Marci's blog

Job Search

2005-10-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hey guys hows it going? Its been a while hasn't it. Does anyone come anymore and read anybody's blogs, because I know that I have not been on here in a very long time. Mainly because I do not have a good internet service anymore and I am only allowed on for homework use now. Right now if you are wondering about the title of this blog, I am in the computer lab learning about how to search for a job, and if you don't know what you want to be then you will be able to take tests to learn about what you wanna do. But I thought while I was here I would make a post. Well we gotta go so bye..

-mar-z-pan

Favorite classes anyone?

2005-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

So far I like all of my classes. I am enjoying my chem. class because she is teaching the class different way to think. After that we will be starting into chem. But it is really interesting to learn about what she has to say on thinking. My AP english class is just highly entertaining. It is challenging but extreemly funny. Of corse band is fun, like always. My PSHYCO class is a lot of fun. We learned about subliminal messages last friday. They are really cool. My pre-calc class is really fun to, we re-learned how to do the f(x) last friday. So it was a really easy day. But yeah I think all of my classes are really fun. I'll see you all tomorrow at school. LOVE YA!!

~Mar-zi-pan

First Week Of School

2005-08-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

well it is the first day of school and we are almost done with it. So far I have enjoyed all of my classes especially my chem. class, pre-calc., and phyco class. Of course band, which I am still very glad that I was able to take this year. I was just starting to get used to the idea that I was not going to be in band this year but when my college class got cancelled I was thrilled with the idea of being able to take band. If you need to ask my little brother because I was literally bouncing off the walls. My other fun class is Social Dance. That class has been fun especially because I have a lot of friends in there, including Joe, and Mckray. They alone make it a really fun class. The only really weird thing is that unless Mrs. Jorgenson is not going to be our teacher is that we have only had subs for the first part of the year. Which is really strange, we have not even met our real teacher. Oh well. So far the subs have been fun, but I kinda wish that we could have our first sub back, she was a lot of fun. But anywayz. I will try and keep up on my blogging this year, it might be a few days or even maybe just once a week. It will be hard because I have a very tight schedual. I am supposed to be running every day after school, but that does not always happen because I have work. If I am not working then I am there. Then once the football games start with the band then I will be going to them. But hey I Have already requested every single day off that I need for band exept for the state competitions because I am not sure obviously, whether or not we are going. I hope we do and when I find out I will request the rest of the days off. But other than those things and trying to do all of my homework that so far I have almost had daily homework assignments, then I will hopefully try and shove some fun into my schedual. I'll see all of you tomorrow morning at 7:00a.m.

~Mar-zi-pan

Summer Vacation

2005-07-08T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hey hows it going?? It has been a very long time sence I have been on here. Manly because I have been really busy. Besides working a lot (which I am now being moved up to a cashier) and going to different places like my grandma's house. That was a lot of fun, not only did I get to see my cousins that I have not seen in about a year and then my cousin Aubry that I have not seen for about 3 years. It was a lot of fun. While I was there a frind of my cousins who has just been baptized into the LDS Church was there visiting with us. We went on a tour of Temple sqaure because he has never been to salt lake before this visit. Even though I have been on a tour there many times it was a lot of fun being able to do it again. I was up there for the 4th of July celebrations. On the 2nd both my brothers and my sister-in-law and I went to Lagoon for the day. We got very fried well at least me. When we were done there we went to the stadium of fire sort of. We went and parked in one of the parking lots that was west of the BYU stadium and sat in the back of my brothers truck and watched it from there. We were able to get one of the best shows with out having to pay for it. That was my big adventure so far for the summer. Well besides the California trip. How is every thing going with band camp and the drum line camps? What songs are you playing for Marching band and are they the same ones for the field show or are you getting even more songs to play for them? Please keep me posted on what is happening in the band. Enjoy the rest of you summer.

