn’t hard: you have no idea whatsoever. I’ve never felt so mentally challenged in my life to do a gazillion things at once in a small time frame, and to do things well. All the same, I’m in love with what I’m doing.

One day down, a ton more to go. <3

I wanted to document this from different places in my life. I started this entry at home, and then in the band room at my school, (kind of my second home) my mom’s house, everywhere. I wanted to squeeze in some minor details that I wanted to make sure I don’t leave out of my summary of freshman year.

The year felt like it started off with marching band. It has become my favorite thing in the entire world. The adrenaline rush I felt for the first time marching on that field is something that couldn’t be replaced by anything. As tiring and physically demanding as it was, it was amazing. I made friends with everyone quickly. It was an easy way to bond and get to know people, and get a sweet tan.

Hardest part of this year was staying on top of grades, oddly enough. Middle school was pretty much a joke. Trying was never an issue. I always tried in middle school, but I’ve never actually had trouble with a class until this year. My favorite class of the entire year had to be Global Studies. I’ll miss Glashagel, funny quotes, being opinionated as hell, and the discussion in that class. I learned that uneducated people are an enormous problem, and one of the reasons people are ignorant is because they’re simply uninformed. One thing I’m glad I got through was Physics. Hardest class, and least favorite class I’ve ever taken. I constantly went in for tutoring and continued failing tests. I wanted to just give up so many times, but I’m proud of myself for hangin’ in there. Ended up with around an 82%, which I’m actually very proud of considering it was my lowest grade by far.

My music is what I’m most proud of. I’ve done everything possible this year, apart from jazz band. I was in the pit orchestra, community band, concert band, and marching band. Marching band this year was probably the most exciting for me. Learning how to roll step and to finally do a real marching band show was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve also learned how to become a leader. Auditioning for drum major was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and it was only originally because it was suggested to be both by my peers and my director. I figured “Hey, might as well. Good experience for next year. I’ll be trying harder for section leader, anyway.” Two days later, I get a call from my teacher.

Hayes: Alex, are you ready for some good news?
Me: Sure?
Hayes: Congratulations, you are now the Assistant Drum Major of the Marching Sequoits!
Me: …(shocked)

It was great. I was speechless and started crying. A (future) sophomore becoming drum major. It’s days like that day that make life worth living. I’m willing to work my butt off this entire season to make the band reach its full potential. I’m still learning as I go, but that’s what it’s all about.

Another thing going well for me this year is my private lessons. Once a week, one hour, forty bucks. So worth it. Probably the best decision I’ve ever made. I’ve improved so much since I started, even way back when I was taking them from Iza. Taking them from Ellen has been phenomenal. I’ve become more confident with my playing and it’s become a wonderful feeling seeing how much I’ve improved.

Freshman year is officially over. I can honestly say that I’ve learned more about life in general in these past months. Freshman year has given me more than any other year, more to use in my life. I’ve made friends that could last for just the next three years I’m here, as well as friends I’ll have for the rest of my life. My music knowledge has expanded more than I thought it ever could, and I’m finally becoming the person that I want to be, my views on many things have been established, and I feel like a good person. Now here comes this summer. A week of band camp, a week off to spend time with people I love, a week of going away from drum major camp, coming home for a month or so, then doing band camp all over again. It’s gonna be a loaded summer for my music and that’s just the way I like it. This year’s been a great one. For family, friends, music, and life. Here comes summer. I’m ready for everything I have to do, time to have fun. Here’s to Summer ‘09.