Events:
Sat, October 13: Poway Invitational Field Tournament
Thur, October 18: Parade: 5:30 PM
Fri, October 19: Homecoming Parade & Football Game Call Time: 5:30 PM
Sat, October 20: NO Rehearsal
Mon, October 22: Parade: 7:30 AM Cancelled
Fri, October 26: Senior Recognition Football Game Cancelled
Sat, October 27: Mt. Carmel Tournament Cancelled
October News
Wednesday, October 31, 2007 ~ Media of the Week
It's time to unmask the identity of the mysterious Mystery Song ...
Night On Bald Mountain (as heard in Disney's Fantasmic)
As I had predicted, this MS stirred some of you up from the dead to take a stab at this song. The winners include...
Shane M. ~ Trombone Junior
Westley J. ~ Flute Senior
As I was doing some research on this music to write about here, I found out that this piece had some dark history that I don't really feel like explaining! You can read about it here if you dare. Please CLICK HERE for more information about our weekly Mystery Songs. This next clip is a Halloween gift in preparation for our trip to Disneyland! Happy Halloween!
Video of the Week
Launch Video
Notes: Let me be honest: I am completely out of personal videos! So until we get some more, here is a really cool comparison of the "Fantasmic!" shows at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. About two-thirds into the video, you will hear parts of last week's mystery song, "Night on Bald Mountain" depicting the rise of evil. Unfortunately this show takes place at night, so on our Disneyland trip, we will probably leave the park far before the show starts. (EDIT: 11/26/07)
Picture of the Week (11/4/06)
Notes: With our first competitive tournament coming up this weekend, here is a picture that I took last year at Mission Hills. Pictured are Rachelle R. and our current Drum Major, Dana B! By far, this has been one of the most popular pictures ever, having been included on the main "Activities" page in the 2006-07 PHS yearbook and on the LAST slide of the 2007 Awards Night slideshow! You can bet that I will attempt to get a similar shot this year!
Sunday, October 28, 2007 ~ Week XI VIPs
Page 1 you will find Poway kids and parents. Page 2 features pictures that I took of other bands during the day. In addition, you will find the tournament Sweepstakes results and the PIFT drawings by Nafisah T.
Leadership of the Week:
Westlesy J. ~ Flute Section Leader
Shirt Quote: "Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted" -David Bly
Birthday: March 26
Best Quality: "Perseverance"
Advice: "Don't beat yourself up over something that is difficult because with continual practice and commitment, you will become better at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish."
Leadership Advice: "Have a goal in mind as to what your section needs to accomplish or improve upon when you spend time with them. However, make sure everyone enjoys what they are doing, otherwise no one will want to improve."
What We Think: As one of the busiest people around, Westley manages to pull off being a great flute section leader as well a Cross Country team captain. Just earlier this year, he was debating on whether to choose running or marching, but it turned out he choose both! This is why he easily has a multitude of friends. Westley is also someone that can be trusted and depended upon. When you need a supportive friend to talk to, Westley is just that. Thanks Wes!
Friday, October 26, 2007 ~ Media of the Week
On Wednesday, my family and I returned home after evacuating on Monday morning. With my computer up and running, I would like to continue with our normal update...right after these messages:
As the firestorm heads out of Poway and continues it's merciless rampage of terror and destruction around other areas, now begins the process of reconstructing our "Poway Bubble." For some people, this means putting their clothes and possessions back in their proper place and for others, this means cleaning up some dirt in the doorway. For a handful of people out there, it means starting completely over. New living conditions, different priorities, and a changed perspective. All of these ideas can be especially confusing to the heart.
Speaking hypothetically: you are very "concerned" about the people whose homes were burnt down and are STILL in danger. But is it selfish to complain about the cancellation of the Mt. Carmel Tournament? Is it heartless to be annoyed about the dirt in the air and the mess in the driveway? Well, here's what I think if anyone cares: While it is important to worry and sympathize, it is also important to move on and look forward. Now is the time to support our friends who are fire victims as well as enjoy our time off from school. I hope that band will start up again very soon and that we will have a strong finish to the season. Let's not take the rest of the marching season for granted! Like I said before, this is a very confusing time.