~Marci

Next year

2005-05-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Next year is going to be a very different world for me. Because I am not going to be in band that means that I am not going to have to worry about concerts, practicing, parades, and I can finally burn my concert black. I am going to have time to do things that I have not had the time to do before because I was always doing stuff for the band. But it also means that last nights concert was the last concert that I am going to play in and that makes me sad. It also means that I am not going to be honored as a Senior next year because I wont be in band. I think that is one of the things I am going to miss the most because that is what I was looking foward to doing the first time that I saw it in our last concert of my freshman year. I am also afraid that people will think that I am quiting or giving up. I am doing none of these things. But because I am not going to make band my life when I get out of school, this is why I am going to be taking this college class instead of all of the band classes. The other thing that is going to be totallly weird is that I am actually going to go out for the girls cross country team. Just because I have never had the time before, I might not be able to do it very well but I am going to try. I hope that all of you have a good time in band next year and if you are not in band hey I don't think that you are a bad person either.

~Mar-z-pan

I CANT TAKE IT ANY MORE

2005-05-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

I know that I have told some of u guys that I wont really mind not having band, how I am going to be able to live without it and how I am going to be kinda glad that I am not in band next year well I LIED!!! I went and read every one's blogs and just about everyone had a comment about band. It seems that just about everyone is focused on band. I love band and I have realized just how much I am going to miss it. I think it is going to take the entire year just to get over not having band. I am going to miss it all. Most of all being one of the oldest in the band, well highest class because many ppl in the sophmore class (this year) are older than me. It is going to suck so much not being able to march, or to any competitions. Band is the only thing that most people reconize me for being in. I'll have to hear over and over and over next year why are you not in practicing with the band. Why didn't you go with the band on this. Band has been my life for the last 6 years and now I'm not going to be in it and I don't know what I am going to do. I am going to enjoy having some of the freedom but what if I don't know how to. If I had any free time it was to do something with the band. If I didn't have any free time then it was because I was at some sort of a band activity. But now that I don't have band and have a lot more free time, what does one do with that freedom. How does one do anything with their friends when all of their friends are in with the band. Next year is going to be fun like I have said, but I am not going to know what to do with the free time that I am going to have.

~Marci

Compare and Contrast

2005-05-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

For my english class I had to write a compare and contrast essay. The topic I am comparing is Mr. Morrise to Mr. Sessions. I thought I would share it with you guys. I hope I get some comments on this.

