Jay prefers playing (orchestras, musical theaters, churches) to teaching. Jay also prefers eating to starving; consequently, Jay teaches during the school year. Teaching provides some stability to the Casa Majernik coffers.
Ironically, Jay teaches well. He teaches at the high school level and admits he lacks the patience for middle-school level teaching (who can blame him?). The drumline at Bishop Lynch wins state championships and receives high ratings in ensembles, so clearly he is doing something right. His students at Arts tell him he helps them make sense of what they are playing. Overall, he teaches well, and his students, well, those who choose to listen and work, learn.
Over the years, some students stand out more than others. Are they "teacher's pets?" Not necessarily. They work harder than others. They do not all go on to music careers, but they apply the discipline they learn to other areas of their lives. They become honorary Majernik family members. They are the students Jay and I pray for and wonder how they are doing well after they graduate from high school.
I decided the best way to celebrate Jay's 40th birthday was for him to hear from some of these students. Thanks to Facebook, I was able to contact several. Jay's birthday was in April, but I began my project the previous October. I knew contacting a bunch of college and beyond men and women would be a bit like herding cats, and I thought the more time I took, the better my results.
The assignment was simple: just a small note for Jay thanking him for his teaching, wishing him a Happy Birthday, sharing a funny story from "back in the day." I managed to reach several students and was unable to close the loop with others. No matter, we still love them!
Sam D., last year's BL drumline captain replied first. In the honorary Family tree, Sam is like our nephew. I received a funny message from him and was on my way to collecting more. Lauren F., a previous BL drumline captain, was next. She's an honorary daughter; in fact, we chose the name Lauren for our "girl name" in case Noah ended up being a girl. Her message was so sweet that I wanted to cry. Next came Ian P-J., an Arts alum and current music student at Tulane. Ian's another honorary nephew. He holds the distinction of playing at our wedding reception in May of 2006 and then slipping me free Paciugo ice cream seven months later when I was pregnant with John. I tried and tried to connect with Logan R., but we just ran out of time. Logan is our "third son", an alum of John Horn HS in Mesquite and next year's McMurry University drumline captain. He practices 8 hours a day, and I thought that was a fitting tribute to Jay all by itself.
Jay's smiles and laughter when he read the notes on his birthday made the whole task worth my time. I am so grateful to the students who participated and know that Jay kept all of the notes in his studio. The notes were a reminder that he has indeed provided great teaching and served as a great role model to students over the years.
Not bad for someone who prefers playing over teaching!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Boy Mom Tribute
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! You all work hard and do your best, so I hope you are enjoying this special day.
On this Mother's Day, I thank a special group of moms: the moms of my guy friends from my school days. I gravitated to the "boy moms" back in the day because they were more fun, friendlier and less dramatic than the girl moms. Girl moms cannot help it: they have to fight for their daughter's social status. Many a Queen Bee mom was just as nasty as her Mean Girl offspring when I was growing up. Boy moms did not care who was on top of the social ladder and as a result talked to everybody, regardless of "status". Their friendliness and willingness to listen to a girl's perspective of what was happening at school (it was fun for them because they did not have to deal with it at home, lol!) made such an impression on me that, combined with my love of boys courtesy of Little Brother, I decided I HAD to be a boy mom. Let's face it, going through high school was tough enough as a girl, I sure would not want to go through it again as a girl mom! God mercifully granted my heart's deepest desire, and here I am today, a boy mom.
These boy moms inspire me today just as much as they did when I was younger and now I say, "thank you". Mrs. G.: you were the most drama-free mom EVER and I see now that you truly have a gift. Thanks so much for your example. Mrs. H.: you managed your home flawlessly and convinced me through your example that having four sons was heaven on earth. Forgive me, but I believe two sons is plenty of heaven on earth for me, hee hee! Still, I relate to the joy you experienced from raising sons. Mrs. E: you brought GLAMOUR to the title of "boy mom"; did you ever have one of your boys spit up on your shoulder? I doubt it, you always looked beautiful and were so much fun to be around that you made everyone smile after visiting with you. Mrs. J.: your Cajun humor was the best. I have a special spot in my heart for my friends from "La Lousiane" because they remind me of you. Mrs. S.: you treated me like a daughter and taught me to spend time getting to know the girls in my life. I am paying that forward with my son's friends today.
