My second year of marching band was pretty much a direct continuation of the first year.  I was still playing snare drum, but I had moved up a couple spots.  I say that it was like a continuation because although marching band is only officially in the fall, the band does things throughout the entire school year and sometimes during the summer too.  The drumline camp and band camp is in fact, during the summer. 

There's a couple extra cool things I got to do this year for the band though that was different from last year.  One, I got to help work on one of Dave's drumline projects and now there are pictures of me in Dave's book which is sold on tapspace.com.  This is really a cool book. 

http://www.tapspace.com/Stadium-54-pr-1.html

Two, I got to be involved in another of Dave's projects.  This one was an instructional marching percussion DVD that will be sold in Japan.  This is sort of silly because I might not know it, but in a few years... I might be big in Japan.

The UW Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra!  This was the coolest experience I've ever had in a musical ensemble.  Well, for one... we had the supremely famous, Joe Santiago.

Ah-ha.  This class.  This class was private lessons with Joe Santiago.

It was pretty cool learning how to play the timbales, congas, bongos, bongo bell, piano, bass, panderetas, and more.  And Joe, what a character.  He was a great guy and I definately learned a lot. 

I sure did spend a lot of time in that basement room of the music building though.  Sometimes I'd be in there so long I'd have to bring a Subway footlong in there with me so I wouldn't have to leave for food.  That's the life of a musician though.  Practice, practice, practice... eat, and the practice some more. 

Yeah.  This class was pretty cool and I sure learned a lot about music!  I think we started from Gregorian Chants and got all the way up through the Beatles and some interesting experimental music and things.  It was great.  Trained my ears to hear forms and underlying motives in music and exposed me to a lot of different music.  Great course!

I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to take concert band.  I think I took it because if I didn't, it would be the first quarter with me not taking a music class.  It ended up being okay, and I got to play the Ascension from the Divine Comedy again.  You know, using a wine glass as a musical instrument is always fun! 

Marching band my freshman year.  How can I describe this...

It was so different than what I had been used to in high school.  Both high schools I went to were corps-style marching bands.  Not a traditional high-stepping band.  I was totally turned off by the fact the Husky Band is traditional style, but I joined anyhow...mostly because I knew I would be working with Dave Reeves, the God of drumming. 

These were good times though.  Difficult, stressful... long hours, long rehearsals, etc., but nonetheless, good times. 

Some of my closest friendships bloomed out of Husky Band, so I'm really glad I joined.