So far, I have not talked to anyone whose house was destroyed by the fires, but if you are a fire victim reading this, I am very sorry for your loss. You can email me if you wish to talk, and please know that this website is committed to you and everyone in the Emerald Brigade. All of the new features this week are dedicated to anyone who has been hurt by this enormous disaster. Thank you for reading.
It's time to reveal the previous Mystery Song (click for more info):
Burn the Book (Back to the Future II)~ By: Alan Silvestri
I had been saving this song for awhile because I love the "Back to the Future" Trilogy. The title is kind of self-explanatory, but in "Burn the Book" Marty burns the dangerous Almanac that Biff used to dirupt the space time continuum. This is an important scene towards the end of the movie, giving closure to the main conflict in Part II. Sadly, no one guessed it but it has been a very strenuous week...moving on, here's MS #11, and it's a 12 minute track!
Video of the Week (10/13/07)
Launch Video
Notes: I absolutely fell in love with the Gershwin music played by the Point Loma Vanguard at this year's PIFT! Sorry Poway fans... (EDIT: 11/26/07)
P.S. The "effect" page got redone, so be sure to check it out!
Picture of the Week (10/13/07)
Notes: At the PIFT, I got to escort the Capistrano Valley Band, also known as the Black and Gold Brigade. Little did I know that they would be the champions of the 2A Class in every category! What impressed me more, however, was their sense of discipline and "spifftastic" organization. The entire time that I escorted them, they were completely silent, stayed in step when there were no taps, and traveled in two perfect lines! Good work Capistrano, and we hope that you have a very successful season!
Monday, October 22, 2007 ~ Fire Emergency
Dear friends,
Sunday, October 21, 2007 ~ Week X VIPs
Middle School Night Football Game! If you are a Meadowbrook/Twin Peaks student, be sure to look for yourself in this album! Thank you for your support!
Also, I have posted the first recording of us playing "The Southerner" on the Music page. Remember, parade band rehearsals will begin at 7:30 on late-start Mondays from now on. See you there, bright and early!
Shirt Quote: Guardaholics unanonymous; be proud of who you are."
Birthday: August 27
Best Quality: "I love to work with people."
Advice: "No matter what your drill says, if a staff member tells you to move, just do it."
Leadership Advice: "There will always be disagreements between leaders. Try your hardest to never argue in front of your fellow marchers, especially if it's an arguement between leaders of the same section. No one ever wants their whole section to think that they're immature and loose their trust."
What We Think: I admit it. It is nearly impossible for me to correctly describe Jackie when I have only known her for a few months but here goes. Jackie is the product of years of the tough practices and physical work that the guard does. She knows what she is doing and is someone that you can talk to...a lot. Plus, like any good guard-ian, she is a very spirited and outgoing motivator in the band program. Good job!
Marchers of the Week:
Clarinets ~ Andy P. (left)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 ~ Media of the Week
It's time to reveal last week's Mystery Song :
No Good Deed (Wicked: The Musical)
After nine weeks, the mystery songs with lyrics have proven to be much easier to guess! In "No Good Deed," Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) sings about how she has given up on looking for acceptance from the people of OZ, showing her final transition to wickedness. The entire soundtrack goes highly recommended. Here were our two winners:
Marissa P. ~ Freshman Trombone
Tony S. ~ Sophomore Drummer
These two will each recieve several special pictures from my collections, and you could be next. CLICK HERE for more information about how to submit your guess for this week's Mystery Song. Good luck on Week 10:
Video of the Week (10/3/07)
Launch Video
Notes: The band learns drill for the beginning of the third movement. As you can see, different groups of people stand up as they build into the massive follow-the-leader, though clarinets and trumpets remain still for the entire opening sequence! (EDIT: 11/26/07)
Picture of the Week (10/13/07)
Notes: Here is a picture taken at last Saturday's tournament! Once you stare at it for a second, you will notice that the ground is slanted. Look out for these interesting skewed perspective pictures to show up in future photo albums! (The quizzical expressions didn't hurt either.)
Monday, October 15, 2007 ~ Week IX VIPs
Shirt Quote: "What! It was an explosion of flavor. I'm working with some very unstable heeerbs."
Birthday: June 12
Best Quality: "I am generally good natured and easy going"
Advice: "Have fun with what you do and enjoy the people around you who are working for the same goal."