Compare and Contrast Essay

Band attend hut! Mark time hut! Forward march! These last two years in band I have heard these commands along with others yelled over and over. But each year two different people yelled them. One yelled with a, you-take-one-more-step-out-of-line-you-will-be-running-laps-all-night tone to his voice, which made me almost afraid to breathe. After practices I came away with a feeling I always get after a good day of practicing. The other yelled with a let-sing-and-hold-hands-while-we-frolic-down-the-street tone that made me loose my concentration and goof off. When coming from practices with him I was left with a feeling of loss that I only get after a bad rehearsal. These two men while they have some similarities they are both very different people. Their attitudes, teaching abilities slash style, and their cool factor.
Mr. Sessions is a very fun loving person. Everybody loves him or likes him, but, of course there are always exceptions. He is a very loving person and you can tell this by the way he wanted to know why you did not make it to a basketball game or some other performance. He would either expect a not from you or even a phone call if you were on your way. If you broke down he would make you call him just so he would know where you were so he would not worry about where you were so he did not think that you were on the side of the road dead or dying. Of course this is also how he would excuse you so your grade did not suffer. He was sometimes considered as a fatherly figure because he cared about every one. He is also a very out going person. He did not only make it to every basketball and football game, create a field show and put it on, woke up early enough to drive from Cedar to be at school for Jazz Band, direct the band for pit, but, he also took the time to perform in the musical Grease. All of those things took place before or after school, which he did not get paid for. He also was extremely adventurous. He took on the task of not only taking the members up to state solo and ensembles, state band, state orchestra members all on an over night bus trip for them to perform except state solo and ensamble which was only a daytime event. But he also took the band members on a band tour for three days. I think he took this as an adventure more than a challenge because it would be a big adventure for someone to take over 80 kids to the zoo.
Mr. Morrise on the other hand is much more serious. During games he was more worried about what song we were going to play and seemed not to get into the games very much. The one game I did see him get really into was when it was raining and we could not play our instruments without ruining them. He also cares too much about offending people. For example the placements in band for what part we are playing. Instead of putting us in order from the best player down to the last chair or the worst player, he just has the best three players put on each part then the rest of us just get placed somewhere. To me if I was told or labeled as the worst player than that would make me work harder to get to where I could improve. But, I think that he is afraid of telling who ever is the worst that they are because it might offend them. Mr. Morrise is also easily distracted. Someone will make a comment or something we do will remind him of something and he will go off on a wild tangent. He will tell stories or he will attempt to make jokes. Most of the time this will take up 20-30 minutes of our class time. Which makes it really hard to get a anything done. Because once this happens hardly anyone is paying attention to anything that is going on.
However, Mr. Morrise is a very superb choir teacher. He is the first teacher that has gotten me interested in singing. (Now if he did not try and push choir onto everyone). When he is singing or teaching he gets a facial expression on which tells me that he is so proud and if I tried to explain it I would not be able to do so. He is also a dang good guitar player. Even though I have not been in his guitar class, I have seen him perform. If he were to make a CD with the songs that I think he wrote, I believe that he could make some big bucks. I have also seen some excellent guitar players who have emerged from his classes. In band, however, in my opinion he is not the best. He can teach us the rhythms correctly and in a way where we could figure them out ourselves later. But because he is a trumpet player he will speak in their key. So if you can not figure out what key he is talking about then you will get lost almost instantly. He also does not believe in tuning before a rehearsal. He thinks that we should just be able to tune while we start playing. That only works if we have all heard the same tuning note. After a year we have more or less gotten him to let us tune as a group before we start to play. It seems to me that he is not as confident about what he does in band then what he does in choir or guitar. Because he is always looking at what works for other bands and tries to figure out if it will work for us. That is good but what he does not realize I think is that some of the things that he looks at would only work on depending on how much money we received from the school and in return how much money we were able to get from our parents.
In contrast Mr. Sessions is a very good band teacher. He not only taught us how to play our rhythms correctly, how to count them correctly, or how to correctly play them in a certain style of music. But he also taught us how to put emotion into what we played. After we got done playing a song he would extend his arms and check for goose bumps. If we succeeded in giving him goose bumps it was then we knew that he was really touched by what we had just played, and that we had put enough or more than enough emotion into out music. If we did not succeed then it would push us the next day to work harder then we had the day before. Mr. Sessions was also good at marching band. He would work us on the same stuff over and over. Some times we would work on something like our gate turns for an entire class period. In the summer when it was hotter than the inside of my grandma’s house he would always be right there telling us to squeeze the sponge and give it all that we had left. Some would only have what would seem to be about 10 minutes left in them but they would squeeze all the strength that they could muster to go for another hour. Mr. Sessions is a very good conductor. He is so good that every year there were more and more people asking him from all over the state to come and conduct for them. Of course every year he would turn them all done. He was good enough in my opinion to become a college professor and be up with the best of them.
Mr. Sessions knew how to have fun. Not only does he get into every game that we pepped at but he also gets us prepared to play. When we do have a game because he lived to far away to drive home and come back he would stay until the game started. While he was there he would play games with most of the percussion and a few others. Mostly he would be playing magic, but every once in a while they would play Lord of the Rings Risk. They would also play during lunchtime at school. In fact they played so much that they ended up putting a table into one of the practice rooms to play in. The room was then called the “Magic Room,” If you could not find him anywhere that was the first place to look for him. Sessions would also tease us but in a way that we knew he was joking. For example he called one of our trumpet players fat and juicy, and if that did not set her off he was get a piece of Styrofoam and would make it squeak. She got mad at him for it but because we could always tell when he was joking she was never mad at him for very long, and of course we knew he did not mean anything by calling her fat and juicy because she is actually really skinny. He also made a joke called the “Wandering Trevor.” There is a kid in band named Trevor who would always get up and started wandering the band room, hence the name “wondering Trevor.” But whenever he or someone else would wander he would yell stop pulling a Trevor or Trevor sit down. When he was trying to get a point across to the band he would do an impersonation of someone. Like last year he was acting like Corneal Sanders when explaining what he thought a judge would say about what we had just played. He did so many different impersonations that I cannot even remember all of the different impersonations that he has done.
Mr. Morrise on the other hand has some really good stories (which we hear when he is distracted). I think the best one that he told us was about how he lost his finger. It was very gruesome, but it was very funny because of the way he told it to us. Because he is missing this finger we have been able to make jokes about it. In pep band we use what I call the missing finger signal for when we play the war chant. We use our right hand and put it across our chest like we were saying the pledge of allegiance and we will bend our ring finger so it is shorter than all of the others. One thing that I thought was extremely cool was that for state solo and ensemble he let some kids who had relatives there come and take us out to lunch or to their houses just to hang out for a little bit. Most teachers are so strict about that so they only let you go if it is your parents and if they are going to be responsible in getting you home.
It is hard for me to understand how two teachers who teach the same subject can teach it so differently. But in fact I have shown how very different that they can be. Today one calls out in his pretend-Hawaiian-accent-saying-aloha. The other asking in-a-respected tone. But even though they are really different they do have one thing in common besides that they taught at the same school. It is that they are both proud to be a Hurricane Tiger.
~Mar-z-pan