Ladies, if I can be half the boy mom that you all were, well, I will be doing an amazing job. Happy Mother's Day!
On this Mother's Day, I thank a special group of moms: the moms of my guy friends from my school days. I gravitated to the "boy moms" back in the day because they were more fun, friendlier and less dramatic than the girl moms. Girl moms cannot help it: they have to fight for their daughter's social status. Many a Queen Bee mom was just as nasty as her Mean Girl offspring when I was growing up. Boy moms did not care who was on top of the social ladder and as a result talked to everybody, regardless of "status". Their friendliness and willingness to listen to a girl's perspective of what was happening at school (it was fun for them because they did not have to deal with it at home, lol!) made such an impression on me that, combined with my love of boys courtesy of Little Brother, I decided I HAD to be a boy mom. Let's face it, going through high school was tough enough as a girl, I sure would not want to go through it again as a girl mom! God mercifully granted my heart's deepest desire, and here I am today, a boy mom.
These boy moms inspire me today just as much as they did when I was younger and now I say, "thank you". Mrs. G.: you were the most drama-free mom EVER and I see now that you truly have a gift. Thanks so much for your example. Mrs. H.: you managed your home flawlessly and convinced me through your example that having four sons was heaven on earth. Forgive me, but I believe two sons is plenty of heaven on earth for me, hee hee! Still, I relate to the joy you experienced from raising sons. Mrs. E: you brought GLAMOUR to the title of "boy mom"; did you ever have one of your boys spit up on your shoulder? I doubt it, you always looked beautiful and were so much fun to be around that you made everyone smile after visiting with you. Mrs. J.: your Cajun humor was the best. I have a special spot in my heart for my friends from "La Lousiane" because they remind me of you. Mrs. S.: you treated me like a daughter and taught me to spend time getting to know the girls in my life. I am paying that forward with my son's friends today.
Ladies, if I can be half the boy mom that you all were, well, I will be doing an amazing job. Happy Mother's Day!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Casa Majernik Unplugged
As we move toward Easter, I realize I forgot to tell you about our Family Lent Adventure. We made a move we spoke of many times, but lacked the courage to actually MAKE the move. We took advantage of the Lent season, tacked on with John's disturbing behavior trend, to make the bold, semi-crazy move.
Dear Reader, we removed our television from our home for Lent.
It was not an impulsive choice. Jay and I talked about it before. John has a way of gluing himself to the television and ignoring everything else to watch his programs. I never had the guts to remove the television before because it is such a huge part of my life. I grew up with TV always on in the background. When I lived on my own, I kept the TV on for background noise. I wasted many a Sunday watching one Lifetime movie after another, only to look up and see that the day was over and I spent it glued to my couch. Consequently, I could not make the big move to get rid of it.
John's behavior was taking a bad turn, though. He was throwing more tantrums, especially when we would turn off the television. He ignored us when we spoke to him and disobeyed us when we he did listen. Jay and I concluded that one way to get John's focus back was to take away such a big distraction. So we took away the TV. I am not even sure where the TV is now, maybe the garage?
Guess what happened after the TV was removed? The strangest thing; we started spending more time together as a family. John paid more attention to us and his behavior improved. His tantrums diminished. John and I worked through more lessons and played a lot of Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. (BTW: it is SO humbling to have your three year-old wipe the floor with you at Candy Land!)
John was permitted to watch an occasional DVD on his portable player. This option came in handy when he was sick and lounging around for a few days. I also watched some DVDs and stayed on top of my shows online or through iTunes.
We adjusted to a TV-free life faster than I thought we would. I actually enjoyed this experiment and told a friend recently that I did not care if the TV ever made it back into the house. It will, but I hope we significantly reduce our viewing hours.
Not a bad vice to give up for Lent; I highly recommend it if you are wanting to try a TV-free experiment. Happy Easter!
