This will be a brief one, something to mark the occasion. I will debrief myself in a few days…
As I spent the last week working on the annual banquet video and senior class “Will,” I could not help but travel down memory lane. I have a horrific habit of going through life focused on what is directly in front of me but with the knowledge that I DO know the existence of the forest for the trees. Yet I have always pushed that aside, consciously thinking “I’ll check all that out later.”
Later has arrived.
Later has arrived for only one reason–I will begin a new chapter in my life in a few short months and if I don’t pay attention right now I will miss the best parts of the chapter I’m concluding.
Here are a few memories, some traditions, some long lost and forgotten, and some of the things I have missed or will miss to start the next series of posts:
Pregame concerts at the President’s House
Watching Louise Roselle get all guests and the Trustees outside the house and be an audience.
Dave Roselle giving each senior a UD pin
Gold lot concerts and the original Tailgate Crew
“Set up page 1” at band camp and watching my creative design come to life
Listening to Ancona pitch a show idea and thinking “what the hell is he thinking?!”
Bryan von Hagel’s cheesecakes
Tubas yelling “moo” out the bus windows when passing the Ag Farm
My office on a quiet winter night and on a crisp, bright spring morning
Tonight we celebrate the conclusion of another successful season for the UDMB. Every member of the band suffered the heat and the cold and the rain…and of course to round it all out, it is raining today.
Together we celebrate the end of one thing and we look forward to another beginning. All of us, including me.
The eve before my final homecoming is…odd. Neither exciting nor sad. Just…odd.
I spent the week dealing with every conceivable obstacle the universe could throw at me. To be honest, I don’t believe she’s finished yet either. A weather front is arriving tomorrow morning just in time for rehearsal and will move through…Sunday. 12 hours of rain predicted. Oh, and not 50% chance but 90% chance of precipitation. …awesome….
I am not surprised. Why? Because it ALWAYS rains on homecoming at UD. It’s a …TRADITION! Lmao.
The sad part is that over 325 UDMB alumni have signed up for Alumni Band—a record! Most are still coming and frankly we will have a blast making new and lasting memories. And yet…just odd.
Perhaps it is because of all the “fires” that needed to be put out this week. Perhaps it is because I haven’t had a moment to sit and reflect until now. Perhaps it is denial. Perhaps it is “let’s get on with it already.” Perhaps it is still so routine that the concept of it all ending just hasn’t hit home yet. So it’s just…odd.
We have a schedule tomorrow…won’t follow it.
We have 38+ colorguard.
We have music for the front ensemble alumni for the first time ever.
The “baby band” knows the grid setup.
The truck is loaded with every last spare instrument we own plus a second full battery.
AND IT IS GOING TO BE A COLD MONSOON GOD DAMMIT!
Ok, I needed to get that out of my system. phew! That feels much better.
I guess I’m disappointed that it is not going to be a picture perfect homecoming. At the same time I suppose if it was I would also be disappointed.
Starred Thought: you’re at your best when things are at their worst. Well George Parks, I suppose you’re in the ether somewhere right now and getting me to focus on what’s most important, aren’t you?
Tomorrow will be what it will be. There is no way to control the weather and acceptance has begun. The current band will talk about tomorrow forever as being the most insane band day of their lives. Just as other band alumni have done when faced with such insanity. Pictures will be posted and stories will be shared. Laughter will be heard and yes, tears shall be shed.
Tomorrow marks my final Homecoming at UD. Four games will be done with only two left to go.
It’s been just under two months since I pulled the proverbial trigger and set the retirement wheels in motion. Two months of people offering the most heartfelt congratulations I’ve ever received, and two months of people being in disbelief and/or denial. Quite the spectrum of reactions, frankly.
Finally I feel like it’s time to examine this a little, to try to process it more, and even to shed some light on things for the people in the back of the room who have not been paying close attention.
The Moment
I am known for my exaggeration, embellishment, and enhancement of stories in order to ram home a lesson for my students, whether they be bandos, DMAers, or even adults. In this case there is none of that whatsoever.
May/June: “Hey Marion, let’s crunch numbers again and see where things stand for a target goal of 2026 or 2029. You know, the traditional age 62 or 65.”
Marion is my financial advisor for those wondering who this random person is.
mid-June: “Heidi, let’s set up some conference calls and see if we can make this even better for you.”
July: “Heidi, give me a few weeks to rerun all the numbers again.”
August 10: Email Subject line: “Retirement–how about going at 60!”
