labor omnia vincit

labor conquers all things —motto of Oklahoma

Well it happened. As my friend Jim told me, "Art there is nothing you can do stop it from happening." By all accounts we think that the tournament was a success. Countless volunteer hours went into making it successful There were the booster parents, friends and neighbors of parents, alumni booster parents and students all helping to make it happen. All the planning and preparation of the committee chairs paid off in spades. Several visiting band directors commented on how well the tournament went.

Mr. McPherson's "From The Ladder" Sundevil Beat article states

The main thing I hope the students learn from our program,
besides appreciation of the musical arts, is how to be a part
of a team working toward a common goal. Knowing how to
work as part of a team will serve your student well as they
eventually become adults and enter the work force.

The tournament was a fine example team work. The common goal of the tournament is to financially support the instrumental music program at Mt. Carmel High School. Every person that helped that day should be proud of what they accomplished.

The value of this program crystallized to me in a moment at the end of Mt. Carmel's field show. Our students came off the field toward the visitor side grandstands to the loud applause of all the visiting bands that performed before them. Our students were tired for sure because it had been a long day, but suddenly they realized that their peers recognized their effort. Our guests thought that Mt. Carmel's field show was pretty cool. I saw them look up into the crowd of cheering students and smile. Those smiles made the all the work worth it. God bless them all.

And thank you.

Is there a meaning to music?

Aaron Copland was quoted as saying:

The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that would be, 'No.'

What is the meaning of music to you? How do you feel when you hear it performed so well by your student? Whatever words are used to describe these feelings, it can be said that music is important to us all. The benefits of musical education are known, and we are privileged to have a such a high quality instrumental music program offered at Mt. Carmel High School.

What this means to me is that we need to support this tremendous instrumental music program to the best of our ability. Many resources are needed to provide a high quality instrumental music program to your student, resources that are provided by the dedication of our volunteers.

The annual fall band tournament is the single most important fundraiser for the instrumental music program. The band tournament needs many volunteers to make it successful. Please take time to consider the words of Mr. Copland and consider taking an extra volunteer shift at the adult volunteer site

Volunteers

I recently had the pleasure of attending a Boy Scout Court of Honor. My nephew had recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Certainly a lot of hard work had gone into satisfying the requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout. The speakers at the Court of Honor all commended him for his dedication. One speaker (my Sister) commented that many parents had volunteered a lot of their time to help my nephew, and other young men, with their Eagle Scout projects. She remarked that these parents worked tirelessly for hours without pay not because they are worthless, but rather because they are priceless.

Volunteers are priceless. So many of the activities in which our students participate are not possible without the help of volunteers. The Mt. Carmel Invitational Tournament of Bands is no exception. The tournament would not be possible without the dedication, diligence and effort of volunteers. One of the rewards of volunteering for the tournament is being able to work with other parents that value the importance of a music education. I've found that volunteering at the band tournaments to be a lot of fun, and I've made a lot of friends.

There are many jobs that need be done on the day of the tournament. They have been organized into their respective sub committees (e.g., concessions, ushers, parking/security) by time shifts. All of the shifts have been entered into an on-line volunteer sigh up tool available on the Mt. Carmel Band Boosters website. I've included a link to the volunteer sign up tool below. Please take a minute to sign up for a shift. You won't regret it.

Tournament Volunteer Website

Welcome to the Mt. Carmel Band Tournament Blog

Hi Team,
I wanted to share my thoughts with you on this year's tournament. So I decided to create this blog. First, let me thank all of you for joining our team and it is good to have you aboard. I'm looking forward to working with all of you on this year's tournament. We have a great group of volunteers in the Mt. Carmel Band Boosters. This is my eleventh and final year as a booster member. A lot has happened during those years. I've watched three daughters go into the instrumental music program at Mt. Carmel High School and come out much better for it. I can't say enough good things about this program.

But I have to remember Mr. Torns comments at the last band banquet. He said that we have something that is very special at Mt. Carmel High School and should fight for it. What that means to me is that we cannot stand back and hope that all will be well. We need to be actively involved to ensure the continued success of the instrumental music program. There is a long tradition of excellence at Mt. Carmel. A while back I spoke with the chairmen of the 15th Annual Mt. Carmel Invitational Tournament of Bands. We shared our experiences with the tournament. A lot has changed but much is still the same. He said that he just didn't know what would have happened had there been no instrumental music program available for his kids.

We have a great opportunity to help the program with our efforts for the band tournament. Having the tournament makes a difference in our student's experience at Mt. Carmel High School because it provides resources needed to continue the excellence.

I'll end my first post with an image of what this program is all about to me.

Let's go band!