橋爪

Oh dear...

Why did Bates ever leave?

Last year I created a Wikipedia page for the NWMBC. Since then, a lot of people have contributed to make it more detailed and structured than I would have imagined. If you band kids would like to contribute, that would be awesome.

I'm sure I'm the 1,000,000 person on people's friends list to write this, but today Walter Bates announced he was ending his 13-year career at Beaverton High School.

The toll that all the extra activities at Beaverton - marching, pep, jazz band - have taken on his family life were apparently too much. He's transferring to the International School of Beaverton to continue his teaching career.

I feel like I'm the last of a generation - the guy's been teaching at Beaverton since I was five years old.

This could be a good thing. It seems like both him and the students were getting complacent. Nonetheless, it's sad to see him go.

Off to Florida, it seems. The flight leaves at 3:45 tomorrow, so my family and I are spending the night at a hotel near the airport, meaning no more internet access for me for about a week.

Hope you all have a lovely New Years and enjoy Saddam's execution. There's nothing better than a good old-fashioned hangin', now is there?

The highest BHSME scores from years past, before the pdfs are removed from the NWMBC site:

2003: 74.6 (Champs at Evergreen)
2004: 71 (Champs at U of O)
2005: 65.9 (Champs at OSU)
2006: 76.45 (Champs at Hillsboro)

I've felt like today, my last marching band competition, should've been an almost sad one; full of tears, hugs, and other gestures of farewell. Instead, I find myself almost frighteningly stoic.

This season has been so successful on so many levels that it has completely redeemed any misgivings marching band has had in the past. We made finals every time; I got to experience what it meant to be a senior in the band; we sounded and looked better than I can ever remember us looking; and perhaps most of all, I think that the freshmen (mine, at least) not only enjoyed themselves, but developed into solid marchers and musicians. It's because of these successes that I think it's almost a waste to be melancholy; I'm fine with being content.

I'm proud of my section. I'm grateful to my field assistants. And I'm both proud and honored to have taught the clarinets. Most sections have had power struggles, had petty fights, or worse; yet again, the clarinets have shown themselves to be a family.

The only matter which gives me pause is my role in the band - that is, fulfilling the duties of section leader. It still seems strange to me that I went from an unenthusiastic, awkward freshman who wanted to quit band to section leader. I just hope that I did what I needed to in teaching and leading the section. If the section felt productive, had a good time, and experienced growth, then I'll know I was successful. My greatest legacy is the attitudes and skills of the clarinets.

This season was perfect.

So begins the end. While there's still much ahead of BHSME, this was (whether or not I recognize it now) my (and others') last field show. It will be a bit depressing to see it all go, but as I said earlier: I am content.

Let's, as we often find ourselves doing, start from the beginning and work our way forward.

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