Dear Reader, we removed our television from our home for Lent.
It was not an impulsive choice. Jay and I talked about it before. John has a way of gluing himself to the television and ignoring everything else to watch his programs. I never had the guts to remove the television before because it is such a huge part of my life. I grew up with TV always on in the background. When I lived on my own, I kept the TV on for background noise. I wasted many a Sunday watching one Lifetime movie after another, only to look up and see that the day was over and I spent it glued to my couch. Consequently, I could not make the big move to get rid of it.
John's behavior was taking a bad turn, though. He was throwing more tantrums, especially when we would turn off the television. He ignored us when we spoke to him and disobeyed us when we he did listen. Jay and I concluded that one way to get John's focus back was to take away such a big distraction. So we took away the TV. I am not even sure where the TV is now, maybe the garage?
Guess what happened after the TV was removed? The strangest thing; we started spending more time together as a family. John paid more attention to us and his behavior improved. His tantrums diminished. John and I worked through more lessons and played a lot of Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. (BTW: it is SO humbling to have your three year-old wipe the floor with you at Candy Land!)
John was permitted to watch an occasional DVD on his portable player. This option came in handy when he was sick and lounging around for a few days. I also watched some DVDs and stayed on top of my shows online or through iTunes.
We adjusted to a TV-free life faster than I thought we would. I actually enjoyed this experiment and told a friend recently that I did not care if the TV ever made it back into the house. It will, but I hope we significantly reduce our viewing hours.
Not a bad vice to give up for Lent; I highly recommend it if you are wanting to try a TV-free experiment. Happy Easter!
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Admission Angst and Arts Magnet 'Idol'
School admission season dominates most of the months of November through February. When I say "school" I do not mean college, I speak of preschool and K-12 school. If you read my Facebook, you know John sat for two interviews at two different preschools. Other parents are preparing their little darlings for interviews, filling out applications, procuring recommendations and basically jumping through flaming hoops, all in the name of giving their child the best education they can.
Did I mention these children are applying to preschool and up, not college? One application I filled out for John included a form from his MDO, certifying that John has never been in in-school suspension, or sent home for bad behavior. Fortunately, my son is not a Moms' Day Out delinquent, but STILL, I felt a little silly handing this form off to the director. I also called the pediatrician to have immunization records printed up to send with the apps. All these packets of paper made it to their destinations without any trouble, thank goodness!
I am not the only one jumping through hoops: my neighbor woke up at 4 am to sit in line for her son's preschool. I did that last year, and I am so glad I did not have to do that again. My cousin's son is applying to Bishop Lynch as a transfer, and they have their own online and printed paper documents to fill out. It's happening everywhere...even in DISD.
Yes, DISD. Jay sat through Arts Magnet auditions for rock-star wannabes. After the first round, I asked him how his day went. "Like a really bad episode of American Idol!" was his response. Of the forty-some-odd students who auditioned, about 10 were Booker T.-worthy, which made for a long day for the judges.
If a student wants to attend Booker T., they practice their instrument, rehearse a scene or dance, or put together a portfolio to prepare for their audition. How does a student prepare for a preschool interview? Some preschools test the prospective students. John went through a small assessment with one of his preschool choices. I was not able to take part in the process, so I have no idea what actually went on. I tried to ask John about it later and he replied, "I played with trains, and matched the bears...it was interesting, Mom!" Hm, ok. Still, I had no way to prepare the child for the interview/test.
John's other school choice conducted a family interview. Now we're talking! I prepared John for that! I reminded John to politely answer "the lady" who would ask him questions, to not be afraid because Mommy and Daddy would be right there. Then I gave him the most important bits of advice: "John, do not put your fingers in your nose, and remember to tell the lady that you love Jesus!" The interview went well, and John entertained "the lady" with stories of his trip to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Rusk, and he mentioned that the week before his interview, Princess Crush had been sick and had to drink Pedialyte. (I told you, he is STUCK on this little girl!) No fingers made it to his nose, not one single time, and
John received acceptances to both schools.