Leadership Advice: "Treat everyone equally and be fair. Never be harsh and you should raise your voice only if no one can hear you and don't be mean about it."
What We Think: Kaelyn is the perfect example of a team wind player. She works diligently in the band program and is very calm and understanding, just as every leader should be. You may have seen Kaelyn around campus, but did you really? Kaelyn plays the baritone but her twin sister, Bree, plays the saxophone, thus helping to distiguish between the two of them!
Marchers of the Week:
Note: Marchers of the Week are designated by the section leaders and NOT by our website. Recently, I was blamed for showing favoritism and hopefully this will clarify any misunderstandings. :)
Clarinets ~ Julia S.
Tubas ~ Alec M. (right)
Friday, October 12, 2007 ~ New Features
Well, tomorrow is the Poway Invitational Field Tournament and I am very exited for our first important show! Since we will be performing in "exhibition" (we are not competing) a little of the pressure is off. This is a dangerous way to think, though, because a whole bunch off missed details adds up to a sloppy appearance. I encourage you all to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender tonight and then go straight to bed!
But really, this is where the competiton becomes reality. It is important to make tomorrow morning's rehearsal even more focused than last night's. This means no talking, playing with good tone quality, and getting better each time. Breathe together and watch. Have fun volunteering during the afternoon, but re-focus your energy once the 6 PM call time rolls around. The best thing that we can do tomorrow night is to take the competition seriously. Good luck, have fun, and have an amazing show!
Picture Day ! My favorites in this album are the exclusive funny section photos. Although you may have seen one or two of these elsewhere, you will only find the original pictures here! With the help of Navarre and the nice MVP Photographer, you will notice that everyone is looking directly at the lense in these select informal shots. We hope to have a collection of the official band photos put up soon!
Next, I have added a ton of new "Live Recordings" under the Music page. Make sure to listen to our first Full Run-Through from last night's rehearsal because there is slight tearing (due to rushing) in all three movements. At the same time, read along with our third movement narration:
Phrase Narration
Mvt. 3: As the bell sounded the hour, there came a knocking at the street door. There entered three men who introduced themselves as officers of the police. They sat and while I answered their questions, a ringing began im my ears. No doubt I grew very pale, but I talked more fluently and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased but what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound. Why would they not be gone? Did the police know? Could they know?
(Measures 49-52): I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here, here! It's the beating of his hideous heart!
(Measures 0-24): (Blood Curling Scream) Ah ha hae!
Check the October 5th update for the rest of the narration text!
Finally, here is the follow-up to the question that we posed last week: Who is the voice of the Tell-Tale Heart this year? Well, It is none other than our friend:
Sam Bass ~ Kixy Midday DJ
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 ~ Media of the Week
It's time to reveal last week's Mystery Song :
The Birth of Mewtwo (Pokemon: The First Movie)
I admit it, this one was pretty much impossible to get unless you listen to the "Mewtwo Strikes Back" soundtrack as much as I do. Although it is Pokemon, it is still good music. However, it is interesting to note that this Pokemon movie's original Japanese score was completely trashed and a new one was written for the US by a series of composers. It is too bad that this music is not the authentic cultural representation of the creators' original ideas.
CLICK HERE for more information about our weekly Mystery Songs. This week's song is dedicated to everyone with an October birthday!
Videos of the Week
Launch Videos
Notes: In honor of the upcoming Poway Tournament, I decided to do a special segment with two videos. (EDIT: 11/26/07) Let's compare:
Year Band City Show Name Songs Played
2006 Emerald Brigade Poway HS Magic of Queen We Will Rock You, Bicycle Race, Bohemian Rhapsody
2006 Emerald Brigade Granite Bay HS Rhapsody Rhapsody in Blue, Bohemian Rhapsody
Notice any similarities? The obvious one is that Poway and Granite Bay both have Emerald Brigades. But the extremely coincidental part is that during last year's 2006 season, both EB's played Bohemian Rhapsody. Get It? Two bands with the same name, played the same song, in the same year! And Granite Bay's show was almost as cool as ours...small world.
Pictures of the Week
Notes: Here is our fourth and final piece of PIFT artwork done by Nafisah T. that will be featured on PIFT t-shirts, programs, and posters for the tournament! The picture on the left is the official design, but an alternate "green shadow" version can be viewed on the right. If you have been keeping up with our Pictures of the Week, then you will be able to see how the previous two pictures were lined up and colored as one. Also, Nafisah tells us that the saber was added to represent Color Guard.
