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The One with the News from the New Year image

The One with the News from the New Year

S3 E5 · On A Water Break
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105 Plays11 days ago

Join Ricardo, Peyton, and new host Grantis as they talk with the news makers that were a part of some of the amazing recent News stories.  From Yash with the UGA Band in New Orleans during the terrorist attack to Michael with the 605 Band at the Rose Parade with over 500 members.

All this and the rest of the news stories you and your friends are talking about On A Water Break.


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Transcript

Introduction and Episode Overview

00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everybody and welcome to On A Water Break the podcast where we talk about everything you and your friends are talking about at rehearsal on a water break. This week we catching up on all the news the new year has been bringing. We'll also find out what made Peyton say and then I will be off into the workforce. I look at this number and I think holy crap And why Granti said, that is a great representation of the marching arts. It is not, you know, what the drum corps activities do. I'll do some more on this week's episode of On A Water Break. Eight off the Met and go. Welcome to On A Water
00:00:49
Speaker
Everyone, bring it in. It's time for a water drink.

Favorite Moments from 'Wicked' Episode

00:00:56
Speaker
Hey everyone, we're back for another exciting episode this week and we are so excited for our guest clinicians this week as we talk about all the news you and your friends are talking about. Hey Peyton! Hi there. Girl, how about that Wicked episode? That was so much fun. I loved doing that.
00:01:16
Speaker
Oh my God. I just, I had so much fun. I was still glowing days after that. I shared that. We we just yapped. We did. We yapped and we yapped about theater stuff, which really makes me happy. And it was just happened to be one of my favorite musicals. So, uh, so guy how many times, how many more times have you seen the movie? I think I saw it with my sister again. However, it is coming out. So now we won't have to go to the theater.
00:01:40
Speaker
Oh, it's out, girl. I just have not had time to sit down once again. Is it really? Okay. Oh, yeah. Then I'm just not ahead of the times. You're gonna work on that. You can do that. Yes, I know.

Meet New Host: Grantese Peranda

00:01:52
Speaker
Grantees, this is your first time as a host on the podcast. Yes, it is. Thank you so much. How are you, friend?
00:02:00
Speaker
I'm doing all right. it's a little It's a little cold here in California, but not too bad in other parts of the country. So I can't really complain. I live in Florida and it's cold here too. So I think the entire country is in this polar vortex right now. Yeah. So we're an extra cold.
00:02:17
Speaker
Yeah, I've been scarfing it up, which is nice because I don't typically get to wear all of my beautiful winter wear, but right now I am. So I'm gonna be real cute for the next couple of days. So I know that our audience may have seen you in different parts of social media and your fun reviews of different marching arts products. You've also been traveling the world, but we probably should do your 32 count life story so the listeners can get to know our new hosts.
00:02:45
Speaker
You already know how this works. We'll give you eight counts off the mat. You have 32 counts to tell your life from birth up until today. You ready? All righty. Here we go. Hi, my name is Grantese Peranda. I'm originally from California, born in San Jose, but grew up in Santa Cruz. I moved around quite a bit. I went to school on the East Coast, majored in health policy and minored in dance. I did WGI, drum corps.
00:03:14
Speaker
for quite a while. March, blessed sacrament, onyx, vanguard, winter guard, imbue. And then I instructed and now I judge. I was traveling, so I also got to judge in different countries and do some clinics. um Right now I'm just finding out my next thing and I love to keep in contact with all marching arts.
00:03:36
Speaker
That's awesome. So as you were listing off all of your color guards that you marched, is there a world-class color guard that you did not march? Uh, I would, I wish I marched to Machi, but that's, that's very, as you know, it's kind of out there, but yeah, we we all wish that we marched to Machi. Peyton, I know that you know our next guest quite well. So I'm going to give you the privilege and honor of introducing your amazing friend to the rest of the world.
00:04:07
Speaker
But for context, I need to shamelessly plug the organization that has given me so much within my life, which is Silent Command. And I teach lessons for there because I was once a student as well. And so one day I was at CVS Pharmacy, my lovely place of employment, and I got this little notification on my phone that was like, Yash, schedule the lesson. I'm like, who's Yash?
00:04:29
Speaker
later as I would come to figure out Yash is one of my former students and he is an incredible learner and student and he's a freaking sponge of a human and also just and an incredible human all around. He's a freshman at UGA and he's also going to be marching his rookie season of Drum Corps which I'm very excited for. However,
00:04:56
Speaker
We can definitely tell you a lot more than I can. How about it, Yash?

