Trumbull High School Band

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

This past week was our first week of band camp for the 2009 season. We’ve had days that were so hot kids dropped like flies because they were tired, sick, or dehydrated, and others looked like lobsters. As tiring and hot as it was, there is a lot of excitement for the upcoming season and show, from where I stand in the color guard. As a band, we are making great progress!

In the guard, we’ve learned some work and choreography for the show. Some of it is different and harder than what we are used to, but very fun, and we can’t wait to learn the rest of the show. As fun and exciting as it is, this year’s show has us working harder than last year. In the guard, the difficulty of our exercises increases each day, which aides to the strength we need to get through the show. Everyday we’ve been told “There is no going back to the day before” or “We strive for more each day” which is completely true. It may be exhausting, and hard to get through, but in the long run, all our hard work will pay off in the best way possible.

This best part of this new week of band camp will be putting the finishing touches on our show and finally practicing as a full band. It’s really exciting to see and hear what show is like by the end of the week when we are all together. And we will have our first exhibition this weekend.

Now if we can just hope that some of the high school construction will be out of the way for our fall classic on Oct 3rd, we will do great!

Stephanie
Color Guard

Here it is already and the first week of band camp almost done. This first week has been killer because the weather was so hot! I’d like to thank all the chaperones that do almost anything to keep us cool. If we’re lucky enough the sprinkler will go on just as we’re exiting the field for lunch or dinner breaks. We are all working so hard and I’m so proud of what we all have accomplished so far. Although it’s grueling at times, we’re having so much fun learning all the work and drills for our fall classic. Come to Trumbull High on Oct. 3rd. and see for yourself. Our show is going to be so awesome!

Samantha (Guard)
Sophomore

Today was the first day of band camp. We found out over the weekend that camp was moved to Hillcrest Middle School due to the construction at Trumbull High School (THS). Today was a scorcher, temps over 90 and humid. The morning went pretty well. After lunch the students went to practice under the trees at THS to get out of the sun. Around 2:00 I noticed the sky getting grey. A few minutes later, I noticed a huge bolt of lightning in the distance, no thunder yet. Another one of the parents drove off in the golf cart to locate all the students to get them into the middle school. The students were pretty quick about working their way across the field and getting safely into the middle school.

Once inside the school they broke off into their groups and went right back to work in various sections of the school. Four of us chaperones sat in the HOT cafeteria sorting paperwork. We noticed through one of the windows that is was hailing which was followed by unbelievable downpours. We could hear the pounding rain on the roof. There was a tremendous clap of thunder that made us all jump out of our chairs. A little into the storm I went to the back door to peak outside. It was cooling down and still raining. They two tents that were had set up for band camp were blown across the back parking lot. One was on top of a car and the other blew across the lot into a fence. We ran out into the storm to try and salvage them but couldn’t. We were soaked, but I have to admit after sitting in the cafeteria it felt good. After the storm five parents went outside to clean up. One tent was totally damaged. The other was salvageable. Streams of water were flowing through the parking lot. By the time the students came outside at 4:30 to get their dinners it was sunny, hot and humid again. I am chaperoning again tomorrow. I think I am going to wear my bathing suit with my beach cover!

BW