It's a done deal

2005-04-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well now it is official, next year I will not be in band unless, somehow I do not get into the Pharmacy Tech. class that I am hoping to get into. Mo, told me today that band is going to be 1st hour and this class takes up the first two periods of next year. So I am going to make this year the best year that I can to be able to go out with a bang. I will totally support you guys and hopefully I will be able to participate as much as possible by playing in the pep band and maybe I'll be able to do some sort of solo and ensamble.

~Marci

Ps. Happy National Hug Day!!

It's been a while...

2005-04-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Hey sorry that it has been a while sence I have gotten on, but sence Mo has decided that the computer in the Library is no longer to be used for internet use and my computer is slower than drying tar I have not be able to get on for a while.

So what has been going on in my life sence spring break well like always not a whole lot. Besides haveing way to much to do because there is not 5 baggers that have quit recently at lins, and about 4 checkes have left so we are really down to little or no help. So the people that are still working have to work a ton of hours because of that.

Besides being over worked I have had issues with people that work on the night crew. My friend Troy decided not to talk to me anymore because I was friends with an ex-employee who had said something that for me are way to mean to repeat. But what he did not know is that I had no clue that he had said any of thsoe things he thought that I agreed with what he was saying when he saw that I was talking to this person. But then my friend Justin, told troy that I did not know any of those things. So Troy forgave me and now we are friends again.

Then as every one knows we are giong to state, and it is going to be a lot of fun. But I don't know if every one knows that the Clarinet choir I am in is also going to state for state solo and ensamble. It is going to be a lot of fun. I cant wait. But what I know all of you don't know exept for a few people that this year is my last year in band unless Mo decides to not have band first or fifth period. Because I am taking a college class next year that I will be able to be a registerd Pharmacy Tech. by about 3 months after I graduate. That class is only in the morning so If band is in the mornings then I wont be able to do band. It was a very hard decision to make but sence I am most likely not going to continue with music classes after college, i'll still play but I am not going to be making my life out of it, I figure anything that will help me to get me closer to my goal so this is my decision. I am going to see if Mo will still let me play like at the pep band games. That way I wont totally loose my playing abilities. Anyway, I will still support you guys in everything that you do, keep on marching good, and playing your best and remember these 3 things, for when you preform.