Yash Mahadkar's Musical Journey

00:05:00
Speaker
Let's do it. You saw how the 32 count life story went, right? Yep, yep. Whenever you're ready, bud. Alright, let's do it.
00:05:11
Speaker
So, hi, everybody. My name is Yash Mahadkar. I'm from Marietta, Georgia. I started my music career with Indian classical music when I was seven years old with an instrument called the Thubla. It's basically two hand drums. And from there, I started Western music on the c clarinet in fifth grade. And over the next four years in the private school that I was at, we didn't really get a ton of instruction on music. So when I got to high school, it was like, okay, I'm playing a huge game of ketchup.
00:05:41
Speaker
But then I went to high school, you know, became drum major. Now I'm at the University of Georgia. I'm a freshman, studying music ed in the Redcoats and will be a conductor for the Santa Clara Vanguard.
00:06:00
Speaker
Holy cow, that is amazing. So tell me, like, what are some of the differences because you started with Eastern music and then you transitioned into Western music. How are those things? Are they different? Are there similar similarities?
00:06:15
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's a totally different world. i mean one the big i mean The biggest difference is the the tonal system, which is one of the big reasons you see very few successful attempts at mixing the the two styles. just because there's like Indian classical music so uses so many like microtones, quarter tones, whatever you want to call them.
00:06:39
Speaker
And the system of teaching is also totally different. We don't have, so the Thubla is one of like one of the only tonal drums out there. So there's two drums and you can make but so many different sounds and pitches, but we don't use notes, we don't use a staff. It's all Verbal, it's all words. For example, da, din, din, da, which is the start to one of our rhythm cycles, as you could call it. But yeah, we don't use use notes or systems like that in this instrument. Like my notebooks are just filled with words and chicken scratch. Love it. See, I feel like I just got a a valuable worthwhile music lesson, music theory lesson um that I'm
00:07:30
Speaker
better than what I did for the degree that I'm still paying for. So thank you for sharing that with me. Okay, since our clinicians are a part of the very news we are here to talk about, let's jump in.
00:07:58
Speaker
Peyton, why don't you start?

Terrorist Incident at Sugar Bowl

00:08:00
Speaker
Alright, so the Sugar Bowl was delayed a day due to a terrorist activity in New Orleans. Both Notre Dame and Georgia band members endured significant schedule changes and restrictions on their free time activities as a result. While we don't need to get it into any of the bad stuff that actually happened, we wanted to talk about how you handled it all and what you did when you were stuck in that hotel. Yeah, so...
00:08:22
Speaker
Honestly, it was all things considered. It was a lot better of a day than all of us were expecting. Most of us woke up to frantic calls or texts from our friends and family of, are you okay? What's going on? And we're just groggy waking up, but have no idea what's happening.
00:08:40
Speaker
But ah we honestly, us nor the admin kind of knew what was going to happen that day. So we kind of just kept with the the schedule as planned to eat breakfast, go to rehearsal and all that. ah So as we were eating breakfast, they kind of gave us a heads up of You know, we can't go anywhere. The university has put a shelter in place on the the band, the cheerleaders and the football team. We're all staying in the same hotel. So we weren't allowed to leave until the football players were given the okay and they headed out first. So it was what we like to call a huge game of hurry up and wait.
00:09:18
Speaker
where we're just kind of waiting there till we get, you know, the next instruction. ah So we, you know, passing the time, eating breakfast, and then everybody kind of went up back to their rooms just to kill some time, take a nap. You know, we're we're marching band kids. Most of us aren't early risers. But yeah, so we they they ended up feeding us a lunch in the hotel and We hung out there for a few hours and then around three o'clock. They said It's safe to go outside. You can we're not going to have rehearsal. The game is postponed at this point. So You're free to walk around town for a few hours. So me and few buddies explored a new part of the city kind of walked ah along the the the coast and
00:10:08
Speaker
you know, discover new areas and then around seven o'clock they called us back, we had dinner, you know, we watched the but epic football games with Texas and Arizona and then with Ohio State and Oregon. So those were some pretty fun games to be screaming at the TV and the hotel about. But other than that, yeah just playing cards, taking naps, killing the time.
00:10:33
Speaker
Hey, Yasha, but have during our lessons, did I ever tell you any stories about Lightning Protocol? I vaguely remember one. So for context, for those of you who don't know what lightning protocol is, if you are in rehearsal and lightning strikes and you have to go under the stadium and like kind of just hang out until you're out of the area of lightning during rehearsal, you essentially experienced an inverse lightning protocol, my guy. You're you're like more than prepared for your upcoming rookie season. You're going to be golden.
00:11:04
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:12:49
Speaker
Our first guest was a part of the amazing 605 combined band that was a part of the recent Rose Parade,

