June 20, 2010
If the next 14 days go as planned, two weeks from today
will be the 4th of July, or in other words, it will be the day
after the 4th of July parade occurring on the 3rd of July.
Now that the dates are clear, here is the good news:
The last Newsletter got results. The band suddenly
jumped from 11 members to 31! Will it jump to 51?
Well, that remains to be seen, but it has happened.
The band has been above 50 a couple of times.
Of course, 40 fits the streets of Geneva better,
but 50 is more fun (and louder).
If you haven’t yet joined this year’s band, this would
be a good time to do it. And those who have joined are
reminded to invite friends. Like unwanted credit cards,
new band members are pre-approved. Those who don’t
qualify as musicians (whether beginning or advanced)
are welcomed in the GGGAMB auxiliary. Flag
waving adds visual impact as we march into view,
and convinces the crowd that we actually sound better.
As for instrumentation, the band is well-endowed with baritones/euphoniums, percussion, and
the minimum number of trumpets needed to sound like a band. Every other instrument is
represented by one or more players except horn/mellophone, tenor sax, and bass drum. In other
words, the welcome mat is still out for everyone (but especially for woodwinds and tubas).
A final update will be sent next week. The July 3rd schedule looks like this:
• 8:00-9:00 AM Meet at the old brick schoolhouse (not the church as before).
• 9:02 Rehearsal.
• 10:20 Queue for parade across the street from schoolhouse.
• 10:30 Parade.
• 11:00 (+/-) Band photo outside schoolhouse (AKA: Geneva Rural Heritage Center).
• 11:10 (+/-) Pack up and go to Community Center (3 blocks away).
• 11:30 (+/-) Launch festival program by playing The Star-Spangled Banner.
• 11:42 (+/-) Play concert.
• 12:00 (+/-) Humbly bask in the adulation/applause/apathy of the audience.
• 12:01 Enjoy free hot dog or pizza slice, plus free drink (you've earned it).
• 12:02-2:00 Enjoy festival (optional)
• 12:03 (or later) Go home; take shower (not optional).
It will be a morning you’ll never forget, no matter how hard you try. Don’t miss it!
Please let me know whether you plan to attend (if you haven’t already done so), and whether
you would like music mailed to you in advance.
Thanks! Hope to see you on the 3rd. It’s about having fun, but also about patriotism:
an essential element of Geneva’s old-fashioned, small-town Independence Day celebration
that the band can contribute better than anything else!
Richard
If the next 14 days go as planned, two weeks from today
will be the 4th of July, or in other words, it will be the day
after the 4th of July parade occurring on the 3rd of July.
Now that the dates are clear, here is the good news:
The last Newsletter got results. The band suddenly
jumped from 11 members to 31! Will it jump to 51?
Well, that remains to be seen, but it has happened.
The band has been above 50 a couple of times.
Of course, 40 fits the streets of Geneva better,
but 50 is more fun (and louder).
If you haven’t yet joined this year’s band, this would
be a good time to do it. And those who have joined are
reminded to invite friends. Like unwanted credit cards,
new band members are pre-approved. Those who don’t
qualify as musicians (whether beginning or advanced)
are welcomed in the GGGAMB auxiliary. Flag
waving adds visual impact as we march into view,
and convinces the crowd that we actually sound better.
As for instrumentation, the band is well-endowed with baritones/euphoniums, percussion, and
the minimum number of trumpets needed to sound like a band. Every other instrument is
represented by one or more players except horn/mellophone, tenor sax, and bass drum. In other
words, the welcome mat is still out for everyone (but especially for woodwinds and tubas).
A final update will be sent next week. The July 3rd schedule looks like this:
• 8:00-9:00 AM Meet at the old brick schoolhouse (not the church as before).
• 9:02 Rehearsal.
• 10:20 Queue for parade across the street from schoolhouse.
• 10:30 Parade.
• 11:00 (+/-) Band photo outside schoolhouse (AKA: Geneva Rural Heritage Center).
• 11:10 (+/-) Pack up and go to Community Center (3 blocks away).
• 11:30 (+/-) Launch festival program by playing The Star-Spangled Banner.
• 11:42 (+/-) Play concert.
• 12:00 (+/-) Humbly bask in the adulation/applause/apathy of the audience.
• 12:01 Enjoy free hot dog or pizza slice, plus free drink (you've earned it).
• 12:02-2:00 Enjoy festival (optional)
• 12:03 (or later) Go home; take shower (not optional).
It will be a morning you’ll never forget, no matter how hard you try. Don’t miss it!
Please let me know whether you plan to attend (if you haven’t already done so), and whether
you would like music mailed to you in advance.
Thanks! Hope to see you on the 3rd. It’s about having fun, but also about patriotism:
an essential element of Geneva’s old-fashioned, small-town Independence Day celebration
that the band can contribute better than anything else!
Richard
NEWSLETTER 10C