My work is complete...until Noah has to go through this process.
Did I mention these children are applying to preschool and up, not college? One application I filled out for John included a form from his MDO, certifying that John has never been in in-school suspension, or sent home for bad behavior. Fortunately, my son is not a Moms' Day Out delinquent, but STILL, I felt a little silly handing this form off to the director. I also called the pediatrician to have immunization records printed up to send with the apps. All these packets of paper made it to their destinations without any trouble, thank goodness!
I am not the only one jumping through hoops: my neighbor woke up at 4 am to sit in line for her son's preschool. I did that last year, and I am so glad I did not have to do that again. My cousin's son is applying to Bishop Lynch as a transfer, and they have their own online and printed paper documents to fill out. It's happening everywhere...even in DISD.
Yes, DISD. Jay sat through Arts Magnet auditions for rock-star wannabes. After the first round, I asked him how his day went. "Like a really bad episode of American Idol!" was his response. Of the forty-some-odd students who auditioned, about 10 were Booker T.-worthy, which made for a long day for the judges.
If a student wants to attend Booker T., they practice their instrument, rehearse a scene or dance, or put together a portfolio to prepare for their audition. How does a student prepare for a preschool interview? Some preschools test the prospective students. John went through a small assessment with one of his preschool choices. I was not able to take part in the process, so I have no idea what actually went on. I tried to ask John about it later and he replied, "I played with trains, and matched the bears...it was interesting, Mom!" Hm, ok. Still, I had no way to prepare the child for the interview/test.
John's other school choice conducted a family interview. Now we're talking! I prepared John for that! I reminded John to politely answer "the lady" who would ask him questions, to not be afraid because Mommy and Daddy would be right there. Then I gave him the most important bits of advice: "John, do not put your fingers in your nose, and remember to tell the lady that you love Jesus!" The interview went well, and John entertained "the lady" with stories of his trip to see Thomas the Tank Engine in Rusk, and he mentioned that the week before his interview, Princess Crush had been sick and had to drink Pedialyte. (I told you, he is STUCK on this little girl!) No fingers made it to his nose, not one single time, and
John received acceptances to both schools.
My work is complete...until Noah has to go through this process.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Princess Dress Quest
Every day, I thank God for 2 things:
1) My salvation through Jesus Christ. That speaks for itself.
2) My status as a boy mom. Why? Back in the day, I dreamed of being a boy-only mom because I enjoyed being a big sis to my little brother so much. Now, I determined that being a boy mom made me immune to dealing with a teenage girl having PMS in my home 24/7 (sorry, no one gets to have monthly mood swings in my house but ME!) and, more importanly, boy mom-hood provided a protection shield from the Disney Princess Cult.
Or did it?
Let me set the scene: the Love Bug bit John this school year. He frequently refers to this precious girl as a "Princess" and told me that he is the "Prince." I found this crush adorable and congratulated myself for teaching my son to have good taste in choosing crushes because this little girl is beautiful and has a sweet disposition. The fact that I adore the girl's mom helps, too.
John received an invitation to Princess Crush's birthday party. I told him the good news over his Saturday morning cartoons. His face beamed when I told him he was going to the party. Then came the serious talk:
Me: "John, we have to get a gift for Princess Crush. What would you like to get her?"
J: "A Thomas train." (In all fairness, I must disclose that Princess Crush likes Thomas trains. I believe this factoid had a lot to do with John crushing on her).
Me: "Well, ok, but would you like to get her something with princesses on it, since she likes princesses?" This will be easy, I thought. A set of sparkly jewelry and a tiara and we'll be set.
J: Looks away from his cartoons and stares at me with a serious expression, "Yes. A dress. A princess dress. That's what I want to give her."
Oy. Vey.
Faster than you can say "bibbity-bobbity-boo," this boy mom prepared for hand-to-hand combat with the Disney Princess Cult. Truth be told, I'd prefer lightsaber combat with Darth Vader. My odds against the Dark Side of the Force beat my odds against the Princess Cult, for sure.