Michael Nash's Marching Arts Experience

00:12:56
Speaker
Mr. Michael Nash. Yeah. Thank you. We are going to do a 32 count life story with you. Do you know how this works? We give you eight off the met. You tell us your life from birth up until today and 32 counts. And that's all you get. Yeah, but what helpful.
00:13:17
Speaker
Um, I think it's like 120, but I forgot what the metronome marking was. Please forgive me. Okay, I can do it. Go ahead. Here we go. Eight off the bat.
00:13:33
Speaker
Started marching in 1973, did high school marching band director, got me into it, drum corps. Ended marching in 2013. Had my own drum corps for 13 years.
00:13:45
Speaker
I've been teaching since 1979, then Logan High School, then Ramona High School, then Moore School, Bellflower High School out here, then the 605 group. I do clinics and stuff. And I've been married for 40 plus years. 50 years in the activity, which is fun. So, yeah. Wow, quite the pedigree, sir. And some very famous school names in there. Yeah, it's been doing a lot.
00:14:15
Speaker
all my life. And I'm like behind the scenes and people are going, why haven't they seen with big groups? I don't know. 40 years of teaching in the activity? Almost. Yeah, 40. Yeah. Wow. I can't wait for the day when I say I've been teaching for 40 years. That's like a true badge of honor right there.
00:14:38
Speaker
Yeah, but it it kills you for being a guy at my age at 66 and teaching visual. It's funny because the kids are just look at me. They're going, I hear you. What? It says, come on, let's go March. And I'll march circles around the kids and they'll just go, you know, just staring blank. I, okay, I like this. He's fun. So that's what I do. It's been my life. Well, here's a bit of philosophy for me to you.
00:15:08
Speaker
You have forgotten more information than those kids will ever be able to learn. So remember that. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I can throw more stuff at them than they just go, what the hell are you talking about now? So this whole 605 thing came because of Bellflower High School and Mayfair High School.

605 Band at Rose Parade

00:15:27
Speaker
They got together and wanted to do this thing two years ago. So they had to do a video. I said, hey, I'm interested in doing it. You know, it's one of my bucket list. Could I do it?
00:15:38
Speaker
And they said, well, yeah, come and help. I said, yeah, that's what I want to do volunteer. I don't want to get paid. I don't really care. I just, my bucket list was the parade. And they said, okay. So I showed up and we started going through all that. So that was the fun part was just being able to have that as my list. What was it, what is it like being there in the parade? I mean, it's always been a dream of mine to just be in Pasadena that day and you actually got to do it.
00:16:06
Speaker
Well, I didn't get the march in the parade park. That's a bad part, because since I was a volunteer, there's security clearance. So I got them. We had a caravan, 15 buses, escorts straight from Lake Fair, Mayfair High School, all the way to Pasadena, unload the kids off, got them where they're warming up, got them close to the corner where they're supposed to be going.
00:16:35
Speaker
and then took the back way and put the kids in our head. I did not miss that 3 a.m. wake up. That was not fun. Do you want to wake up? No, I'm not. I'll get you through that. I mean, the adrenaline of saying you're doing something that big and that iconic. I mean, I would wake up for that. I still needed us, Nelsius. I still needed my fruity little caffeinated drink. Yeah, it took me an hour and a half to walk it from where I left them.
00:17:04
Speaker
to the end and I waited for them and took pictures of them saying and they made it, they made it. So that was the funnest part. So let's talk about what the 605 band is and how did all this come together? Well, the band director at Mayfair wanted to do it as a bucket list. And so he got to the school district and said any of the schools in the area if they want to do it with them.
00:17:32
Speaker
because that's the only way you can do it because the Mayfair is a small school. Bellflower is a small school. There's a lot of small schools, but it can combine them together, you know, 300 soul plus kids. So they said, well, let's try to do it. So they put a kind of thing together, did a field thing, marched the kids together two years ago, shot a video, sent it to the Rose Bowl. They are Rose Parade.
00:18:02
Speaker
they approved it and that's how it went. And then from there, just ask the kids if they want to do the event and then pay it up, you know, got it that way. And that's how they got 528 kids. 528 kids. Wow. And I'm guessing the 605 has something to do with the area code that the schools are in. Well, it's the freeway.
00:18:32
Speaker
the okay okay we're kind of situated on the 605 freeway area going from north to south and so that's how they picked the name 605 so the iconic thing was on the rose braid day we left at 605 you left the school at six we left the school at 6 5 a.m to head drive around the 605 and down the 605 at 605
00:19:02
Speaker
So what was the best and the most challenging things about doing this? Eight different schools, eight different band directors, eight different ways of teaching. And so trying to figure out everyone's nuances since I was a core director and I had my own drum corps and dentists for years, I just kind of sat back, observed them, and then to get out the best way to do it. And I said, well, I'm the marching guy. We need to teach these guys in a way, because we all teach differently, is just have them walk and have them roll straight through, roll their feet from the other toe, roll straight through. And that's it. And they all look the same. And they just went, oh, okay. So that was the first part.
00:19:59
Speaker
Then the corner, that was the biggest challenge. The corner, I would do the table i did the corner. Black Forest took us to be nightmares. TV, corner. I was up for a while thinking of that thing. And I've seen it all my life. So being a guy from Iowa and coming to California and being able to see the Rose break for the first time, and I said,
00:20:28
Speaker
I know this corner, I know how to work it. And they all gave me this look like, no, no, no, you gotta dress to this, you gotta dress to that. And I said, no, you can't do it that way. You gotta dress to the outside because you're moving pivot. And it's a wide pivot because it's 29 degrees. And they just went, what? Yeah, it's a 29 degree curve and it's at an angle when it straightens out. And they just gave me this look like,
00:20:59
Speaker
You're kidding me. No! I mapped it out in Pyware. I did diagrams with it. I even did a chat with GPT just to see what it thinks about it. Can I interrupt this for a minute? You see this mostly because I'm in my childhood bedroom because I'm home for break. This picture, this is how afraid she is for TV Corner.
00:21:24
Speaker
There is not a look with behind those eyes that's going, oh yes, I'm so excited for this turn. Well, I understand. I can understand that because what I taught the kids was this is all you have to do. The center guide is a center guide on that pink line. The outside is going to take a six to five step. The inside is going to take the eight to five step. And the very inside person is going to take a 10 to five. And that's what I said. And you guide to the left.
00:21:55
Speaker
And they just went, huh? Do it. It took three or four tries, but it worked. Until the lead trombone player, which was one of my techs at Bellflower, took a big step at the very beginning. And you could see it. So I called him out on it for the hell of it. Just giving him a hard time. Yeah, that corner, that was my biggest nightmare.
00:22:23
Speaker
I just want to say one thing. I want to thank you and all the other band directors or instructors that get their students to go to the Rose Parade. That was always like a dream of mine was to be in the Rose Parade and I wasn't in a marching band that was able to do that. Luckily, I am part of the Vanguard so I did sign up to do it when they did it in 2017.
00:22:46
Speaker
And that was an amazing experience. That was a great performance. Do you ever get the chance to go and experience it or just watch it and then try to watch it on TV? It's one of those like pinnacle marching band things where you're able to do the Rose Parade, where you're able to do Macy's or you know do one of the many other activities and our own activities. So thank you for giving those kids the opportunity to do that magnificent milestone.
00:23:11
Speaker
Yeah, it was fun doing it. And it's just a bucket list for me. And it's like going, I don't care. I don't want to get paid for this. I just want to do this. That was more or less it. Well, let us get into some more news with Michael as he gives us the rest of the rundown. But Peyton,