1- Look
2- Listen
3- Think

For those of you who do not know the meaning in those it is what sess would tell us before every and any performance. It was just a good reminder to keep us focused so that we did not get to excited or nervouse so we don't lose our minds and totally choke. So keep on doing everything that you are doing.

~Marci

Spring Break

2005-03-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

Well it is spring break (yippy skippy) and to me there seems as if there is nothing to do. All my friends either have a job and are working (kinda like me) or they are not doing anything (like me on my day off) or have simply just forgotten me or they are my friends but we are not good enough friends to hang out or go and do anything. So here I am at home sitting in front of my computer typing up this post. But hey at least I have some form of entertainment, there is always at least two things I can be doing that involves using electricity. But it all depends on what my little brother is doing. I can ether be playing PS2 or I can be on the computer or I can be watching a movie because there is really nothing good on T.V. But that is only on my days off which today is my last day off until Sat. Which I will be going to march in a parade. But hey I guess it might be getting better, it is my little brothers B-day tomorrow and so my grandma is most likely coming down to visit because he is going to be ordained Sunday, so hey all the attention of my entire family is going to shift from him to hey him. I'll be kicked out of my room so my grandma will have a place to sleep, I'll be forced to sleep in our game room (which won't be too bad concidering that I will be sleeping in the same room as our 2 game systems, our 2nd dvd player and vcr, but I will be sleeping on a Futon. ( a couch thing that folds down into a bed for all those who did not know what a futon is). Being able to stay up until the crack of dawn playing nitendo will make it a little bit better, and that I know own an Ipod which is curently storing 1.9 days worth of music and will be able to slip away from everything that is going on and block out the entire world for at least 1.9 days. If only I could be working everyday for the rest of this week, because it is a new thing at my house that when I am not working no matter how many days in a row that I am off I have to do the dishes. Which is not very bad if they are done every night but when I am not there to do them then most of the time they are not done then I have pans that have greesy meat stuck to them that has been sitting there for a day which takes a while to get clean because it is so stuck on. I don't know maybe I am making this sound worse then what is really is but hey at least I am getting this out of my head to a certain degree, instead of stuffing it like my second personality is, (color code) because I know if I do that I will have what is called a white explotion, and that mixed with my red personality that can be really bad.

Anyway I hope that everyone is enjoying the Spring Break more than I am enjoying it because frankly I think that any vacation that lasts for more than a few days suck because I know that I am going to stuck in my house or stuck working with the only real fun I have is maybe when I go to girls camp, or maybe about one day out of the entire break whether it is summer or spring or even just Christmas break that I will have a friend call to do something.

See most of you at the St. Patricks Day Parade

~Marci

Region Solo and Ensamble!!!

2005-03-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, well I just got back from PVHS we were there for region solo and ensamble. Well the Clarinet Choir was there and we did awesome. WE GOT A ONE AND ARE MOST LIKELY GOING TO STATE, we wont know for sure until tomorrow. I am so excited. But we sounded awesome, and thanks to Johnathon who was the only one in the audience when we preformed, well exept for the judge. It was a lot of fun and I hope that we are going to state. For those of you who don't know what we played we a played a piece called Pslam 18. It is really cool. I don't know how the other groups did all I know is that the percussion group got 1's in both of their songs and they are going to go to state. But we really all ready knew that they would because they do every year and do really well at state so congradulations to them. Anywayz we are all really excited and I hope that all of the other groups did as well as the clarinet choir did and the percussion group.

-Mar-z-pan

Preference

2005-03-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

So who went to preference and who did you go with? I went with Andrew and it was a lotta fun. We went out to a movie we saw The Pacifire, it was really funny, for all of those who have not seen it you should it is only rated pg. But after the movie we went to God fathers to meet our group, who was a lot of the gothic people of our school, I really don't know how I got pulled into that group but I ended up going into a different group once we got to the school. But anywho, it was a lot of fun.

