Roseville 6-27-22

Unbelievable! You saved your best performance for last. Our final run of the day at the final competition of the season, and it was amazing. It gave me goosebumps. I am so proud of you. Think of where we were just two weeks ago: Day 1 of sweat camp with only Segments 1-3 learned. Oh, my goodness, the value of sustained effort. Look at what you’ve become! You once again earned a Superior Rating from the judging panel with a score of 83.8. You ended the season ranked 4th in the State of MN (our best ever) with a season scoring average of 83.98 (also our best ever).

Congratulations to the winner of “The Golden Dinkle”: Henry Boyle form the Mellophone section.

Here are tonight’s results:

88.9 Litchfield: Grand Champion, 1st in Class A, 1st in Music, General Effect, Color Guard and Winds

87.9 728 Cadets: 1st in Class AAA, 1st in Percussion

87.0 (with a 1 point penalty) Waconia: 2nd in Class AAA1st in Marching

83.8 “The HERD”: 3rd in Class AAA (4th in everything but, drumline…5th there)

80.4 Bemidji: 1st in Class AA

79.3 Champlin Park: 4th in Class AAA

78.3 Lake City: 2nd in Class A

75.1 The Patriots: 5th in Class AAA

73.9 Alexandria: 3rd in Class A

71.9 Richfield: 2nd in Class AA

66.0 Montevideo: 4th in Class A

See most of you on Friday Night…New announcement for those going to Colorado…with our new meet time of 3:30 on Saturday, you’ll need to bring a meal to eat on the bus. We will not be stopping for supper.

Lake City 6-26-22

Good evening my friends. After last Friday’s results, I went home with some feelings of “imposter syndrome”…the vague idea that we, maybe, didn’t really deserve the scores we had received. That one “killer” music score kind of drove our results higher than they needed to be. So, today was really gratifying. After an incredible rehearsal on the Grinder this morning and terrific work in the line-up area, you gave your audience five amazing performances along the parade route. Your consistency astounds me. We, again, were given an incredibly high score for music (88.25%), and high scores for both Marching and General Effect…from a completely different panel of judges…none of whom had seen us this year. This is starting to feel real.

Congratulations to Maia Hoepner, a Super Senior from the Clarinet Section, for her phenomenal visual performance…earning her “The Golden Dinkle Award” for today’s parade.

Here are today’s results.

89.2 (the highest score of the year in MN so far) Litchfield (best in everything today except drumline)

85.4 (5th highest score of the year in MN so far) “The HERD” 2nd in everything but Drumline (3rd in that by a tenth of a point)

81.9 Bemidji 1st in Drumline and Best Drum Majors

76.6 Benson

67.7 Albany

64.6 Montevideo

Tomorrow we will get to compete against the strongest lineup of the year with Bemidji, Waconia, 728 Cadets, Champlin Park and Litchfield joining us and six more bands in Roseville. We are likely to be the first or second band through judging with a Unit number of 15. Let’s set the bar high for all that will follow.

Sauk Rapids Parade 6-24-22

Ummm…so that just happened! Unbelievable. Was that your best performance ever in the month of June? The scores would suggest that it may be. Tired? Sweaty? Hot? On Fire! An 87.1…the highest score we ever received from a panel of judges in June. We thought the score seemed pretty high from the music judge. But, after listening to his critique, we could hear you playing in the background and heard what he was listening to…what’s not to love. It was spectacular.

Since this was a Festival Rating system, we do not have scores from the other bands. But, we do know that the Champlin Park band also scored at least 80 points and received a Superior Rating. Congratulations to our friends, the Marching Rebels. We also want to acknowledge the years of service and leadership from Pam Diem, the director of the KMS Marching Band, as she makes her “farewell tour” in this, her retirement season.

Congratulations, also, to the winner of the “Golden Dinkle Award” for outstanding visual performance…Oliver Holt from the clarinet section.

Take the day off tomorrow. Relax. Get rehydrated. I’ll see you all again at 8 AM Sunday morning.