Retirement of a Legendary Band Director

00:23:28
Speaker
you're up first with the news.
00:23:30
Speaker
First off, I'm gonna just carry off of what Grunty said. Thank you for all of that. As someone who had the the opportunity to do it last year, that is something that is permanently permanently etched into my brain for the rest of time. Whether it was the 3 a three am wake up or the feeling of waving to the crowd or the in and out afterwards. Thank you for that. Because it's something I am also very thankful for.
00:23:56
Speaker
So going into our first news story, as an education major, I think of, I read this and it blows my brain. I haven't even started teaching. I have two more semesters before I start student teaching. And then I will be off into the workforce. I look at this number and I think, holy crap. So there is a 90 year old band director who was finally retiring from the Charlotte Catholic School District after 70 years of teaching music education.
00:24:26
Speaker
So after nearly 70 years of retiring students, 90 year old Stan Michalski, who is a celebrated band director, is retiring from his role at Charlotte Catholic Schools. He's known for his global career, but his love for music began in his youth and was influenced by his father and grew into a lifelong passion. After moving to Charlotte in 1993, he began volunteering, eventually building the school's music program from the ground up. He ended up actually expanding this music program into upwards of nine schools. And he can be noted by so many different students throughout the district as it's said that his teaching instills a passion for playing and it lasts, which I think is just super profound and something that I hope that I can instill within my students as well one day. Yash, you're a music ed major. I'm sure you can think the same. Oh yeah, I've definitely had
00:25:20
Speaker
my fair share of great teachers and that is just incredible that somebody has so much love for it that they stick it out for that long. I know I have some teachers. It's going to be you, right? Yeah, definitely. We'll see if I last that long.
00:25:39
Speaker
I'm at a point now in my teaching career where i were my students are old enough to start having kids that are about to be the age of the kids that I was teaching. And I think that that's crazy. But teaching for 70 years, I mean, you're teaching three and four generations of families if you are in the same area. Like that's just, that's that is- Imagine you're a trumpet student coming up to you and being like, oh, you taught my grandma. Right.
00:26:07
Speaker
all that Okay, so the band director of Bellflower, he was the drum major when I was the core manager at Impulse. And I also taught visual. So he was one of my kids. The band director at Ramona High School in Riverside is also one of my kids. He also marched Impulse. So yeah, it's really weird to have kids that marched in, that done the directors and stuff and you see that happen. I understand.
00:26:38
Speaker
I understand where that guy goes. Yeah. That is the true love for the activity and the passion for teaching. And that's just amazing. 70 years. Wow. Hey, Peyton, I know that you have to get out of here because you have some students to go and teach. So I'm going to dismiss you from rehearsal. Yeah. You know, you got how many, like 69 more years ago? Grantees, I believe you have another news story for us. I sure do.
00:27:08
Speaker
So there's a Tennessee man. He was charged with a crash involving the Iowa State Marching Band. The crash happened in Tennessee on December 30th when the band was traveling back to Iowa from the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Florida.

