Puget Sound tour... Split it up?

We're looking at this possibility: Go to Seattle in March 2012 with the choir... and to the Portland Rose Parade in June 2012 with Minico and Wendell's bands!

Mrs. Palmer REALLY wants to make the joint trip at spring break, and the Seattle Center would prefer we came in the spring as well. We could add some clinics at UW or Puget Sound to round out the trip and do it for less than the original spring tour budget.

Meanwhile, with the difficulty finding a weekend we can get away during marching season for our road-trip show in the fall of 2011... why couldn't we make the Portland Rose Festival our "road-trip" for the 2011-12 season? We could focus it on the marching band parts of the event rather than a mixture of choir and concert stuff... and run it the way the Ambush always runs its road trips. That's what the Magic Valley marching band was created for in the first place - this very trip!

Doable? Or too much within too short a time? Vote now, please!

Some cool video clips to share...

Equal time for the string players - and anyone who likes short red dresses:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31963943#31963943

Some incredible non-human musicians from the Toyota factory... thanks, Ben!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs_vL9g4IYk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-mC1PkYbnM&feature=related

Clarinet players: your next instrument is here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWbj7FYEi3M&feature=related

Here are two adverts for BlackJack trumpet mouthpieces that are really clever and funny, passed on by Mr. Smith's HS band director, Mr. Clyde Quick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kKSvk1NMuM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys-b7NHlEWo&feature=related

Another two videos for trumpet players (they're very short):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQXZ9vzQJAo&feature=related and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcsGttruRd4&NR=1

Here's what a contrabass sax looks and sounds like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXBeu7o9uUM

And a "superbone" (check it out, low brass players!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNBQDPRbqv8&feature=related

How to make a flute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHSu0trGkRg&feature=related

Now, here's the next generation in flute players: never needs make-up, doesn't gossip about boys, and has better posture:
http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=110d2381-a453-40e3-b631-d8f630e20934 - Courtesy of the Takanishi Lab and Hamilton Smith...

Also, here's a link to a really cool website with a Star Wars a cappella tribute that will hook in with the lyric re-writing assignment:
http://www.themovieblog.com/2008/11/star-wars-a-john-williams-a-cappella-tribute

Marching season update

Just a few notes... Mr. Smith has finished the music and the drill sketches for "LIFESPAN: the story of a girl and boy in love", and is starting the part printing, set-by-set, and choreography for the 2011 show.

...Waiting for the football schedule to be finalized, but as of now we're planning on three Idaho competitions: the new Jerome USSBA show on Sept. 24, Caldwell's USSBA show on Oct. 1 (tentative date), and Pocatello on Oct. 15th. If the current edition of the football schedule holds and the weekend of Oct. 8th is free, we'll be looking at our out-of-state competition on that date.

...Talked with both Minico and Wendell's directors about the possibility of combining with them for a larger parade band for a more significant parade than the ones we've participated in previously. Both directors were initially positive but of course want to talk with their constituents.

...Also visited with the directors in Gooding and Shoshone about the idea of letting their handful of students dual-enroll in the marching program so they have a large-group experience.