Well done, my friends. Well done

Foley Parade 6-22-22

What a difference a couple rehearsals and the confidence that comes with a second parade can make in the performance level of a band. I was out of position for our run in judging tonight so I did not have a real feel for the quality of our performance. But…the band felt good about it. So, I was not surprised to hear that we were named Grand Champions. What a great way to finish the night, after the strange feeling of almost every aspect of the parade tonight. If you were there, you know. I could not be prouder of the way the band blocked out all distractions and did what needed to be done. Congratulations.

Also, congratulations goes to Brynna Bettis of the Color Guard; winner of the Golden Dinkle for outstanding visual performance.

Here are the overall results:

79.6 “The HERD” Grand Champion, 1st in Class AA, 2nd in Drumline, 2nd in Color Guard, 1st in Winds, 1st in Music, 1st in Marching and 1st in General Effect

77.7 Milaca 1st in Class A

75.8 Champlin Park 2nd in Class AA

75.4 Sauk Rapids-Rice 3rd in Class AA

74.9 Lake City 2nd in Class A

73.7 Alexandria 3rd in Class A

71.4 Richfield 4th in Class A, 1st in Color Guard

70.9 STMA 4th in Class AA

66.9 Montevideo 5th in Class A

64.3 Albany 6th in Class A

2022 Sweat Camp and Buffalo Days Parade

What an amazing week. I am simply astonished by the capabilities of this band. On Monday we had nothing. By Friday nights Parent Preview Performance we had a polished performance filled with intricate maneuvers, beautiful artistry, and nuanced musicianship. This was accomplished in the face of 40 mile per hour winds, 90+ degree heat, pouring rain and no spaces in which to rehearse. And yet, this band, made up of 50% rookies, found a way to achieve at a tremendously high level. I could not be prouder.

At tonight’s Buffalo Days Parade the band absolutely “threw down” in the judging stand. The atmosphere was electric, and the result was one of the finest first parade performances that I can remember. As the host band, “The HERD” was not in competition but received feedback from the judges. Our score would have put us in a tie for 1st in Class AA, and 2nd overall. Considering that some of these bands have been competing for a week and half already, this is quite an accomplishment. We have not yet begun our improvement trend.

Congratulations to the first two winners of “The Golden Dinkle Award” denoting outstanding achievement in the area of visual performance. For Sweat Camp…Ellie Thornton of the Trumpet Section. For Buffalo Days…James Dorado from the Drumline.

Here are the overall results.

78.8 Milaca-(Class A) Grand Champion, Best Winds, Color Guard and Drumline

76.6 Bemidji-1st in Class AA, Best Drum Majors

74.1 KMS-1st in Class A

72.1 Alexandria-2nd in Class AA

72.0 The Patriots (St. Anthony & Spring Lk Park HS) (Class AA)

67.4 Foley (Class A)

64.7 St. Francis (Class AA)

Lake City

I cannot say enough good things about our experiences at Lake City today. What an amazing celebration of the marching arts. From the “sharing” in the line-up area by the four bands participating, to the giant selfie, to the tremendous performances by all four groups. I did not say anything to you about the special meaning of today’s parade, but Paul Holland, a great friend, fan of “The HERD”, and long time band director at Lake City, died of cancer in the spring of 2020. Today was a day filled with poignancy for his family (daughter in the Color Guard) and the community. Paul was a truly great man and his influence on his students, his colleagues, and the town of Lake City will ripple for generations. He was never far from my thoughts throughout the day.

As for performances by “The HERD”, from your first note on the school song I knew it was going to be one of those special days. And, I was right. And, the judges agreed. You achieved a Superior Rating in every single sub-caption. Simply astounding, and well earned. The overall score was the highest the band has ever received in the month of June. Today was a gratifying way to end our competitive season. WELL DONE!

Congratulations to the winners of “The Golden Dinkle Award” for outstanding visual performances: Joe Durben-Tenor Drums and Sydney Rhodes-Alto Sax. They both pretty much “demanded” the award today.

Enjoy the next few weeks. be sure to be practicing and keep the show in your feet. I will see you all again on Saturday, August 7 when you “throw down” for your home town fans in Hanover.