Band Camp Expectations

It is almost here.  The start of another marching band season.  Hopefully, you have managed to pick up your instrument and practice over the summer.  I also hope that you have taken the opportunity to get some exercise before the start of camp.  There is nothing worse than arriving the first day of camp and not being physically prepared.  Take the time to get your self in shape.  If you don't know how, then go outside and start by taking a walk.  The good people over at Livestrong have come up with some great advice on how to get in shape for band camp.  I highly recommend that you read the article.  

This week, the single most important thing you can do is to get hydrated.  Their are lots of myths about hydration.  Both the CDC and the Mayo Clinic say that it varies by person and that we get our hydration from both beverages and food, but the "Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day."  The most important thing to remember is that your body uses water to flush out toxins.  How do you know if your dehydrated?  Check your urine, if your urine is clear than your in good shape, the more yellow your urine, the more dehydrated you are.  Not a fun topic to talk about (or write about), but one that is so important to your health over the next few weeks.

Now for the nuts and bolts, here is a list of things that you need to bring to camp with you.  

1.  A gallon cooler for water.  It doesn't have to be fancy and notice that I said for WATER.  Please don't fill your cooler with Mom-Mom's Sweet Tea.  Gatorade and other beverages like them, are great to drink at lunch and breaks.  Please make sure that your cooler has your name on it.
2. Bag lunch.  A healthy lunch.  Take the time to think about what your going to eat during lunch.  It needs to give you the fuel to get thru the second half of your day.  Its also very important that you eat a good breakfast before arriving to camp.  Don't eat six bowls of your favorite sugar coated cereal with milk.  It won't go very well for you or your shoes!
3. Sunscreen!!!  The American Academy of Dermatology recommends an SPF of at least 30.  This is not a time to work on your tan.  I know I sound like a geezer telling you how important it is to use sun screen, but there is nothing attractive about getting skin cancer from too much sun exposure.
4. 1" Black Binder with Sheet Protectors.   Please make sure that all of your music is inside and that you have numbered all of your measures.
5. Tennis Shoes, Sneakers or as our friends across the pond call them "trainers".  Athletic shoes that lace up.  No Flip Flops, Sandals, Crocs or Chuck Taylor's.  The best shoes for what we do are cross trainers or running shoes.
6. A Hat!!!  From the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "For the most protection, wear a hat with a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. If you wear a baseball cap, you should also protect your ears and the back of your neck by wearing clothing that covers those areas, using a broad spectrum sunscreen."
7. Sunglasses.  If you spend all day squinting then you end up with headache.  Go to the dollar store and get a few pairs of Fabulous Sun Glasses.  They don't need to be fancy, they just need to protect you.

Musically, Mr. Beall (Tim) sent a out a great email for all of the percussionist on their musical responsibilities for the first day of camp.  Wind players, you have similar responsibilities:  

1. Your long tones should be memorized.
2. Part one should be memorized.
3. There have been significant changes to part two.  We will learn this during camp.

Color Guard, Ashley gave you some very specific instructions for things to work on.  You have a week left to work on those things.  Don't show up to camp being the person who hasn't spent any time working on those things.  Come prepared!!! Be ready to learn new things.

Gaztelugatxe
This summer I've been reading blog post by Seth Godin.  In one of his Blog Post he talks about an island of the coast of Spain which has a church.  

Here is the complete post:

"There's an island off the coast of Spain that houses a church. The church has 230 steps to the top, and it's said that it's worth the climb."

What a great expression. Gaztelugatxe can now mean, "it's a lot of effort, but worth it."

The opposite of fast and easy, but worthless.

(Click for the pronunciation of this Basque word...)"

This year our word is Gaztelugatxe, learn how to say it and embrace our meaning of the word.  We have a lot of new members this year, who may not yet understand what it is that we do.  Marching band takes a lot of effort, but is well worth it!!!

Gaztelugatxe,
Mr. Bly