Rationalizing that even Cinderella had a Fairy Godmother to help her out, I called in my own Fairy Godmother. I needed some insight into my enemy, I mean, where to procure this dress for my son's crush. My Fairy Godmother was none other than Cousin T., a former-princess-now-princess-mom. She was the best person to inform me of how to find such a gift, and told me to check Target or Walmart.
I scanned online for some dresses and showed John a few:
Me: "Is this what you want to give Princess Crush?"
John: "Yes, it HAS to be pink. She needs a pink dress."
OK, off to the battlefield we go. First to one store, which yielded no luck. Then a second store. We found a few dresses, but no pink dresses. I tried to convince John that a blue or green dress would work well, but John was adamant: Princess Crush needed a PINK dress.
Back to the car. I pulled into the parking lot of the final store on our quest. We walk in...and there it was, a pink princess dress. The last pink princess dress in the store flew off the shelf and into my cart before it turned into a pumpkin. John approved, "Yes, Mommy, this is beautiful!" and I checked out.
Fortunately, Princess Crush loved her gift. Her smile of appreciation made the quest worthwhile, and I survived the battle with the Disney Princess Cult.
I'd still rather take on Darth Vader.
1) My salvation through Jesus Christ. That speaks for itself.
2) My status as a boy mom. Why? Back in the day, I dreamed of being a boy-only mom because I enjoyed being a big sis to my little brother so much. Now, I determined that being a boy mom made me immune to dealing with a teenage girl having PMS in my home 24/7 (sorry, no one gets to have monthly mood swings in my house but ME!) and, more importanly, boy mom-hood provided a protection shield from the Disney Princess Cult.
Or did it?
Let me set the scene: the Love Bug bit John this school year. He frequently refers to this precious girl as a "Princess" and told me that he is the "Prince." I found this crush adorable and congratulated myself for teaching my son to have good taste in choosing crushes because this little girl is beautiful and has a sweet disposition. The fact that I adore the girl's mom helps, too.
John received an invitation to Princess Crush's birthday party. I told him the good news over his Saturday morning cartoons. His face beamed when I told him he was going to the party. Then came the serious talk:
Me: "John, we have to get a gift for Princess Crush. What would you like to get her?"
J: "A Thomas train." (In all fairness, I must disclose that Princess Crush likes Thomas trains. I believe this factoid had a lot to do with John crushing on her).
Me: "Well, ok, but would you like to get her something with princesses on it, since she likes princesses?" This will be easy, I thought. A set of sparkly jewelry and a tiara and we'll be set.
J: Looks away from his cartoons and stares at me with a serious expression, "Yes. A dress. A princess dress. That's what I want to give her."
Oy. Vey.
Faster than you can say "bibbity-bobbity-boo," this boy mom prepared for hand-to-hand combat with the Disney Princess Cult. Truth be told, I'd prefer lightsaber combat with Darth Vader. My odds against the Dark Side of the Force beat my odds against the Princess Cult, for sure.
Rationalizing that even Cinderella had a Fairy Godmother to help her out, I called in my own Fairy Godmother. I needed some insight into my enemy, I mean, where to procure this dress for my son's crush. My Fairy Godmother was none other than Cousin T., a former-princess-now-princess-mom. She was the best person to inform me of how to find such a gift, and told me to check Target or Walmart.
I scanned online for some dresses and showed John a few:
Me: "Is this what you want to give Princess Crush?"
John: "Yes, it HAS to be pink. She needs a pink dress."
OK, off to the battlefield we go. First to one store, which yielded no luck. Then a second store. We found a few dresses, but no pink dresses. I tried to convince John that a blue or green dress would work well, but John was adamant: Princess Crush needed a PINK dress.
Back to the car. I pulled into the parking lot of the final store on our quest. We walk in...and there it was, a pink princess dress. The last pink princess dress in the store flew off the shelf and into my cart before it turned into a pumpkin. John approved, "Yes, Mommy, this is beautiful!" and I checked out.
Fortunately, Princess Crush loved her gift. Her smile of appreciation made the quest worthwhile, and I survived the battle with the Disney Princess Cult.