-Mar-z-pan

Region Jazz again

2005-03-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well region jazz is over... even thou we did not make it to state for I don't know how many years now we still did great. Especially the Varsity Jazz band. That is the best I have ever remembered hearing them and those who did solos, you sounded great. The JV band did really good too. Even thou I got really nervous and my reed got all dry so I could barley play my notes, and it seemed as if I could not hear my self playing, and I was shaking uncontrolably, I think we did really well. When I listened to it on the tape it did not sound as band as what I thought I heard. Being able to play the solo in that song I learned a few things about how I should be playing and even thou I did not play my sax today I tried a few of them out in band class. Like having a more rounded ambeture. It was different trying to play like that and might be harder on the sax and i'm sure it will take a while to get used to playing like that but i'm going to work at it and hopefully get it down. As a group we also need to learn not to rush the tempo, but as Mo said that it is probably from getting nervouse and just playing really really fast. I think playing with a metronome will help a lot. It would also be nice for next year if we pulled out a bunch of songs that we thought we might be able to take to region so we have a bunch to work on then when it got closer we would be familiar with them and then we could really work on them. If that is what we did this year then I am not really sure, but I think that might help us. Again over all I thought that we did an awesome job and listening to the other bands was a lot of fun because they played a lot of good stuff. Next year lets go all the way!!!!

Goodnight

2005-03-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

I am now done with my homework well at least my hiable to prefor need to go to bed in order to be able to preform well tomorrow at region Jazz. Even thought it does not really matter how well I preform. Maybe next year i'll make Varsity, well that is if I am in Jazz next year I need to rearrange my schedual so I can fit all my required and all of the college classes that I want to take So I can spend as little money as possible and get as much college out of the way. but anyhow, I am here to say goodnight to all of the late night bloggers that are out there blogging their little or big hearts away. GOODNIGHT

-Mar-z-pan
(who wonders if she should follow the crowd and start the name thing at the end of her name and the tired nervous one)

Homework

2005-03-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone just tring to keep my post updated so Joe does not have the excuse to throw me on the floor or skin my face or whatever he said he was going to do if I did not keep it updated. So right now I am doing homework for my History class, I have to write a half of a page on these leaders: Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Franco, Chruchill, De Gaulle, Frankin Delano Roosevelt. THEN once I am done with them I have to do one page I have to write a one page report on how these men were great leaders and what their faults were. Basically it is a lot of work that I am basically going to BS or just not do it at all. Sence I really care about what my grades are then I am probably going to BS the thing, so Mrs. White can give me credit because she for some reason likes me. Anywayz I had better get to work so I am not up all night before I go to region tomorrow and have Mr. Mo, hurt me for not getting enought sleep. By the way LINS people suck exept for about 2 or 3 people.

-Mar-z-pan

Quotes

2005-03-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

I am tring to make a book of quotes so if I am every feeling down about myself, or I need a good quote for an essay or if I just want to read some or even give some to people to help them out in whatever way they may need it. But if you have any good quotes, whether you know who they are from or not if you could please post them into a comment I would appreciate it a lot.

"I merely took the time it takes to pout and wrote some blues"
-Duke Ellington

-Mar-z-pan

Question

2005-03-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

For all of you really smart computer nerd people, or at least those who understand the html format better than me, I was wondering how I can make it so when people post a comment that they can only chose their name or the option not to post at all. If you could please let me know then I would appreciate it.

-Mar-z-pan

Lins

2005-02-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of really crazy people and weird people that come into lins. Besides the normal people, who basically give me the impression that because I am a girl I am not strong enough to help them lift a bag of salt. Maybe that is heavy for some girls, but how are they supposed to know that I can or can not lift something if they have just met me? Then there are the really weird people that come into Lins, (and I am not just talking about the numerous band members) but an entire family dressed in bath robes. There is every once in a while a single person that comes in their bath robe, but never has there been an entire family. Then there is foreign people that come through. I remember helping a customer use a phone, I think he was Japenese or Chinese, but they did not know our numbers very well, it was very werid trying to explain it to him. I think that is all of the weird and crazy people that come through but who know there could be more.

