TORNADOBANDS

Welcome!

2008-06-20T16:37:00.002-05:00

Hi guys! I'm not sure how often this blog is read or visited, but I just thought I would start making some posts. Let me take a minute to introduce myself. My name is Jeremy Kirk and I'm the new Band Director at Field Kindley High School. I am a graduate of Glenville State College (West Virginia; BA Music Education) and Marshall University (West Virginia; MA Music Performance). I've had the pleasure of performing alongside many fine musicians such as country music stars Sara Evans and Kathy Chiavola, bluegrass legends Jim & Jessie and Ralph Stanley, and percussionists Leigh Howard Stevens, She-e Wu, Dave Samuels, and Gordon Stout just to name a few. I am a former member of Southwind Drum & Bugle Corps (Lexington, KY), served as the Director of the Presidents Drum & Bugle Corps (Greeneville, TN), Marching Percussion Coordinator/Instructor/Arranger of the acclaimed Marching Thunder Drumline, and arrange/compose for The Scream Machine Drum & Bugle Corps (Rockport, TX), Frontier Drum & Bugle Corps (Dallas, TX), and Band Arrangers publishing. I also serve as a Marching Percussion Specialist and Educator with Vic Firth, Inc.

I am very excited about the upcoming Marching Band Season! The theme show for this season is entitled Music of Mangione. This blazing show will include the powerful opener Children of Sanchez, followed by a unique arrangement of Land of Make Believe (revitalized by the group Blast!), and close with a knockout performance of Echano/Legend of the One-Eyed Sailor.

I have the music and recordings available via email. If you would like a copy, just email me at kirk24@marshall.edu and let me know what part/instrument you need. I would love to hear from any and all band members, so please feel free to email me just to say hi!

The 2008 season gives us all the opportunity to carry on the outstanding tradition of excellence that is the trademark of the Field Kindley High School Tornado Band.

To succeed, you have to believe in something with such passion that it becomes reality!

Saying goodbye...

2008-05-04T08:32:00.005-05:00

I guess the music has gotten too loud! How can I say goodbye? Not easily. I've so enjoyed my time spent at FKHS. I've had the pleasure of working with some wonderful young people who have become and will become responsible, productive. and caring adults. My hope is that the students I've had in band the past thirty years will have fond memories of band being one of the highlights of their high school years.

Thank you to the school district for constantly supporting the band program. Thank you to the Band Boosters for going above and beyond to support the band. Thank you to all my colleagues who held my hand before each competition and State Music Festival (which, by the way, never got any easier), and thank you to the many talented and kind students who have graced my life and touched my heart. For all of you I wish the very best of everything.

BAND UNIFORMS

2008-05-04T08:28:00.004-05:00

Seniors need to have their uniforms checked in the week of May 5. All other students need to follow suit. Remind each other. You don't want to get a huge bill from the school this summer!

FINAL SPRING 2008 PERFORMANCES

2008-05-04T08:21:00.005-05:00

The last performances of this school year are:

May 13 - Spring Concert at 7:00 pm in the FKHS Auditorium
May 15 - Graduation at 7:00 pm in the FKHS Gymnasium

Both performances are in concert dress: all black or black and white

And the Band Played Badly

2008-03-11T04:46:00.003-06:00

By ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH

Published: March 9, 2008

WHY should real musicians — the ones who can actually play their instruments — have all the fun?

Some years ago, a group of frustrated people in Scotland decided that the pleasure of playing in an orchestra should not be limited to those who are good enough to do so, but should be available to the rankest of amateurs. So we founded the Really Terrible Orchestra, an inclusive orchestra for those who really want to play, but who cannot do so very well. Or cannot do so at all, in some cases.

My own playing set the standard. I play the bassoon, even if not quite the whole bassoon. I have never quite mastered C-sharp, and I am weak on the notes above the high D. In general, I leave these out if they crop up, and I find that the effect is not unpleasant. I am not entirely untutored, of course, having had a course of lessons in the instrument from a music student who looked quietly appalled while I played. Most of the players in the orchestra are rather like this; they have learned their instruments at some point in their lives, but have not learned them very well. Now such people have their second chance with the Really Terrible Orchestra.

The announcement of the orchestra’s founding led to a great wave of applications to join. Our suspicion that there were many people yearning to play in an orchestra but who were too frightened or too ashamed to do anything about it, proved correct. There was no audition, of course, although we had toyed with the idea of a negative audition in which those who were too good would be excluded. This proved to be unnecessary. Nobody like that applied to join.

Some of the members were very marginal musicians, indeed. One of the clarinet players, now retired from the orchestra for a period of re-evaluation, stopped at the middle B-flat, before the instrument’s natural break. He could go no higher, which was awkward, as that left him very few notes down below. Another, a cellist, was unfortunately very hard of hearing and was also hazy on the tuning of the strings. As an aide-mémoire, he had very sensibly written the names of the notes in pencil on the bridge. This did not appear to help.

At the outset, we employed a professional conductor, which is a must for anybody who is reading this and who is already planning to start a similar orchestra.