Iowa State Marching Band Accident

00:27:23
Speaker
According to the crash report, 55-year-old Cleveland Barm suddenly merged in front of the bus on the Interstate 24 near Chattanooga. Barm and 12 Iowa State students had minor injuries.
00:27:36
Speaker
No one was taken to the hospital and Barb is charged with a failure to yield. I'm just very happy that nobody was seriously, seriously injured because we all you know don't want this to happen when we're driving on you know bus trips really far. i have I have been on a bus accident before traveling with a band.
00:27:56
Speaker
And let me tell you, it's not fun. It is not something like having ah an accident period is never fun, but having an accident on a bus where there's that many people and then the logistics of trying to figure out how you're going to get back to safety or to your home. I mean, that's just a lot. So I am so thankful that everybody in the band was okay because it could have been a lot different.
00:28:20
Speaker
Oh, yeah, definitely. There's a ton of, especially in my time in drum corps, being on the bus and being afraid, you know, there's so many stories of that. But I just want to say one thing about the Pop-Tarts Bowl. I don't know if anybody was able to watch it, but I did. And it was kind of cute during the... I forgot who won. But there was this Pop-Tart. It's like a large Pop-Tart person, like in a mascot suit. And at the end, they put him into a giant toaster to be toasted.
00:28:50
Speaker
And if you're in Color Guard, we have the the, you know, the analogy of a large toaster. And I would just really wish that I might need to make one of those. I used to tell a famous toaster story to teach kids how to spin and, you know, flourish in the toaster. But now if I get a life sized one, I can, you know, they can actually experience it for themselves. So I definitely use that toaster reference all the time. And I think it's pretty common for most of us to say that. So I need to go back and look at this video and check it out.
00:29:20
Speaker
All right, so the next news story is on me and The Wall Trip High School from Houston received high honors at the high school band festival associated with the Sugar Bowl that we talked about a couple of minutes ago.

Waltrip High School Band's Success

00:29:34
Speaker
But this is the same band that was told several months ago by their superintendent that they were not allowed to go to the Sugar Bowl despite months of preparations. If anyone has followed this news story before, you know that the mayor of Houston had to step in and kind of like tell the superintendent that
00:29:54
Speaker
the the the band should go because it was a huge honor. So he gave the marching band a police escort. So the Houston cops escorted the band all the way from Houston all the way over to New Orleans to do the Sugar Bowl. And ironically enough, the superintendent was concerned about New Orleans being a dangerous destination and In the end, this is totally one of those moments where Alanis Morissette wrote that song about, isn't it ironic? Because it kind of happened. I don't know. I just feel some kind of way about that. I you know i want kids to go out and get all the opportunities, but it's really sad when you know tragedy, like the strikes, is it's nothing you could ever prepare for. And I know the superintendent had great intentions, but I wonder if he's going, I told you so. I can't i can't imagine what those
00:30:47
Speaker
But the admin of that ban was going through, because I know watching our admin at the Sugar Bowl, I mean, you could see that they were they were' really stressed for our safety. And they actually set they had set a curfew for us. The original plan was at 10 o'clock on New Year's Eve, we would ae they would throw an event for us in the hotel. But when that plan fell through,
00:31:15
Speaker
They gave us a 2 a.m curfew. So many of our students were on that same street until an hour and a half before the event. Wow. So, yeah, I mean, especially I'm high school students is a totally different ballgame. But the I commend all the the admin of every organization that was there for all the work they put into keeping their students safe.
00:31:41
Speaker
100%, there's no planning, there's no preparation for something like this. it's It's you have to make those smart decisions as they come. And thankfully, you know most of all of the bands that were there were able to make those decisions. And I will report that everyone from the Waltrip High School Band was safe and they did make it back and their parents were all thankful for them. And the Houston mayor even went to the band and gave them a little bit of congratulations for it.
00:32:16
Speaker
So Yash, you got our next story for us. Yeah, so earlier last week on the show we all know is Jeopardy.

Ohio State Band on Jeopardy

00:32:25
Speaker
On one of their questions, the Ohio State marching band tradition of dotting the I appeared.
00:32:32
Speaker
For those of you who don't know, the Ohio State Marching Band is famous for their incredible drill formations. I've seen them do the planes from Top Gun. They've done Moonwalking, Michael Jackson. it's It's really a treat to get to watch their shows. And one of their most well-known traditions is spelling Ohio on the field and having a Sousa Bone player run out and be the dot for the I. And I think- It's a cursive too, right? It's a cursive- Yes, in cursive. They have the whole line of the marching band follow the drum major around and, you know, spell this whole Ohio massive formation out. All right. Grantees has a last minute announcement. So everyone in the DC area, pay attention.

Washington Commander's Band Auditions

00:33:24
Speaker
Yes, so this just in. Lizzie from the Commander's Marching Band has something that she wants to let everybody know. The Washington Commander's Marching Band has auditions for the 2025 season. They are holding percussion auditions from February 1st and 2nd with the Wind Slash Brass auditions from March 8th and 9th for all the District Heights Recreation Center. This is where it will be located.
00:33:52
Speaker
More details, including audition experts and links to register can be found on their websites at www.commanders dot.com. And you can also email them at marchingband at commanders dot.com.
00:34:09
Speaker
Okay, everyone, it's time to get back onto the floor so that we can learn the last minute of the show. We'll be right back with a new segment of what are we doing and our gush and goes.
00:34:32
Speaker
Marching by Montes is a visual design business based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, but provides services to ensembles all across the country. Our services include custom drill and staging for marching bands, indoor winds, indoor percussion, and winter guards, as well as custom band and guard choreography for all three winter idioms and marching bands.
00:34:53
Speaker
We now offer program coordination for ensembles throughout the U.S. and custom graphic design for all of your uniform, props, flags, and floor needs.
00:35:06
Speaker
In-person and virtual program consultation options are now available through Marching by Montes, as well as custom sound design for your indoor winds backing tracks, winter guard soundtrack, and show soundscape needs.
00:35:19
Speaker
visit us at marchingbymontes.com, contact us at joey at marchingbymontes.com, and check us out on social media at marchingbymontes.
00:35:45
Speaker
Okay everyone, we are back and we are starting a brand new segment called 60 Second Tech Block.