I'd still rather take on Darth Vader.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I Never-Thanksgiving Edition
Here's a summary of our road adventure to the frozen Midwest for Thanksgiving, to the theme of the old game "I Never."
I never...traveled so far to eat a Thanksgiving dinner. True! Jay and I packed up the boys and drove up to Illinois so we could have dinner with GreatMaMa and the Majerniks. As I told many people, "the visit was lovely, the travel was brutal."
I never...ate Thanksgiving dinner in a basement. A first! Basements are not too common here in Texas, but they are in other parts of the US. The basement at GreatMaMa's was the best place to seat all the family so that's where we ate.
I never...saw my niece before Thanksgiving Day. Right again! My niece, Bethany, was born in January of this year and we finally got to make her acquaintance on Thanksgiving. She and her brother, Luke, are John and Noah's first cousins.
I never...attended a Thanksgiving where football was not a major part of the day. Wow, yeah, that was interesting. I almost broke out in a sweat from withdrawal, but mercifully, the TV at GreatMaMa's at least had the games on. Still, that was an experience, so it merits mention.
I never...ate sweet potatoes that were glazed with an orange sauce until this past Thanksgiving. Dang, those were good. Kudos to BIL, A, for such a yummy addition to the dinner table.
I never...depended on text messaging so much to keep me in touch with my family, whom I missed dearly on Thanksgiving. Wow, I think being able to read funny texts from my brother and mom made the day very special.
I never...stopped at a McDonald's for chocolate chip cookies on Thanksgiving. Hm, Jay grabbed the wrong bag of sweet treats to take on the road, and we promised John a cookie for some good behavior or other. Imagine the trauma when we did not have the cookie! I insisted that Jay drive through the golden arches to make the situation right. What did the Pilgrims do without McDonald's?
I never...traveled so far to eat a Thanksgiving dinner. True! Jay and I packed up the boys and drove up to Illinois so we could have dinner with GreatMaMa and the Majerniks. As I told many people, "the visit was lovely, the travel was brutal."
I never...ate Thanksgiving dinner in a basement. A first! Basements are not too common here in Texas, but they are in other parts of the US. The basement at GreatMaMa's was the best place to seat all the family so that's where we ate.
I never...saw my niece before Thanksgiving Day. Right again! My niece, Bethany, was born in January of this year and we finally got to make her acquaintance on Thanksgiving. She and her brother, Luke, are John and Noah's first cousins.
I never...attended a Thanksgiving where football was not a major part of the day. Wow, yeah, that was interesting. I almost broke out in a sweat from withdrawal, but mercifully, the TV at GreatMaMa's at least had the games on. Still, that was an experience, so it merits mention.
I never...ate sweet potatoes that were glazed with an orange sauce until this past Thanksgiving. Dang, those were good. Kudos to BIL, A, for such a yummy addition to the dinner table.
I never...depended on text messaging so much to keep me in touch with my family, whom I missed dearly on Thanksgiving. Wow, I think being able to read funny texts from my brother and mom made the day very special.
I never...stopped at a McDonald's for chocolate chip cookies on Thanksgiving. Hm, Jay grabbed the wrong bag of sweet treats to take on the road, and we promised John a cookie for some good behavior or other. Imagine the trauma when we did not have the cookie! I insisted that Jay drive through the golden arches to make the situation right. What did the Pilgrims do without McDonald's?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Miracle on Astroturf
Jay agonized over this year's Bishop Lynch drumline. His agonizing started last year, when he knew his all-time best BL drumline captain, SDG, was graduating and leaving him with a polar opposite captain for this year. His talent pool shrank (is that the right way to say it?) and his leadership diminished as well. The question lingered in the air at Casa Majernik from January til August of 2010: Just how bad was the 2010-2011 drumline gonna be?
August 2010 rolled around, and we found our answer: Pretty bad! Just a lot of new folks who needed to learn some fundamentals. Jay drafted some former students to work with the line in the summer and we concluded that a state championship was not in the cards for this year. Getting away from contest with a minimum of embarrassment was the goal.