Find somebody who is tolerant and has a sense of humor. The conductor also has to be sufficiently confident to be associated with something called the Really Terrible Orchestra; after all, it does go on the résumé.

Our initial efforts were dire, but we were not discouraged. Once we had mastered a few pieces — if mastered is the word — we staged a public concert. We debated whether to charge for admission, but wisely decided against this. That would be going too far.

So should we go to the other extreme and pay people to come? There was some support for this, but we decided against it. Instead, we would give the audience several free glasses of wine before the concert. That, it transpired, helped a great deal.

We need not have worried. Our first concert was packed, and not just with friends and relations. People were intrigued by the sheer honesty of the orchestra’s name and came to see who we were. They were delighted. Emboldened by the rapturous applause, we held more concerts, and our loyal audience grew. Nowadays, when we give our annual concert at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the hall is full to capacity with hundreds of music-lovers. Standing ovations are two-a-penny.

“How these people presume to play in public is quite beyond me,” wrote one critic in The Scotsman newspaper. And another one simply said “dire.” Well, that may be so, but we never claimed to be anything other than what we are. And we know that we are dire; there’s no need to state the obvious. How jejune these critics can be!

Even greater heights were scaled. We made a CD and to our astonishment people bought it. An established composer was commissioned to write a piece for us. We performed this and recorded it at a world premiere, conducted by the astonished composer himself. He closed his eyes. Perhaps he heard the music in his head, as it should have been. This would have made it easier for him.

There is now no stopping us. We have become no better, but we plow on regardless. This is music as therapy, and many of us feel the better for trying. We remain really terrible, but what fun it is. It does not matter, in our view, that we sound irretrievably out of tune. It does not matter that on more than one occasion members of the orchestra have actually been discovered to be playing different pieces of music, by different composers, at the same time. I, for one, am not ashamed of those difficulties with C-sharp. We persist. After all, we are the Really Terrible Orchestra, and we shall go on and on. Amateurs arise — make a noise.

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the forthcoming novel “The Miracle at Speedy Motors.”

taken from the New York Times Opinion

It's already March!

2008-03-10T02:24:00.000-06:00

FEBRUARY 1 GAME IS RESCHEDULED

2008-02-04T17:51:00.000-06:00

The February 1 basketball game, which was canceled due to snow, is rescheduled for Thursday, February 7. Game times are as usual and Stage Band members are to report to the band room at 6:15 to warm-up and tune-up. Stage Band: 7-0.

NEW PICTURES FROM STEVE ECK

2007-11-19T23:37:00.001-06:00

Steve Eck, our genius photographer, took some incredible pictures of the band at Neewollah. Here are a few. Hopefully, soon, we'll have a complete photo gallery of Steve's photographs on the FKHS Band page. There are multiple pictures of every single Golden Tornado Band student. Steve, you da bomb!!!

Stage Band Basketball Performance Schedule

2007-11-15T20:51:00.000-06:00

The Stage Band will perform at all home basketball games. Stage Band shirts and black slacks will be worn to all performances. The Stage Band plays for the girl's half-time, between the girls and boys games and at boy's half-time. Band members meet in the band room at 6:15 pm to warm up and tune up before going to the gym.

December 7
December 14
January 8
January 17, 18, 19 Interstate Classic
January 22
February 1
February 8
February 12
February 19
March 1-5 Sub State if qualified

Christmas Parade Woes

2007-11-15T20:34:00.001-06:00

The Chamber of Commerce decided to have a night Christmas parade December 7th. Sadly, that is the same evening as the first home basketball game. The band will not be able to participate in the Christmas parade this year. Hopefully, next year the Chamber will check the high school activities calendar when scheduling the Christmas parade.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GOLDEN TORNADO BAND!

2007-10-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

The band received a I rating in the Neewollah Parade Competition and a II rating in the Neewollah Field Show Competition. Rock on, 'Nado Band! Play that funky music!!

Neewollah Information

2007-10-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Neewollah is Saturday, October 27. Busses will be leaving Field Kindley High School at 9:00 am. The Golden Tornado Band is the 66th entry in the parade and the field show performance time is 2:54 pm. Friends and family who are attending the field show competition should arrive earlier for better seating, parking, and the possibility the band may perform earlier if there are cancellations.
Students are reminded to bring money for lunch and a note from parents if not riding home on the bus. Students are not allowed to ride home with anyone other than their own parents. The busses should be returning home around 4:30 pm.
A lot of hard work has gone into preparing for this competition and we hope to see all the friends and families of band members cheering for them in the audience.
GO 'NADO BAND---GIVE UP THE FUNK!!!

