more evidence of spring
Feb. 28th, 2019 07:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jennlkDB saw sandhill cranes in the backyard. He says they were dancing and warbling at each other a lot.
I did not see them, as I was not home during the daylight -- wait, that's not quite true. The sun was completely up (barely) when I left at 0730, and had not gone down when I returned at 1745. I still didn't see the cranes, but I'm sure I will see them tomorrow.
I was off being helpful at the high school for MSBOA festival. This year's event was mostly middle school groups, with Detroit Catholic Central and Chelsea being the only HS groups on the program. Some of the 7th grade bands are very bad, others are quite good. Saline's is far too large -- it needs to be split into at least 2, maybe 3. There's no way a beginning student can get a good foundation in a group of a hundred, and there's no way the teacher can find a struggling student and help them before they develop bad habits.
Chelsea's groups were all very good to outstanding. The Wind Symphony played The Earl of Oxford March, which I have never heard "in the wild" other than when the FCB played it during our anniversary year. SR was concerned about the new middle school band director when she was hired two years ago (having gone to school with her!), but so far she seems to be quite good -- at least her bands are good, which is all I really have to go by.
I did not see them, as I was not home during the daylight -- wait, that's not quite true. The sun was completely up (barely) when I left at 0730, and had not gone down when I returned at 1745. I still didn't see the cranes, but I'm sure I will see them tomorrow.
I was off being helpful at the high school for MSBOA festival. This year's event was mostly middle school groups, with Detroit Catholic Central and Chelsea being the only HS groups on the program. Some of the 7th grade bands are very bad, others are quite good. Saline's is far too large -- it needs to be split into at least 2, maybe 3. There's no way a beginning student can get a good foundation in a group of a hundred, and there's no way the teacher can find a struggling student and help them before they develop bad habits.
Chelsea's groups were all very good to outstanding. The Wind Symphony played The Earl of Oxford March, which I have never heard "in the wild" other than when the FCB played it during our anniversary year. SR was concerned about the new middle school band director when she was hired two years ago (having gone to school with her!), but so far she seems to be quite good -- at least her bands are good, which is all I really have to go by.