Monday, October 8, 2007 ~ Week VIII VIPs
Rehearsals ! This album is compilation of photos over a few weeks and takes a lot of effort to pick and choose. Thanks for being patient everyone and special thanks to Mareina for her hard work on this album!
Shirt Quote: "Is Nemo your boyfriend?"
Birthday: September 27
Best Quality: "My happy and optimistic personality"
Advice: "Watch out for the tubas"
Leadership Advice: "Future leaders a word of advise: don’t tear people down or criticize them for what you yourself might not even be able to do, help them rise to the occasion and encourage them to succeed."
What We Think: Who could ask for anything more when you have the best drum major? One of the most important qualities in any leadership position is spirit and optimism, and Hannah is the very emblem of the that. Not only that, but Hannah is one of the top clarinetists in the band and loves "Finding Nemo." If you haven't met her (which is highly unlikely), make sure to do so NOW! We expect great things from her as the head DM next year!
Marchers of the Week:
Clarinets ~ Joshua H. (center)
Friday, October 5, 2007 ~ New Features
Which one of these Kyxy DJs is the voice for our show? We'll give you the answer to that question next week!
Our biggest new feature this week is located under the Music page. At the very top, I have created the "Live Recordings" section which contains recordings of the band since all the way back at Band Camp! This section will expand emensly over the next few months. Be sure to listen to the most recent addition from last night's rehearsal and read along with the story lines listed below:
Phrase Narration
Mvt. 0: TRUE! nervous, very, very nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses. Above all the sense of hearing was acute. I had heard all the things in heaven and earth. I heard many things in hell. How then am I mad? Listen! and observe how calmly, I can tell you the whole story.
Mvt. 1: How did the idea first enter my brain? The old man had the eye of a vulture, when it fell upon me, my blood ran cold.
(Measures 27-30): I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and rid myself of the eye for ever. YE-AH HA HA HA HA!!!
Mvt. 1: Every night, about midnight I turned the latch of his door and opened it, oh so gently! Upon the eighth night I was more than cautious in opening the door. I had my head in, and was about to open the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon the tin fastening. The old man sprang up in bed, crying out:
(Measures 74-75): "Who's there!?!"
Mvt. 2: I kept quite still and said nothing for a whole hour...
(Measures 34-53): And then there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound...It was the beating of the old man's heart...It grew quicker and quicker, louder and louder.
(Measures 70-71): The old man's time has come!
(Measures 76-77): He shrieked out, only once.
(Measures 79-82): The old man was dead...stone dead. His eye would trouble me no more.
We're still in the process of putting the new photo album together so please check back tomorrow. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007 ~ Media of the Week
It's time to reveal last week's Mystery Song :
Professor Umbridge (Harry Potter 5) ~ By: Nicholas Hooper
This one was a little bit difficult, but then again, who didn't see Harry Potter this summer and pink Delores Umbridge? This music comes from the beginning of the movie when Umbridge is interviewing the teachers and instating new decrees. The dynamics really add to this somewhat simple song. No one new guessed this clip, but we would like to recognize:
Emily C. ~ Clarinet Freshman
for guessing correctly for the second week in a row. CLICK HERE for more information about how to participate in our weekly Mystery Songs. Here's clip #8:
Video of the Week (9/20/07)
Launch Video
Notes: Probably one of the most memorable parts about Thursday night rehearsals is the drumline playing their well known cadence on the way back to the band room. It is interesting to note that the new cadence for this year seems to have just disappeared because the popularity of the old one was so strong. I guess we'll just have to "break it down now" for another year! (EDIT: 11/26/07)
Also, you can now view all of our featured Videos of the Week under the Effect tab with some fun-intentional puns...
Picture of the Week (10/3/07)
Notes: Pictured above is the second page of the PIFT logo by Nafisah T. Represented are both the highest and lowest of the brass as well as a saxophone, mostly likely alto. When I asked Nafisah why she didn't represent the pit section, she simply replied that she didn't have enough time. Although the official PIFT design was released a week ago, we will continue to showcase Nafisah's artwork until next week.
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