Music Marking Instructions for You Dropped A Bomb On Me

2007-10-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

These are the instructions for marking the "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" music:

Measures 1-10/40 counts
All - Hold 8 (2 measures), float 32 (8 measures)

Measures 11-26/64 counts
Trumpet/horn - hold 64 (16 measures)
All others - float 32 (8 measures), hold 32 (8 measures)

Measures 27-44/72 counts
All - float 24 (6 measures), hold 48 (12 measures)

Measures 45-56/48 counts
All - float 32 (8 measures), hold 16 to end

Extra 7:15 am Rehearsals and Windsor Place Performance

2007-09-24T19:34:00.000-05:00

There will be 7:15 am rehearsals September 25 and September 27 to prepare Stick Schtick for the Homecoming game. Students are reminded to bring the necessary equipment for performing Stick Schtick to rehearsal.
A reminder: The band will be performing at Windsor Place Thursday evening, September 27 for a Homecoming pep assembly. The assembly starts at 6:00 pm and band students need to be ready to play at 5:45 pm. The assembly will last approximately half an hour. Dress will be: Band shirt and blue jeans.
Friday's Homecoming game will be in full uniform including gloves. Students are reminded to pick up their uniforms in the band room Wednesday after school.

Early Morning Rehearsals

2007-09-06T08:05:00.000-05:00

Early morning (7:00am) rehearsals will begin September 11th and continue every Gold day until further notice. All students are expected to attend early morning practice. Extra rehearsal time is absolutely necessary for you to learn the field show by October 27. With the block scheduling and not meeting daily, there is not enough time to learn the field show before the Neewollah Field Show Competition. So, set your alarm clocks a bit earlier, grab your coffee mug, orange juice, or whatever, and we'll see you on the field at 7:00 am September 11.

Band Kitty

2007-08-10T21:05:00.000-05:00

Fall 2007 Performance Schedule

2007-08-08T13:47:00.003-05:00

The following is a list of required Fall semester performances. Report time for all football games is 6:15 pm at Veteran's Stadium (unless otherwise noted).
FOOTBALL GAMES AND PEP RALLY:
August 31
September 7
September 14
September 27 Homecoming pep assembly at Windsor Place (6:00 pm)
September 28 Homecoming
October 12 Parents night
OTHER FALL SEMESTER PERFORMANCES:
October 27 Neewollah Grand Parade and Field Show competition (all day)
November 3 District Band auditions for those who wish to audition for District Band
December 2 Coffeyville Christmas Parade time to be announced
December 17 FKHS Band and Choir Christmas Concert 7:00 pm FKHS Auditorium

BAND CAMP DAILY SCHEDULE

2007-08-05T21:25:00.000-05:00

August 6 - 10
8:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Fee collection 7:30-8:00
Field marching/fundamentals 8:00-9:20
Water break 9:20-9:35
Sectionals 9:35-10:55
Snack 10:55-11:10
Full Band rehearsal 11:10-12:30
Dismissal 12:30
Fees:
Senior/Freshman fees Monday August 6 beginning 7:30 a.m.
Junior/Sophomore fees Tuesday August 7 beginning 7:30 a.m.
Wed/Thur. Aug 8 & 9 Late fees

Listen to the Music!

2007-08-03T14:40:00.000-05:00

David Northup was kind enough to put your field show music on youtube. You can either go to youtube and search for "nadoband" or you can use the links for the tunes right here. These mp3 recordings are available for you to download for practice at home. Practicing at home is highly encouraged around here.

Give Up the Funk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxIENzdNvEc

Play That Funky Music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj_JdJ_zCQ8

Stick Schtick http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk5imh46saY

You Dropped a Bomb on Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMeKZA_CkCA

All the pictures on this blog...

2007-07-16T11:18:00.000-05:00

A very special thank you goes to Steve Eck for all the pictures you see on this page. Steve took tons of terrific pictures for me to post on my page in the cvilleschools.com website. Unfortunately, editing problems prevented me from uploading any of them. Now, with the creation of this blog, there is a place to showcase some of Steve's excellent photography skills.
Hopefully, Steve will continue to take pictures again this year for us to see here! Thanks, Steve!

There was this one time...at band camp...

2007-06-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

Band Camp

The last week of July and the first week of August are dates to keep in mind because of band camp. Band camp gives students the opportunity to get a head-start on marching season as well as preparing for the Interstate Rodeo Parade. The key dates to remember are:

Percussion Clinic: July 31 to August 3 10:00am to 3:00 pm

Freshman Marching Fundamentals: August 2-3 8:00 am to 9:30 am

Band Camp: August 6 to August 10 8:00 am to 12:30 pm

Please note the change in times for band camp. Since the rodeo parade has been cancelled our last minute preparation for the parade isn't necessary.

Uniform checkout: Seniors and Juniors will check out band uniforms Monday evening (August 6) at 6:00 pm. Sophomores will check out uniforms Tuesday evening (August 7) at 6:00 pm. Freshmen will check out uniforms Wednesday evening (August 8) at 6:00 pm. A special note to Freshmen: checking out uniforms for the first time is very time consuming. Each of you has to be fitted to a uniform which means some trial and error. Please be prepared to spend some time waiting your turn. We do this as quickly as possible, but, it still takes time.

All need to remember the $7.00 uniform cleaning fee is due when you check out your uniform

It's not as bad as this suggests...

2007-06-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Progress in picking show music is complete. The show will be funk tunes from the 70's and 80's. Mp3 downloads will be available here as soon as the person making this blog figures out how to do it. Hello? Mrs.O, the computer illiterate, I'm speaking to you!