Every week brought new tales of exactly how weak his bass drum section was. I secretly wondered if Jay would have a stroke before contest. The kids worked hard, to their credit, and his snares were fantastic. He added a pit this year, a feature he had not had for several years, with some talented young women who play very well.
Contest rolled around. Jay looked like he was going to be sick the second he woke up on Contest Day. He swears he was not going to be sick, but hey, I was the one looking at him, and that's what he looked like! I thought how nice it had been to win two State Championship titles in a row, but that was going to grind to a halt this year and "there's always next year" with a new captain and a more experienced line.
We arrived at Ft. Worth's Nolan Catholic High School before the contest began. The Bishop of Ft. Worth offered the invocation (the cool part about not being in public school-yeehaw!), which was a nice touch. I am a heretic Protestant, though, so I bowed my head with everyone else, and offered my own heretic prayer:
Dear Lord, please show up in a big way this afternoon because we need a miracle.
BL took the field, and waited for about 10 minutes while a technical difficulty kept them from performing. After the difficulty's resolution, the band performed. Quite a good performance, but would the drumline pull off the miracle? I doubted it, not with the bass drum's issues.
We waited for the results. The band did not receive a first division rating, well, ok, that's fine, it's a rebuilding year, yada-yada. Then the announcement rang out: "The award for Best Percussion goes to...Bishop Lynch!" I jumped up and clapped, why wouldn't I? This win meant job security and a likely raise for Jay! Then the band was named Best in State, which I found amazing, given that they had not won a first division, but we'll take it!
How did this happen? was what Jay and I wanted to know after the contest. We listened to the judge's comments a few weeks later. The dude never once commented on the bass drums. Apparently, all the bass drum troubles were completely ignored by the judge. I thanked God, because he clearly showed up in a big way, just like I asked him to.
Now I wonder how Jay plans to win a fourth title next year. Hm, better start praying!
August 2010 rolled around, and we found our answer: Pretty bad! Just a lot of new folks who needed to learn some fundamentals. Jay drafted some former students to work with the line in the summer and we concluded that a state championship was not in the cards for this year. Getting away from contest with a minimum of embarrassment was the goal.
Every week brought new tales of exactly how weak his bass drum section was. I secretly wondered if Jay would have a stroke before contest. The kids worked hard, to their credit, and his snares were fantastic. He added a pit this year, a feature he had not had for several years, with some talented young women who play very well.
Contest rolled around. Jay looked like he was going to be sick the second he woke up on Contest Day. He swears he was not going to be sick, but hey, I was the one looking at him, and that's what he looked like! I thought how nice it had been to win two State Championship titles in a row, but that was going to grind to a halt this year and "there's always next year" with a new captain and a more experienced line.
We arrived at Ft. Worth's Nolan Catholic High School before the contest began. The Bishop of Ft. Worth offered the invocation (the cool part about not being in public school-yeehaw!), which was a nice touch. I am a heretic Protestant, though, so I bowed my head with everyone else, and offered my own heretic prayer:
Dear Lord, please show up in a big way this afternoon because we need a miracle.
BL took the field, and waited for about 10 minutes while a technical difficulty kept them from performing. After the difficulty's resolution, the band performed. Quite a good performance, but would the drumline pull off the miracle? I doubted it, not with the bass drum's issues.
We waited for the results. The band did not receive a first division rating, well, ok, that's fine, it's a rebuilding year, yada-yada. Then the announcement rang out: "The award for Best Percussion goes to...Bishop Lynch!" I jumped up and clapped, why wouldn't I? This win meant job security and a likely raise for Jay! Then the band was named Best in State, which I found amazing, given that they had not won a first division, but we'll take it!
How did this happen? was what Jay and I wanted to know after the contest. We listened to the judge's comments a few weeks later. The dude never once commented on the bass drums. Apparently, all the bass drum troubles were completely ignored by the judge. I thanked God, because he clearly showed up in a big way, just like I asked him to.
Now I wonder how Jay plans to win a fourth title next year. Hm, better start praying!
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