Marching Panthers headed to Rose Parade

If you just want a way to send checks to a cool project, go straight to the bottom of this entry. Warning, they want actual checks and don't have any electronic way to receive funds. That seems like an oversight to RantWoman; RantWoman hopes that enough people will read the rest of this and be inspired to overcome that oversight one way or another.

RantWoman is a musician's kid. She attended high school, including things like calculus class, with a totally blind guy who played trumpet in band and orchestra. RantWoman was in orchestra and never actually paid attention to who was in marching band, but pretty much marching band was not optional. Anyway, RantWoman absolutely loves this article for its mix of musical and technical marching band info mixed in with details about managing a large parade. Add in all the benefits the article mentions for students participating in musical activity. Add in the hideous budgetary things lapping at schools for the Blind in WA and OR and RantWoman can get pretty passionate about publicity like this.

via the American Council for the Blind

PREPARING for PASADENA: AN INTERVIEW with DAN KELLEY
Peter Altschul

As most of you are aware, the marching band at the Ohio StateSchool for the Blind (OSSB) will be marching in the 2010 RoseBowl Parade in Pasadena, CALIFORNIA. In order to find out how they were preparing for this big event, I interviewed Dan Kelley by phone. Dan is one of the band's two Co-Directors. The interview took place in September, 2009, and my questions and his answers appear below. Thanks to Nancy Pendegraph and Rowland Bowers for introducing me to Dan.

Peter Altschul: Thanks for taking time to talk with me.

Dan Kelly: No problem. (Background noise of voices and banging chairs). Let me close the office door.

PA. They call Alabama the Crimson Tide and Ohio State the Buckeyes. What's your band called?

DK: The Marching Panthers.

PA. How many members, and what instruments do they play?

DK. We currently have 38 members, most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17. Normally, our band is smaller, so we have added some seventh and eighth graders, along with some recent grads. Our band consists of 3 trumpets, 4 trombones, 3 sousaphones, 3 clarinets, 3 alto saxes, 2 tenor saxes, 1 baritone sax, 2 flutes (one doubling on piccolo), 4 bass drums, 3 snaredrums, 1 set of tom-toms, cymbals, and 2 glockenspiels.

PA. Who does the arrangements, and how do band members learn their parts?

DK. It's a team effort. We buy printed scores that we think might work for us. I input them into Finale so I can listen to the arrangements and modify them to meet our needs. I use lots of open fourths and fifths to compensate for our band's small size. Arrangements are saved as "Smart Music AccompanimentFiles" which students can use to learn their parts by ear.

I am, though, a strong believer of Braille music, so I also save arrangements as XML files which can be imported into Lime from which Braille parts can be printed and embossed using Goodfeel. Others learn their parts using MP 3s and large print.

PA. How many read Braille music?

DK. Three or four read Braille music pretty well. We emphasizeBraille music reading during the spring. During marching band season, we stress the idea that they are a team of talented musicians. We try to instill responsibility, organization, self-discipline, and other life skills as part of the preparation process.

PA. How do band members remain in formation?

DK. We use marching assistants who walk beside or behind to keepband members in formation. However, they are used as "safety valves." Students are expected to learn the drill - how many steps to take, when and how much to turn, keeping their toes pointed, etc. We stress the importance of spatial awareness. Students take part in a four-day summer band camp when large chunks of time are available for them to learn both the drill and the music.

Since I cannot see the members, I focus more on the music, andCarol Agler, the other band co-director as well as the MusicDirector of OSSB, does most of the choreography. We do sometimes reverse roles, though.

PA. Do you form any unique formations?

DK. We spell out "Ohio" using Braille letters wherez the Ohio State University marching band spells out the state name in script.

PA. What prompted OSSB to decide to apply to enter the Rose Bowl Parade?

DK. Several people suggested that we reach out to a broader audience, so we just applied. We are the only band at a school for the blind that marches. We wanted to get the message outthat there are lots of blind people out there that can contribute to music programs.
I started off working with the middle school band, and moved onto the high school. Then, the local School for the Deaf recruitedus to provide music for their football games. Now, it's as if a rocket is strapped to you. We're going to the next level, and it requires a whole new level of commitment: three music rehearsals and two two-hour marching rehearsals every week. It's a huge energy transfer; when the kids get it, it's worth it!

PA. When the OSSB Band initially applied to march in the parade,were there any questions or concerns raised about a marching bandof students who are blind expressed to you? If so, what were they and how did you handle them?

DK. How are these kids going to march six miles while playing instruments? Our kids aren't as active as their sighted peers, so we have been focusing on building endurance. We will be marching in three parades and plan to walk five-mile hikes with band members carrying their instruments. We went on three-mile hikes as part of our summer band camp.

Every band who marches in the Rose Bowl parade does have members who drop out; there are drop-out stations and water stations.We'll do our best to march the entire six miles.

PA. How many pieces will you be playing while marching inPasadena?

DK. Two or three, alternating with drum cadences. We will alsoperform our halftime show in front of other bands in FanFest.

PA. What are your key priorities as you prepare for Pasadena?

DK. Conditioning; the music will come pretty easily.Fun-raising; making sure that we have enough money to cover travel and other expenses. For one thing, we will be flying to Pasadena using our own plane. Finally, we are in constant communication with our travel company and Rose Bowl Committee members to address the countless details connected with the trip.

PA. How are your fund-raising efforts going?

DK. We've raised $110,000 and need $150,000. The Ohio Lionsclubs took us on as a statewide project, and I have been making presentations to Lions clubs, parents, and other groups. We raised $15,000 through a golf tournament and other events. Bandmembers are selling stuff to raise money.

PA. Where can our readers send contributions?

DK. Mail checks to: Ohio State School for the Blind OSSB PTSO,C/O James Peterfish, Treasurer, 5220 N. High Street, Columbus,OH 43214. When sending a check, please make sure to put "MusicDepartment" in the intent or notes line of the check.

PA. Thanks again for taking time out of your busy schedule tolet us know how things are going. I might call you in January tosee how things went?

DK. That would be great.