Region Jazz

2005-02-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

I don't think that the JV Jazz Band is going to go to state. I've heard that we can only take one band to state. Plus the way that we are playing is not good at all especially this close to region. In Soon it's going to rain, half of us don't know our parts, if we do know our parts then we don't play them out.

I do think however that the Varsity Jazz band has a good chance. The songs that they are playing sound really good (from what i've heard) and most of them are not afraid to play out and to really kick butt. I hope that they do really well because if any one of our Jazz band's are going it is going to be them.

-Mar-z-pan

I'm so bored

2005-02-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

I think sundays are one of the most boreding days of the week. I mean there seems like there is just nothing to do half of the time. Plus at my house we do the same stuff every week. After church (that is if we go) we go and watch tv for the entire day. Some times we watch a movie if there is nothing (other than our normal tv schedual) on.

Well I cant wait until tuesday, because then I'll be able to get away from my little brother. In fact I cant wait until I can move out then I wont have to put up with all of is crap and then he might actually have to pull some wait around the house instead just expecting my parents and I to do most of the cleaning. But hey that wont happen for another year or so. Well g2g i'll update again soon

-Mar-z-pan

Duke Ellington

2005-02-18T00:04:00.000-08:00

This is a research paper that I did for my English Class on Duke Ellington. Lemme know what you think about it.

-Mar-z-pan

Some would say that singin’, rockin’, and screamin’ would not go together but in fact they do. I hear it all the time in Band. "Woodwinds this part you have to sing through your instruments, or Brass section this part has to be rockin’ or it will sound poopy, or trumpets you need to scream through this section of the song." This is what Duke Ellington tried to achieve and this is what Band leaders all over the world try and get us to accomplish. Through the Duke’s music he is able to say what he wants to say without saying, and he is able to show his understanding, passion, and love for music and for Jazz. Jazz is one of the best types of music and in my opinion one of the hardest types to play. This is why I chose to talk about one of the best Jazz composers in the world.

Edward Kennedy Ellington, or better known as the Duke, was born in Washington, D.C. in 1897 had been playing the piano from the time he was seven, and participating in Jazz-band performances from the time he was 17 on. Before coming to New York in 1923 he had not only organized his own Jazz Band but had also written his first popular tun, the Soda Fountain Rag.
His first trip to New York in 1922 was unsuccessful, but on Fats Waller’s advice he moved there the next year, with his Washington Band. In this band was Sonny Greer on the drums, Toby Hardwick on the Bass and Saxophones, Elmer Showden on the Banjo, and Arthur Whetsol on the Trumpet. "Between 1923 and 1927 this small group, at the Kentucky club on Broadway, was transformed into a fully formed orchestra by incorporating Wellman Braud on the Bass, Harry Carney on the Bari Sax, Fred Guy on the Banjo, Bubber Miley on the Trumpet, and Joe ‘Tricky Sam’ Nanton Trombone." (Hodeir 1995 ed)

Still Just twenty-four, Ellington had already made himself one of the most successful dance bandleaders in town. The Duke’s Serenaders played all over the city and its suburbs, but Washington had come to seem too small and sedate for him. He longed for what he called "the whirl of New York."He had married Edna Thompson. A neighbor’s daughter and high school classmate, four years earlier and had a sone named Mercer, but just a few weeks after hearing Sidney Bechet, Ellington left them behind and headed north to join two young friends, the drummer Sonny Greer and a one-time-schoolmate named Otto Hardwick, who played an alto saxophone.

