National Anthem Project Singers and Drum Corp International Ensembles rehearse in Annapolis for the Grand Finale of the Project, "DCI Salutes America" on June 16 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Hi From Hazy, Hot and Humid Reston:
Not that I am complaining or anything. I grew up with the three H's in Kansas City, Missouri, so moving to the DC area a little over 20 years ago, was not a huge shock. Earlier in the week, it was beautiful, warm and sunny with low humidity. I was surprised as how often I was able to drive around without my air conditioning on (Yes, I feel guilty about global warming and am trying to reduce my carbon footprint, a phrase that I admit is relatively new to my vocabulary.)
Then came Tuesday and it was sticky. I am talking sticky—hair drooping, energy-sapping sticky, so I succumbed to the AC. Last night when I picked up my son Matt from baseball practice it was humid and in the low 90’s even at 7 PM. As he walked toward the car, dragging his equipment bag, he looked as if someone had dumped a bucket of water on his head. No such luck I discovered after he stowed his stuff in the back of my mini van and I got a whiff of him as he climbed into the car. He and his teammates are getting ready for their last tournament of the season in late July, so they are drinking lots of fluids and practicing in the early evening when it is (a little) less muggy.
It sounds sticky in Orlando, too, but I am happy things are going well at the Centennial Congress (see EWL's report two posts below). As one holding down the fort in the aforementioned hot and humid Reston, I was able to watch some of the Webcast Tuesday and it was fascinating. (See SR's report below).
I finished the August Teaching Music news pages late last week and as I look at spread of the pages on the wall opposite my desk, I am pleased with the results.
There are so many good photos and good stories about the great teachers and students I met in the past month, on the telephone and in person. If you were one of those fantastic members, thanks for talking to me. I can’t wait to see the printed, color version next month. Let me know what you think. My e-mail is rozf@menc.org.
My work this week includes preparing photos and stories from the National Anthem Project finale in Washington DC June 14–16 for the online version of my news. I will let you know when the updated version has been posted.
Oh, what the heck. I will share a few photos with you now, like the one at top of the page. On June 16, the three days of the National Anthem Project Grand Finale ended with a collaboration between MENC and Drum Corps International at Navy-Marine Corp Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. It is where the Mid-Shipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy play football and lacrosse, though not at same time.
I had never visited the beautiful, historical stadium, so that alone was really fun. MENC presented the National Anthem Project Road Show, complete with “Star-Spangled Banner” karaoke and the National Anthem Stage where singers
won a medal for belting out the national anthem. We had soloists, school groups and whole families earn their medals. There lots of other activities and booths for the groups wandering through.On that Saturday afternoon I split my time between the Road Show area and the field, where talented members of DCI ensembles played and the National Anthem Project finale attendees rehearsed for the opening ceremony. It was fun watching the rehearsal, which were energetic, but also well-organized. Music kids, you could tell, were great at following directions, even though there were hundreds of them on the field.
After a powerful version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," with the singers and drum ensembles performing together on the field, the young singers in red shirts settled in to the stands for the opening night of the DCI 2007 Summer Music Games Tour. The tour began that night in Annapolis and continues throughout the summer. The singers made a great audience, too, waving their yellow programs and cheering loudly for their favorites throughout the evening.
Over the next few weeks, more than 5,000 young people aged 14 to 22 will perform in stadiums across the United States, as part of a DCI tour that will end August 9 in Pasadena, California, in the Rose Bowl. DCI calls it "Marching Music's Major League."
The DCI ensembles that performed one dynamic routine after another on June 16 were: The Spirit from Jacksonville State University in Alabama; The Glassmen, Toledo, Ohio; The Carolina Crown, Fort Mill, SC; The Cadets, Allentown, PA; The Bluecoats, Canton, Ohio, and the Cavaliers, Rosemont, Ill. I got to take the photos from a deck atop the stadium, which was really cool. I loved watching the patterns the ensembles created and the music sounded great, too. I will have more photos in the aforementioned MENC online news.
In a close race , the Cavaliers, pictured below,
won the Annapolis, competition, "DCI Salutes America." MENC President Lynn Brinckmeyer, MENC President-Elect Barbara Geer and MENC Executive Director John J. Mahlmann presented awards to the six ensembles on the field.For more on the various ensembles, upcoming performances, and other DCI information, visit DCI
Well, that is about it for this week.
Hope your summer is going well, whatever you are doing. Something tells me, somewhere, somehow, music is involved.
Toodles,
RF
