Trumbull High School Band

This past weekend the band performed at the USSBA (United States Scholastic Band Assoc). Cheshire High School hosted this show where 20 bands throughout the state of CT competed. Trumbull won first place in its class and outscored all 19 of the other bands that competed. The USSBA conference is not affiliated with MAC (Musical Arts Conference),  the conference the band is usually competes in.  They choose to compete in USSBA last week because it was a great opportunity for the band to be judged by a different group of judges who have not yet seen their show for the season. It also allowed us parents the opportunity to see some wonderful performances from marching bands from all over CT that we typically do not get a chance to see, and it was a treat.  They were terrific and we enjoyed watching every moment of their performances.

Our band’s show looked GREAT!! The song selections for “RePlay” are very strong, powerful and emotional. The color guard uniforms had arrived the week before and this was this first show they were able to wear them. They looked amazing! The crowd cheered when Trumbull took to the field. Everyone in the stands was quiet as the band performed their warm up song “PAN”. I heard comments from parents who could not believe how large the guard was. One parent was actually counting the number of girls in the guard. Everyone was just cheering when the girls tossed their rifles and caught them at the same time without missing a beat.  The band was amazing.  The kids marched all over the field in fabulous formations.  It was quite an evening. 
This Saturday the band is headed to Ramsey High School in Ramsey, NJ to compete in MAC competition. This is a day show and twelve bands are scheduled to perform. Trumbull will compete at 4:15pm.  Think sun! 

B.W.

Saturday, the rest of the seniors and I had our last Classic – rather, we should have. The Trumbull Classic is our home show, and 20 bands were supposed to perform. However, the rain was so intense that it had to be canceled. The Classic is a very important night for seniors – each senior gets to escort a band with one or two other seniors, and we all get our names called after our exhibition performance in recognition of the years we have dedicated to the band. Also, the day before the Classic, it is a tradition that the seniors decorate the band room. Since Trumbull goes on last, we have plenty of time to enjoy the other bands before we need to warm up.

Since 2005, the eighth graders from the two Trumbull middle schools have come together every year to perform the Star Spangled Banner as the opening to the Classic. I remember being the first class to do this. I wanted to join the band more than anything. When I saw the Trumbull marching band for the first time at the 2005 Classic, I knew that I was going to join. Their drill and music were both so exciting, and they continue to be. I certainly have many other precious memories from the other three classics I have been too; the Classic is my favorite show next to Championships, of course. This year, only a few bands were able to perform before it began to pour. The entire band was trapped in the school for a few hours, waiting to hear what would happen. When we found out it was canceled, many were upset, especially the seniors. However, I am satisfied in knowing that this is not truly my last Classic. I will be at the Classic for years to come, escorting the Trumbull band with the other alumni.

Emma

Of all the many lessons our children learn from the experience of being part of the marching band, perhaps the most difficult one is disappointment. Our kids have learned to weather the ups and downs of competition results from week to week. They have even faced the very tough loss of a hard-fought championship. Tonight, disappointment was an uninvited guest once more when torrential rain, lightning and yes, even a tornado warning, forced the cancellation of our annual home competition.
The rain began as the first two or three bands took the field in what is typically the largest Musical Arts Conference competition of the year, the Trumbull High School “Classic.” These Class I bands stoically performed their shows as the rain fell harder and harder, even as claps of thunder offered an unwelcome addition to their music.
Eventually, a rain delay was called. This was followed by an immediate evacuation of everyone on the field as soon as a tornado warning was issued for the area. Parents and spectators huddled in interior hallways of Trumbull High School hoping that the storm would pass so that they could enjoy a night of music and marching.
Yet it was not to be. There was no let-up in the storms nor in the lightning. The field was under water. The Trumbull Classic would have to wait another year.
Yes, there were parents who poured their heart and soul into preparing a first-class event: from organizing volunteers to buying and preparing food. But the most crestfallen group was undoubtedly our seniors, the students who had spent countless hours over the past four years, preparing for this, their special night. Most never had the honor they had earned of leading our guest bands onto the field. They didn’t have the opportunity to perform their show for their hometown crowd and scores of visiting alumni. They did not have the chance to hear their names as they were being called forward to be recognized for their four years of dedication to the activity that means the most to them.
Disappointment is a difficult lesson, but our kids are well-equipped to handle it. They do so by leaning on one another, enjoying the fellowship of working together towards a common goal. These seniors may not have had the chance to shine on their special night. But it was certainly an evening that won’t soon be forgotten. And they are still our shining stars, even on a stormy night.
Elena Tallian

In the past few weeks the entire band has been working very hard to really pull the show together. Whether it has been working on playing together, cleaning drill, building up endurance, timing issues, or even performing, we have definitely made improvements. But this coming week is the most important yet, and we will definitely have to work harder. This Saturday is our home show – The Fall Classic, which I have to say, is very exciting. With about 20 Marching Bands including UMass Minuteman Marching Band it’s going to be a day full of great music and marching. This week we will be working hard on the show and it’s exciting.

Our Trumbull Fall Classic is one of the best moments of the season, because of course; it is on our own turf. There is a lot more time to spend enjoying our decorated band room, watching other bands, and most importantly, pigging out on kettle corn. One of the best parts about our home show is that we get to perform last. For some reason, there is just more excitement added in to being the last performance of the night, and you can definitely leave the crowd with a good note. If you would like to see the our show and have a lot of fun, you should come to our Fall Classic at Trumbull High Saturday, October 3rd! Tickets are available at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors. For more information about our Fall Classic, please visit our website at www.thegembcorp.com. Hope to see you there!

