And the Band Played On

First, Lynn, let me update you.... Iowa lost to Iowa State last weekend, in triple overtime! While it's not awesome that Iowa lost..... : ) ...... it IS awesome to see a game like that! Wow!!!!!

Also, yesterday Iowa did win, in a record breaking, come from behind win! Awesome!!!!!

Not only did Iowa win this weekend..... with a Vandenburg from Keokuk leading that come from behind charge...... but Keokuk won Friday night, too. With the younger Vandenburg brother leading the Chiefs, Keokuk now extends its unbeaten streak to 4. I'm lovin' livin' in Keokuk during football season this year! : )

I'm also lovin' livin' in Keokuk during marching band season this year! WOW! I've talked about the band before, and I do know that there are by far more football fans than there are band fans in this world. However, think about it. Not everyone in the world likes football. There are truly very, very few people in this world who do not like music, in one form or another. Music is an amazing thing. It's inspiring, uplifting, soothing, energizing........ many different things to almost everyone. Music is a huge part of football games. What would a football game be without music? No pounding music to charge the atmosphere before, during, or after the game. No National Anthem. No school fight songs. No half time shows. Just try to think of a football game without music. I dare you. Bet you can't do it.

In high school, which is what I'm going to be blabbering about here, once again there is more to the band than football games. You all know about "two a days" and long practices for football players, of early mornings and late nights, of long game days and even longer bus rides. Did you know that the bands pretty much do the same thing?

Starting in August, before the school year starts, while football players are having "two a days", the band is having "camp". Not twice a day, but all day. Not early in the morning and in the evening, avoiding the heat of the day, but all day long. On the practice field. Learning the "plays", training, marching, playing, and practicing. Once school starts, the band is at the school an hour and a half prior to the school day starting. Back on the practice field. Carrying instruments and props from the school to the field, and back to the band room.

On game days, the band is still at the school that hour and a half early. It's game day. They practice and plan and strategize. After school, it's home for a quick break, then back to the school a couple of hours prior to game time. More prepping and planning and "dressing out" for the game.

They march to the field before the game. They are on the field, playing the National Anthem, then bringing the team on with the Fight Song. They fill the stands and play that fight song, hopefully, a lot, during the game. They cheer and play and lift spirits. They entertain during halftime, showing off their hard work on the field. They are The Band.

After the show, like this week, the band hauls their gear back to the band room in the school. They are changing clothes and putting away instruments, while the Victory Bell rings for the football win. It's late when the band kids get home.

Like this week, there are a lot of Saturdays after football games where The Band is up and at 'em early on Saturday morning. To the school, quick practice, load the trailers and vans and buses and head out. Yesterday, it wasn't just to one marching band competition, but two of them!

The news from the first competition? Awesome! The Keokuk Chiefs Marching Band took 1st place in Drum Line, Horn Line, Flags, and 1st place Over All!!!! Whooopp!!!!!

Do they get to relax after their victory? Nope, they load up the trailers and vans and buses yet again. They endure the bumps and bounces of school buses on their way to another competition.

So, what do you do after taking 4 "firsts" at the first competition of the day? Well heck! You do it again!!!!!! Different schools, different judges, many miles and hours later, and you unload and gear up and you do it all again. And you get 4 First place rankings, again. Best Drum Line, Best Horns, Best Flags, and Best Over all!!!! How awesome is that?????!!!! It rocks!!!!!

Then, you load up the vans and the trailers and the buses and you bounce and bump home. It's late. Everyone is tired. You've been gone all day long, and done 3 performances in less than 24 hours. You've hauled gear and marched. You've played and preformed. And when you get back to the school, you still have vans and trailers and buses to unload, gear to put away, uniforms to take care of, instruments to keep track of. It's late and it's cold and it's been a very long, tho rewarding day, and you, then band member, are tired.

So, you get off of the bus and what do you do? Well, this is what I saw shortly before midnight last night, as I was waiting for my own tired band member to get done with his day.....

Friday night, as I was waiting for my band member, in the circle drive of the high school, I again got to witness the football players migrate to the Victory Bell, lay down on the ground, put their head under the bell, and ring it loud and clear. (I'm still not sure when things changed from just ringing the bell, to the current lay-on-the-ground act of ringing the bell, but it is what it is!) It gives me chills to watch the shadows of the football players, late at night in the dark, trek to the bell and continue the ritual of the Victory Bell. The peal of the bell rings across the night, as it has for years, signaling yet another Victory for the Chiefs.

On Saturday night, as I was watching the unloading of the gear, the tired movements of the band, the putting away of instruments and uniforms, I saw 2 boys approach the band director. I couldn't tell what was discussed, but it was apparent that the discussion went well for the boys. They took off running, as another band member, took off running behind them, carrying a large instrument case, and a huge grin on his face. They merged into the dark, into the grassy area in the middle of the circle drive. They set down their gear and took part in a ritual that the band doesn't always get to participate in. One by one, dark shadows in the night, they lay down on the ground, settled under the Victory Bell, and let the sound peal out over the night, shouting out a victory for the band.

You expect that from the football team. But there isn't a "sports only" moratorium on the Victory Bell. It's a school bell. It's to shout Victory for the Chiefs, whatever that victory might be. It was one of the neatest things I've experienced at that bell. Two nights in a row the bell pealed the news of a Victory across the night. Two nights in a row, the news was that of a win, an undefeated season, a long day of hard work that ended well for the team.

Football and Marching Bands go hand in hand, thankfully! The football players work hard. They work out and train and learn plays and fight it out on the field. So do the band members. They don't fight with pads and helmets. They fight with notes and flags and sounds and precise steps on the field. And yesterday, while the football players were doing whatever it is that football players do on the day after a big win, the band loaded up and headed out and had 2 "games". They played well and traveled hard. They worked and were honored for their hard work with 2 wins! They had another long, long day. And when they were done, they let everyone know, by ringing the Victory Bell, as a team should do after a win.