New Segment: 60 Second Tech Block

00:35:53
Speaker
This is normally where we would cue music, but because this is so new, we don't even have the music for it yet. So, you know, pretend like it's happening right now.
00:36:03
Speaker
Anyway, this is how this works. Each week, one of our hosts or guest clinician will be forced us to give a 60 second tech session with the section needing it the most after the last run. So basically, our special tech this week got to choose three topics that they think that they can give a 60 second nonstop speech and maybe help some people out there. So since it's your first show as a host, grantees, you are up my friend. Are you ready to do this?
00:36:34
Speaker
Alrighty. What should I do though? So you had three topics that you chose from. The first one was, what does success look like? The second one was, what do you do when none of your kids are showing up? And the third one is, what changes should you make when the judges give you a bad score? Panel? Thoughts? I know which one I'm leaning towards. Josh, you got one that you're thinking about? Maybe.
00:37:00
Speaker
I think I want to hear a little bit about success. I think so too. Nash, what about you? You guys pick. Anyone who will do for me. Alright, so you know what? I'm going to go with what does success look like? Alright, here we go. 60 seconds on the clock. Grantees, you got this my friend.
00:37:22
Speaker
six, seven, eight, go one! Alrighty, so what does success look like? You really have to think about the students that you're teaching. This might be the very first year that you've had, let's say a wins program percussion or a winter guard, let's do the winter season for now, and you got to make them love the activity. That's going to be successful, that they love what they're doing on the floor.
00:37:46
Speaker
And then maybe the next year, you know, maybe you're actually going to be competitive because you stopped doing like a festival performance and you've got to get them like wanting to win wanting to be competitive. And that's going to be successful, even if they don't win, but they want to have that achieved.
00:38:03
Speaker
But then the following years and years after that, like, do they have a presence on the school campus? Do the parents actually help out? Do parents and family members know what color guard is? Do the students actually, you know, want to be there? Are they actually getting clean or they are they being successful? Do they win or regional? It's slow steps in the process. And you did it, sir!
00:38:31
Speaker
Okay. So obviously you have thought about this a lot because that was a fantastic 60 second tech block. Oh, thank you. I, you know, I took the, the part about making the students enjoy what they're doing and that like is my entire teaching style. So I, I feel you on that. Oh yes. That's one of the first things I had a conversation with cause I marched scouts and I have a nail from that. And he told me, I talked to him and he was just like, well, they're brand new. It sounds like they just need to love it.
00:39:02
Speaker
Don't worry about the competitive side as much. like you know they just need to They just need to love, because they have no idea. You're teaching them everything from how to strip a flag to like you know the warm-up exercises. like they they It just needs to be fun, the very first season. so Sometimes that's just what it needs to be, and that's success. That is success. Well, you did that, but it is time for What Are We Doing? What are we doing?
00:39:37
Speaker
What are we doing? Okay, listeners, you already know this segment and all of our hosts know this segment. So we're going to just dive right on in and ask, what are we doing? Grantees, what are we doing? What are we doing? Not giving our kids water. um You got to give them water every 15 or 20 minutes. It doesn't matter. I'm sure you have a bunch of things to say in rehearsal, but if you feel tired,
00:40:03
Speaker
Take that as a cue to like, oh, maybe I should go give my kids some water. If you've been talking a lot and your mouth is dry, go get some water. Like if you're frustrated with them, go get some water. Go get some water.
00:40:16
Speaker
Okay, so I'm totally guilty of this. And this is a fun little story from last night. So last night I was teaching the ensemble flag phrase and I kept trying to get this moment to happen and looking at it. And now mind you, it was 40 degrees and we were rehearsing outside in Florida. So it was like it was hot. ah But I think I had gone about 25 degrees. minutes and I didn't give the kids a water break and I was telling the kids to reset and one of the girls looked at me and said, girl, ain't your throat dry? And I was like, what are you talking about? She was like, ain't your throat dry because I know you thirsty because we are. And I looked at my watch and I felt terrible.
00:40:59
Speaker
terrible. Like I know I'm pretty sure everybody in this room right now. As we get in the zone. You get in those moments where you start like you're in that that that grind and you're going for it and you completely forget about it because it wasn't hot outside but I was just standing there counting and clapping and screaming. I was not running around the floor because they literally run for that whole section of the show and I, poor baby.
00:41:23
Speaker
oh so
00:41:26
Speaker
one of the great things that my directors in high school did is there was always somebody on the field that he had assigned to to give us the water break. So it was it was a good reminder for them to keep them like in time with the water and it gave, I guess the the kids a little sense of, ooh, I'm important. Yeah, that's a cool, someone did it and they, I can't remember but the word was avocado. And every time a kid would get thirsty, they would just go avocado and then it would be the cue for the staff to like give them a water break. So, you know, we we got to do better instructors. We got to make sure everybody's hydrated. I mean, we can't have people falling out. Even even though it's winter time outside, we still got to drink our water and listen to on a water break while you're doing it. That's what you have the phone for. Put it on the timer. That's what I do.
00:42:25
Speaker
Exactly. That 10-minute timer over and over again. I gotta to make sure I do that. i'll I'll do that tomorrow at rehearsal. I'll be better, I promise. Yash, what are we doing? Well, actually, I had an interesting conversation with one of my former teachers. They were talking about how in classical marching style drum corps, we always perform to the front. you You know, the audience is just that front section. The rest of the stadium is empty.
00:42:54
Speaker
But if you've heard of something called the Battle of the Bands, it's this huge competition of HBCU-style bands where they perform to the whole stadium. It's jam-packed. The audience is on their feet. So an interesting question that came up is, do we think traditional marching bands and drum corps will ever you know migrate to that style of performing to the whole stadium and maybe even bringing a different kind