After playing for a while in Various New York groups, notably the Wilber Sweatman Jazz Bandin Harlem, he became famous. Ellington was a leading figure in New York Jazz. In live performances in night clubs, theaters, and musical comedies on the radio, in motion pictures on records, he reached out to younger audiences than possibly any other Jazz musicians. "Ellington’s long term residency at the cotton club made him the most celebrated black bandleader in New York, but it took the radio to introduce him to the whole country. "(Ward, pg 152)

"We were very fortunate," Ellington said, "because . . . at that particular period all the other bands in the country were trying to imitate Paul Whiteman and naturally they were souped up with a lot of grandiose fanfares and all that sort of thing. But we had a very plaintive sort of style, and out of contrast alone we stuck out, and caught on." (Ward, pg 152)
In New York he made about 200 recordings, some in the "Jungle" style, which was one of Ellington’s most individual creations. The world wide success of mood indigo in 1930 confirmed Ellington’s fame, and in 1931 he began experiments in extended compositions with Creol Rhapsody.

From 1950 Ellington continued to expand the scope of his composition and his activities as a band leader. His foreign tours became increasingly frequent and successful. "Ellington not only leads his band and plays the piano, but he has also prepared most of his orchestrations. In addition, since 1933 Ellington has occupied a leading position among America’s popular composers when Sophisticated Lady and Solitude became hits, and later winning an ASCAP prize of $2,500 as the best popular song of the year. A year later he came out with one of his best-known songs, Mood Indigo." (Ewen, pg. 161) Some of Ellington’s greatest works include Rockin’ in Rhythm, Satin Doll, New Orleans, A Drum is a Women, Take the A train, Happy-Go-Lucky Local, The Mooche, and Crescendo in Blue.

"By the time of his passing, he was considered the World’s greatest composer and musician. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people, and by the end of his 50-year career he had played more than 20,000 performances worldwide." (Gately) The Duke conducted his band until death on died May 24, 1974 when it was taken over by his son Mercer Ellington. "On September 30, 2004, Duke was inducted into the Ertegun Jazz hall of fame. Paul Ellington, Duke’s grandson, and his mother, Lene Margrette Ellington, accepted the honor on the Duke’s behalf. The event took place in the center of Fedrik P. Rose Hall." (Gately)
Nichol Gately says that, "the dynamic and mesmerizing music of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington is forever etched in Jazz History. He was a song writer, composer and acclaimed performer that helped shape modern music as we know it. He wrote and recorded hundreds of musical compositions which continue to have a lasting effect on people all over the world today. Duke was, selected, nominated and voted upon by a panel of 72 international Jazz experts from 17 different countries. (Gatley)

Out of this world and into her own

2005-02-16T10:48:00.000-08:00

A while back during Band Camp I was given this award. I think I finally understand it. If you pay attention when we have band activities that when we are let loose and we separate into different groups that it is always the same ppl that are in those groups, and if you are not apart of one of those groups you are more or less left out of what happens whether it is intentional or if it is not intentinal it always happens. Well I think that is what more or less happens to me, I am apart of the band but when we separate into these groups is when I "leave this world," and enter "into my own."

-mar-z-pan

School

2005-02-16T00:32:00.000-08:00

School is so depressing depending on the ppl that you have to associate with. I mean what do you do if you are forced to do activities with ppl that you absoultly can not stand being around? You can try and be nice but then that makes it so you are not happy or you can be mean and hope that they take the hint. But if none of those work then you are basically screwed right? During my school day there are only a few classes that actually make me happy and feel like life is worth living. Then I get to those few classes that make me feel like nothing in the world is important anymore.

On a brighter note...
I cant wait for next school year, but I almost want to just skip summer vacation and just start into it. For me summer vacations suck, because there is really nothing for me to do. This year might not be as bad because I now have a job that will get me out of the house most of the time, but the other time will most likely be spent in front of the t.v., because it seems that nobody want to bother calling me to do anything anymore.
Now that i've let all of this out I feel a whole lot better but who knows how long that will last.

-mar-z-pan

First Blog

2005-02-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

Hey what's up? Joe has just shown me how to start "blogging'' I'll try to keep it updated. If not I give joe permission to kick me in the face sence that is what he said he was going to do if I did not update it.

-Mar-z-pan