Wednesday
July 10, 2019

I went to the cafeteria this morning. Aramark is the food service company for the university. It's really good food and they take care of us very well. First stop is the cereal counter. There's a variety, milk, and there's bread for toast at the end.

The hot food. There's eggs, au gratin potatoes, hash brown potatoes, rice, sausage links, bacon, pancakes, biscuits, gravy. Students can pick want they want and they can come back for seconds, if they want to.

There is salad bar stuff, like shredded cheese, taco sauce, sour cream, etc.

And there's fruit. You guess what these objects are.

There's cut fruits.

Dessert treats.

(This table got snarfed!)

Coffee.

Drinks.

Satisfied diners.

Next, I went to the drum major class that started at 7:45 am. There were three groups going, so the campers are getting some individualized attention. Mr. Avila.

Mr. Marin.

Observers making sure the teachers are doing it right.

Mrs. Marin.

I hit a couple of the first period sectionals. Students will have a sectional, a woodwind or brass/percussion rehearsal, and a full band rehearsal in the morning. They are 50-minute periods, and the periods vary in sequence depending on the band. Today is Mr. Storey's high school concert band clarinets.

Ms. Caldwell has the junior high school symphonic clarinets.

The junior high school honor band flutes are with Dr. Eiben.

Mrs. Henson is working with the junior high school symphonic band flutes.

That's the end of first period. (I was busy during the second period, but I'll get pictures one of these days.) So now we are in the third period. The high school white band is on the Northen Recital Hall stage.

Mrs. McMillan has the high school symphnonic oboes.

Mr. Cameron has the junior high school varsity bassoons. I'll go back to get an action shot. They're just getting to class now.

Dr. Carpenter's symphonic bassoons started earlier, so they are already playing those bass clef notes.

Mrs. Traughber is working with the white band clarinets. (Remember that high school has honor, symphonic, concert, maroon, and white; junior high has honor, symphonic, concert, and varsity. I might leave off the "high school" part of the high school bands because my computer is running low on Hs, Gs, and SCHs.)

Mrs. Casso has the maroon horns. (Now I've dropped "band.")

The maroon trumpets are with Mr. Doggett.

The game at the 3 pm junior high assembly consisted of keeping two balloons in the air. One person from each band participated. The bands are competing for a pizza party on the last Thursday at camp. There are various ways that campers can earn points by participating in intramurals, the band poster, etc.

Then it was a playoff with three balloons. That one didn't last long.

Jazz band III rehearses at 4:30 in the Fine Arts Complex choir room.

Mr. Barney is their leader.

Meanwhile, jazz band I rehearses on stage at the Branding Iron Theatre.

Mr. Storey is their conductor.

At 7 pm, there were masterclasses. Our first stop is the bassoon masterclass. There's Mr. Garcia.

The WTAMU Faculty Brass Quintet performed for all of the brass instrument campers. The quintet will go to Italy sometime after band camp. Dr. Teweleit, trumpet II; Dr. Manfredi, horn; Dr. Lewis, tuba; Dr. Shanks, trombone; and Dr. Takacs, trumpet I.

The percussion students were in the band room with Mr. Mears and Mr. Haynes. Mr. Mears was explaining the finer points of playing the bass drum. Most of us just pound on the drum to make a sound, but serious percussionists can finese the instrument to produce the appropriate sound with the context of what the conductor and audience would like to hear.

Mr. Perry and Mrs. Freeman await their turn.

The oboes were doing a search game of some sort. Mrs. Takacs is supervising.

The flutes were in the Fine Arts Complex Recital Hall. When I went in they were in the middle of a team competition answering multiple-choice questions by phone.

Mrs. Henson, Ms. Blackburn, Dr. Eiben are seated on the stage waiting to explain the correct answer.

The clarinets were in the Branding Iron Theatre. When I was there, they played "Shepherd's Hey" then started to talk about reeds. I had to leave the room.

Finally, I went to the Mirror Room in the Activities Center. The faculty had already performed, and they were finishing up with question and answers.

And that's how Wednesday ended (for me).