Will Traditional Bands Adopt HBCU Style?

00:43:26
Speaker
of audience in to pack that whole stadium up. So essentially, what are we doing only performing to one side of the stadium? Yeah. That's valid, Fred. That is valid.
00:43:41
Speaker
I'm a huge fan of the HBCU style of marching. I grew up in Mississippi. So on Saturdays, my grandfather would take me to the Jackson State University games and shout out to them because they were just in the, the sonic boom in the South was in the Rose Bowl parade.
00:43:56
Speaker
but the other day and they were fantastic but I mean there's such a level of energy and you're right I mean those stadiums are packed out and everybody paid the same amount of money for a seat so they're they're turning around they're giving one side a show they're giving the other side of show I think everybody needs to adopt that it's really nice how they do on that whole event thing it's fun to watch it is fun to watch different style for me but it is a fun to watch yeah they do the whole like they do the march in and all that stuff too right which is a whole other production in itself it's like you get a production with them marching into the stadium then you get a production whatever seat you're sitting in in the stadium i mean then they do it right they do it right even from the buses getting into the stadium have you ever seen those videos
00:44:42
Speaker
Really light it up. Oh, yeah, they're just lined up and they're doing a whole parade with everyone Wow the stadium and then into the stadium doing a whole parade thing and the videos I've seen the fans are in the parking lot watching them get off the bus and come in I mean I Love it. I love it. That's what are we doing? Depends if you want to March the right way want to see what you're doing, want to be able to walk. Now, the whole problem is a lot of the kids come to rehearsal, they don't stretch, they don't get themselves ready. Just like me, I'm six, six years old, I do a lot of stretching even before I even march or even before I walk. So, you know, these kids, they just need to get more physically ready. So I get my kids at Bellflower going through PT training, do a lap,
00:45:39
Speaker
And then I put them through a whole cardio exercise. So the thing is get these kids ready for the summer, get them ready for the winter, that training, get them all loose and ready. That's the best thing to do for them. So, uh, I guess it's my turn and I am going to say, what are we doing trying to be WGI clean the first week of January? That ain't going to happen.
00:46:03
Speaker
I, I, you know, I have been teaching for a long time and I know better. I know this and I know that it's not going to happen. But for some reason in my mind, I look at something and it's the first week of January and I'm like, why is this not clean already? Mind you, the kids were just on a two week break. And then I just taught the phrase 15 minutes before this moment of thinking that, but you know, I got to check myself and do better on that end.
00:46:31
Speaker
Yeah, that that happens a lot. You get that expectation in your fingers, that's gonna be perfect. Right. Gotta, gotta sit back and relax and let it, let the flow. Yeah. Cause the truth of the matter is it's not even gonna be perfect at the end of the season. You can always fix something. That's, that's definitely something I've seen is, you know, I just, I'm a freshman music education student. So I've just started,
00:47:00
Speaker
like conducting and rehearsing my own ensembles. So when you practiced a recording in high school ah for our final concert, I conducted a piece by Granger and I had just practiced to a Marine band recording over and over again. And then as soon as I gave the first like phrase, I was like, that doesn't sound like the recording he did. What's wrong?
00:47:26
Speaker
that that That was not going to work for you, friend. I'm sorry. You ah you started at the top, and no, that wasn't going to happen. Great job, everyone. Set your equipment down. Gush and go. More water? Yeah, more water. All right, guys, it is time for our gush and goes. What is everybody gushing and going about right now? Grantees, tell us, what's what's going on?
00:47:56
Speaker
I don't know if this has already been gushed about in a recent episode, but Beyonce's bowl, her portfolio.