Stephanie V

Last week we kicked off our competition season in Bethel. A lot of the new freshmen were very nervous. This was their first show ever and they didn’t want to make any mistakes. We spent most of the day in Trumbull working on our drill. We worked really hard on it and it was a long day. After dinner we started to get ready for the show. It brought back memories watching the new kids get their uniforms on. LOL for me that was only last year! We get to the show, unload the instruments, listen to a pep talk from the band director and then we warmed up with our instruments, stretched and practiced marching and then worked on last minute parts of the show. And then it was show time! We march onto the field and hear all our parents cheering for us. That was nice to hear since we haven’t heard it in a while. There were only three bands in our class at the Bethel show – Trumbull, Port Chester, NY and New Milford. We never get to see the other bands perform so I have no idea what their shows even look like. And I have no idea where the other bands that usually compete against us were that night. Anyway, we went on first; last year we almost always performed last so that was different but overall I think we did pretty well for our first show. We came in first place which always nice with a score of 75, New Milford came in second with a score of 71.55 and Port Chester third with a score of 70.60.

I can’t wait till we host our own show in Trumbull at the high school on Saturday, October 3rd. It was so much fun last year. There were so many people there from all over. People from our town that would not normally come out to a show came to see the bands perform. We had 18 (I think) high school bands from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and even college bands like Sacred Heart University. If you’re around that day you should come cause its usually quite a show.

Tuba Tyler

Labor Day has come and gone, and with the onset of crisp morning weather, it really does feel like back-to-school time now. Of course our bandos and guardos have technically been back in the routine for a while, having spent two grueling (yet exhilarating) weeks of 12-hour days in band camp before the official start of school. Is it possible that those brutally hot and humid days were only a couple of weeks ago?

The anticipation of a new school year and band season is rather bittersweet for those of us who are parents of seniors. Although we excitedly await the chance to see our kids perform their new show in their first competition of the season, we also want time to slow down a bit so that we can relish their final season as a Golden Eagle.

It seems just a short time ago that our sons and daughters took the field as newbies in their freshman year, performing “Minimally Speaking.” I can still hear the opening cadences of that show and visualize them marching the opener as if it were yesterday. I remember the thrill and surprise as they won their first-ever Class V championship that year and then, even more thrillingly, repeated the feat with “Continuum” the following year. And the beauty and energy that was 2008’s “Firebird” taught our kids even more important lessons about grace under pressure.

Our seniors are anxious to get on with the excitement of their long-awaited senior year. They long to take advantage of its special privileges—using the senior lounge at THS, for one thing. They also look forward to special activities in band, such as senior photos, the senior sleepover, receiving recognition at our home show, the “Classic”, and making special speeches about their memories of band on the night of championships.

As a senior parent, I find myself looking backwards and being so grateful. I’m grateful for a large, warm, and welcoming band “family” for our kids. I’m grateful for the lessons of hard work, discipline, and the rewards of a job well done. I’m grateful for the opportunity for our sons and daughters to give back to the community, as with the band’s participation in the Good Morning America coat drive. And I am grateful beyond words that being a Golden Eagle gave our kids the chance to march before the 44th President of the United States.

What a ride it has been, and still one season to make more memories before our seniors graduate.
To our freshman parents: hold on to your Golden Eagle hats! You and your students are in for the time of your lives!

Elena Tallian

Last week was the end my final band camp and I couldn’t have asked for a better one. Since there was construction at the high school, the camp was held at the middle school. The lack of air conditioning made it very humid inside, despite all the fans spread out through the school. It felt better to be outside in the blazing heat! Every day from 9 AM – 12 PM we learned our drill for the show, and then had an hour lunch break. From 1-4 PM we practiced our music, and after a 90-minute dinner break, we put the drill and music together from 6-9 PM. The drill this year is quite difficult, as is the music, but we are doing very well. I’m glad it is a challenge for us, because all the effort we are putting into getting it right is making us better each day. We have made so much improvement as a band in these past two weeks.

I always enjoy band camp because it’s a great time to make new friends, and to make the newcomers feel welcome. My favorite part of band camp every year is the first time we practice as a full band – with guard, percussion, and pit. All of the music and guard work comes together nicely and is exciting to hear and see for the first time. Unfortunately, the parent preview show on the last day and the exhibition on Saturday were both rained out, but the good thing is that our next practice is tomorrow. I’m looking forward to an exciting competition season!

Emma
Alto Sax ’10

It has been great getting to know many of the new parents over this past week at band camp. One of the first questions band parents typically ask each other is what does your child play in the band? My answer is “my son plays the mellophone.” The next question I get is “What is a mellphone?” or “is that a pit instrument?” I of course had the same question when my son came home last year and told me he was going to be playing the Mellophone. I know we never had a Mellophone in my high school band. So up until now my best response “is a Mellophone is a brass instrument that is a little larger than a trumpet”.

It got me thinking that I need a better response and to probably know what a mellophone really is so I decided to do a little research. According to “ASK.com” the definition of a Mellophone:
The mellophone is a brass instrument that is typically used in place of the horn (sometimes called a French horn) in marching bands or drum and bugle corps. The mellophone has three valves, operated with the right hand. Mellophone fingering is identical to that of a trumpet, not the horn as is commonly assumed. Mellophones are typically pitched in the key of F. The direction of the bell, as well as the much-reduced amount of tubing (as compared to a concert horn) makes the mellophone look like a large trumpet. In fact, many mellophones use trumpet-style parabolic (“cup”) mouthpieces rather than the smaller, lighter, conical (“funnel”) mouthpieces used on concert horns. The marching mellophone is used in place of the horn for marching as it is a bell-front instrument, so that the sound goes in the direction that the player is facing. This is especially important in drum corps and marching bands, since the audience is typically standing or sitting on only one side of the band.

So next time someone asks you what a mellophone is or you happen to be on Jeopardy, you now have an answer!

B.W, mom a mellophonist