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Saturday June 19, 2004
The 2004 Bands of America Summer Symposium has officially begun! 516 enthusiastic students enrolled in the Leadership Weekend Experience streamed through the doors of registration Saturday morning at Illinois State University. Our leaders of tomorrow quickly made their way to University High School for motivating sessions with Fran Kick, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, Frank Troyka, and others. Matt Savage commanded their focus and attention in drum circles. Frank Crockett challenged their trust levels and creative thinking with interactive outdoor group activities. And Norm Logan required the students to use senses other than their sight to overcome obstacles.
The students finished the day on a high note with Mark Scharenbroich, an Emmy award-winning humorist who is a twenty-five year professional on the platform. He has the art of a storyteller and the power of an inspirational speaker. By the end of the night everyone was on their feet and ready to conquer the world, or at least their high school years to come.
Sunday June 20, 2004
Day two of the Bands of America Summer Symposium Leadership Weekend Experience dawned nice and cool. Very unusual for a day in late June in central Illinois! You should have seen the students involved in Matt Savage's Drum Circles. They were grinning from ear to ear! In another room, Frank Troyka showed students the effectiveness of teaching by showing, encouraging and supporting. He taught a student how to spin a rifle in five minutes! As always, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser's sessions blew everyone away. The atmosphere was palpable with excitement and energy! The returning leadership students went off-site to Timber Pointe. They were challenged by team-building experiences such as wall-climbing, tire-swinging, and the ever-daring trust fall. Frank DiLallo, the founding member and voice for The Peace Project, taught students meditation skills and conflict resolution. He advocates peace and aims to reduce violence in schools. Dr. Jon Skidmore, who puts the psychological tool of peak performance into the hands of musicians, led a session with Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser. Talk about energy! What a fabulous session! Fran Kick also taught numerous sessions today, all of which were excellent.
Everyone's gearing up for tomorrow's rush of excited students, directors and clinicians. The 2004 Bands of America Summer Symposium is about to commence!
Monday June 21, 2004
The registration rush is over, and the 2004 Bands of America Summer Symposium is well under way! Starting at 7:30 this morning, a line began to form of eager campers ready to register. The Leadership Weekend Experience students finished up their weekend this morning with a group photo. Those students have so much energy! Their energy was contagious and affected the entire student body during the Opening Session, which began early this afternoon. The students were doing "the wave" and chanting "B-O-A! B-O-A!" The amazingly talented Percussion One performers opened the session and completely blew away the audience with their percussive prowess. The directors and students then went their separate ways to their sessions, all of which received rave reviews. After dinner the campers went to one more session, and then the evening culminated in an outstanding performance by the Yamaha Young Performing Artists. Speaking of which, talk about talent! This program gives phenomenal young musicians throughout the United States early career recognition. These young performers have fought their way to this prestigious title through rigorous taped audition processes. Day one is finished...bring on day two!
Tuesday June 22, 2004
After yesterday's chilly afternoon rain, today was spectacularly beautiful. On the Illinois State University campus, music drifted into the hallways and multi-colored flags rippled in the breeze. One of the highlights of the day was a session given by Frederick Fennell, an icon in wind conducting. He discussed Percy Grainger's "Lincolnshire Posy." People were standing up against walls and craning their necks to catch the sight and words of the legend. Cameras filled the rows amongst the crowded seats. Of course, the crowd leapt to its feet upon the session's completion. Another highlight of the day was the Air Force Band of Mid-America's concert this evening. The personnel consisted of 45 enlisted professional musicians who are phenomenal players. The audience favorite turned out to be "March Madness," a melange of famous marches from "The Star Spangled Banner" to "The Wedding March." MSgt John Bliss arranged this crowd-pleaser.
Speaking of crowd-pleasers, some of the heroes of the 2004 Summer Symposium have to be the SWAG Team members. These dedicated volunteers give countless hours and energy toward making the Summer Symposium a "positively life-changing experience." They are all amazing people!
Wednesday June 23, 2004
Another beautiful day at the Bands of America 2004 Summer Symposium! Nobody can believe that the camp is halfway over. The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps members, staff and supporters arrived on campus today. I caught a glimpse of some of the behind-the-scenes activity of a drum and bugle corps when I came across a dedicated supporter repairing the stitching on some of The Cavaliers' garments. Some of The Cavaliers members and staff gave clinics today for the campers. The Summer Symposium had some distinguished guests all the way from Japan perform today - the Saitama Sakae Wind Orchestra under the direction of Minoru Otaki. Talk about talent! They received three standing ovations. It was a very emotional experience for all involved. Some performers and audience members had tears in their eyes during various parts of the performance. What a "positively life-changing" cultural experience for everyone. Their guests were the Capitol Quartet, saxophonists based out of Washington D.C. who performed fabulously. An amazing evening all around.
I can't even begin to describe how wonderful the Symposium's nursing faculty is. These folks dedicated a week out of their lives towards keeping the campers healthy and happy. They never fail to do a phenomenal job!
Thursday June 24, 2004
Wow! So many great things happened today! First of all, the marching band students began rehearsing with The Cavaliers today. You should have seen the campers. They were so proud to be marching side-by-side with the famous corps. The marching band students will march with The Cavaliers tomorrow night at the DCI Central Illinois Summer Music Games. The amazing part is that the two groups only have a day and a half of rehearsals together before they perform. Also what was great about today was that Vic Firth, President and CEO of Vic Firth, Inc. and renowned percussionist, arrived today for the Summer Symposium. While he was leading a student session today, he told the students that they should feel free to ask questions. As soon as he said that, the students' hands shot up and they asked him questions for 45 minutes straight. Another exciting event was that our booster track participants began their classes today. These people are so wonderful! They are truly the backbone of our music education programs. The final highlight of the day was this evening's Bela Fleck and the Flecktones concert. The group features Bela Fleck, an amazing banjoist who takes the art of playing the banjo to new levels. Not only does he play bluegrass, which the banjo is typically associated with, but he plays in the genres of jazz, pop, country, and world music. Another exciting day at camp has sped by yet again!
Friday June 25, 2004
What a great day! The weather was perfect yet again, which caused the DCI Central Illinois Summer Music Games to go off without a hitch. But the drum corps show wasn't the only awesome thing yesterday. For example, the jazz faculty had a faculty jam session that was simply amazing. I honestly donÕt know how those guys do it. It sounded phenomenal; in fact, they received a standing ovation. In another exciting event, the marching band students performed with The Cavaliers after the corps had finished their show. The combined number was part of The Cavaliers' first movement of their show entitled "007 Returns." You should have heard the students! The sound that came out of their instruments was so powerful! The stands were literally packed with people. As for the results of the performances, the places were The Cavaliers in first, The Cadets in second, and Madison Scouts in third with scores of 80.45, 79.90, and 74.35 respectively. The show was absolutely wonderful!
Saturday June 26, 2004
Well, it's the last day of the 2004 Bands of America Summer Symposium. It has sped by so fast! Parents flocked to campus to see the progress that their children have made this week. The day was filled with great final performances, and the campers were really supportive of each other during those performances. The picnic was a success with music, food and games out on the grass under the trees and clear blue sky. As always the drum major march-off was fast-paced and exciting. We had approximately 600 drum majors enrolled this year! All took the field to follow the rapid-fire marching instructions. Only one drum major was left standing on the field. Then, at 3 p.m. camp ended. New and old friends said good-bye, promising to stay in contact. People headed home via car, plane and bus, all reflecting on the memories made at this year's camp. It was certainly a successful, exciting and eventful week!
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