Beyoncé's Bowl Performance Praise

00:48:04
Speaker
Like, come on. That was, that's exactly like, oh if you haven't seen it, you really need to go watch it because that is a great representation of the marching arts. It is not, you know, what the drum core activities do. It is not what a lot of like, I would say like,
00:48:24
Speaker
current marching band, competitive, BOA, WBA marching band, but it is very relevant because it's pop culture. I'm going to pause you right there and say that everybody needs to pay attention to what she's doing because she is teaching us how to entertain. That was a textbook lesson in entertainment.
00:48:46
Speaker
min from the start to the finish. Costuming, set design, performance skills, the drill with the band, all those dancers. I mean, it was just masterful from top to bottom. I've watched it three times already.
00:49:01
Speaker
Yeah, and if you want to talk about, like, drill and staging, the coordination of the marching band, you know, maybe they weren't doing so much intricate drill, but the way they weaved in everybody that was participating in the performance. Like, I want to know who did that. Like, they did a fantastic job. Yeah, just everything about the performance. Again, if you're listening and you haven't seen it, go take the time. I watched it on YouTube. Go find it. And it's there and it's beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful.
00:49:28
Speaker
It's fantastic. Every second of it. i Like I said, I've watched it three times and I'm probably gonna go watch it again after we get done recording this. And let me just gush about one more thing. If anybody wants to contact me for any consulting during in winter season or even judging, I'm actually judging a little bit more outside my local area, going to different states. They can reach me, look at my website, granteesmoproductions.com or you can look at my YouTube. I have a lot of videos up there that might be educational and helpful to your group.
00:49:59
Speaker
Yes! What are you guessing and going about, my friend? Well, i really, the the big thing going on in my life right now is I'm really excited to start my rookie season of Drum Corps with the Vanguard. of i It's been a huge dream for me. my One of my biggest mentors is a big time judge for Drum Corps, so he's really gotten me into the game. And the process is taking to get here, especially with all the help Peyton's given me over the past four or five months.
00:50:32
Speaker
It's been a great journey and I'm excited to get started. Dude, I can't wait to see you on the field this summer. I'll be in California part of the summer with the drum corps, so with the academy. So hopefully I'll get to run into you and warm up or something somewhere. Yeah, I'll yell for you right before you again, make you a little bit more nervous, but we're all there. So I can't wait to see you as well. Thank you. All right, Michael Nash, what are you gushing and going about right now?
00:51:00
Speaker
Well, I'm revamping my website, marchingforyou.com, getting that ready for the props and consignment business for field, field props and floors with guard closet. Hopefully get that going up and running real soon. And just, this is my vacation time. I have no bands to work with, no teaching. I'm just doing consultant for, iraqi um, um, winter.
00:51:30
Speaker
drum Drumline because they're going world-class. So they asked for some technical help on background Nonprofit stuff and I'm also doing some background work with vessel you said that this was your your vacation and relaxation time But I sounds to me like you got a whole schedule full of stuff friend It's no marching. That's the whole thing. I have no marching No Well, listeners, I am gushing right now because after living in Florida for 15 years and being asked from every band director friend that I know and every color guard vendor and everything else, if I was going to be at the Florida Music Educators Association conference, I am finally getting to go as part of my job.

Excitement for Florida Music Educators Conference

00:52:22
Speaker
Congratulations. Yeah.
00:52:23
Speaker
I'm super excited. I'm going to get to spend the next couple of days with some of the best music educators in the state of Florida, listening to some some wonderful topics of discussion. um I get to sit in with the rest of the ah music supervisors for the rest of the state and get to know all of those people. And I get to see some really cool vendors, some of them whom I'm friends with since I've been in the activity since Jesus was a baby. And there will possibly be a little bit of on a water break pop-ups happening throughout FMBA over the next couple days. So we'll see how that goes. So Ricardo, will you be on the on a water break for FMBA? I will be on a water break from FMBA. Hey, it's called gush and go, not gush and stay. Let's go.
00:53:20
Speaker
Thanks everyone for a great rehearsal this week. And what a way to kick off season three of On A Water Break. There are so many things planned in this season and we cannot wait to share everything with you. Thank you to our host this week, Peyton and Grantese. And thank you to our guest, Yash. Where can our people find you? You can it you can find me on on Instagram at underscore Y S H Y S H a little joke from high school.
00:53:49
Speaker
And you can also find me on Facebook. And Michael Nash, what about you? How can we find you on socials? The quickest way is just to go to www.marching4u.com. All my social links are at the bottom and it's quick. Awesome.
00:54:04
Speaker
All right, one more thing. Don't forget that we have our YouTube channel now that has many of our interviews as full video editions. Don't subscribe so you don't miss those. Word is people are reaching out to us to talk about things on the podcast and we love it. Email us on a water break podcast at.com.
00:54:25
Speaker
or find us on social media and DMS. We love having people on the podcast and hey, just take out your phone, make a video and send it to us and maybe you'll see yourself on the podcast soon. So before you close out of your podcast listening app, go subscribe, write us a review and share this with a friend. Follow us on social media at onawaterbreak and we'll see you at the next rehearsal on a water break.
00:54:59
Speaker
intro and outro music was produced by Josh Lidah. To learn more, visit LidahMusic.com. And until next time, thanks for tuning in. see