That email left me sitting and staring at the screen. 60?! That was in 5 months. How is that possible? No, she can’t possibly be confident about that…but of course she was. She is the most conservative financial person in the world–if you can’t do something she makes it known quite clearly that it is not in your financial interests to do so. QUITE CLEAR.
We chatted on the phone about all the details and I said there was no way I could depart this coming January but would look towards next August or even January 2025. I said I would give it the weekend because I wanted to be able to tell the band at the start of camp if this was going to be my final season.
16 hours later…
Linens….that’s all it took. Linens (IYKYK). This is a story for another time. Suffice it to say sometimes all it takes is the smallest moment to make one say “time to turn the page, start a new chapter, and put a giant bow on the current situation.”
I did not make the decision to retire in June, nor in July. My decision was not made 3 years ago either. I made the decision to retire on August 11, 2023 with my final day at the University of Delaware to be August 31, 2024. If you choose not to believe that, well, that’s on you. So if you fall into that category please stop saying that I’m lying or thinking that you know me better than any other people on the face of the earth and that you knew I was retiring. I didn’t know I was retiring!
So What’s Next?
Here’s what the handy dandy AI Assistant has to say about “The Third Act” —
The Third Act refers to the final phase or stage of a narrative, play, or life itself. It is often associated with resolution, culmination, and the climax of a story. In a theatrical context, it signifies the turning point where conflicts are resolved, loose ends are tied up, and the story reaches its conclusion.
Just as in a play, life can be seen as having three acts. The First Act represents the beginning, where we are introduced to the characters, their goals, and the conflicts they face. The Second Act is the middle portion, filled with obstacles, challenges, and character development. Finally, The Third Act is the culmination, where the threads of the story come together and the narrative reaches its climax.
In life, The Third Act can be a time of reflection, fulfillment, and embracing the wisdom gained throughout the journey. It is a stage where priorities often shift, and the focus may shift towards legacy, relationships, and enjoying the fruits of one’s labor. The Third Act reminds us that life is an ever-evolving play, and we have the power to shape our own narrative until the very end.
Whether in a story or in our own lives, The Third Act signifies the final chapter, the closing scene, and the ultimate resolution. It is a reminder that no matter the challenges faced, there is always the opportunity for growth, redemption, and a meaningful conclusion.
Well that’s pretty final–yikes! Yet at the same time it is accurate. 36 years as a band director is most certainly a full Second Act. It has been filled with lots of obstacles, challenges, and definite character development–and thank God for the last item! I am not remotely like the person I was 36 years ago…heck even 5 years ago, and that is a very good thing indeed.
So again, what’s next?
Truthfully, I have no idea. LOL. There is a part of me that wishes to stay involved in the world of teaching and writing. Maybe I will write for a school or two, do some guest conducting, and some band clinics. You know, add some side hustle retirement income into the bank! I don’t think I can go cold turkey without the world of pagaentry in my life, but my track record has been that when I stop doing something I completely stop. So time will tell. Traveling, both domestic and international, has always been on my list, and my passport was just renewed.
Perhaps the most important goal is a health and fitness focus. It has not been an easy journey. The last 16 months alone have tested my resolve more than any other phase of my life. I’m slower, stiffer, metabolism is in the toilet. I’ve already made some significant changes to my diet and am slowly returning to an active lifestyle (a story for another time). With any luck I can right the ship and live life as an active senior. (Oof…where did the time go?!?!)
One small thing: No, I will not become a basset hound breeder–just stop it please!
That’s it for now folks. Sure I’ve concluded my final band camp, last first home game, and last Allentown. Maybe I will reflect upon the season as a whole when it is over…maybe I’ll wait for a year in review. Time will tell. At any rate I’ll leave you with this for the moment: It’s already one helluva rollercoaster ride with my hands flying high over my head and me screaming and laughing like a little girl.
As I sit here savoring a cup of coffee on a cold yet beautiful morning in the stillness of my home…ok, scratch that, JoeBasset just barked at someone walking down the street…sigh. Let’s try again.
As I sit here sucking down a cup of coffee before beginning the mundane chores of the day, I am still overwhelmed by this past Saturday’s events. Yes it was a lovely gathering. Yes it was good to see old friends. Yes it was fun to make music with them again. But that is the mere surface of it all, the uninvolved perspective.
This will be a long one folks but I hope it resonates with you on some level.
December 17, 1972…50 years ago was the first Roxbury High School (NJ) Messiah concert. Doug Beavers and Cecil “Bud” Beavers, choir directors, undertook this project. (There is a whole history best left to the latter individual to share so I will not even try.) 50 years later close to 150 former choir members spanning those 5 decades returned in celebration…and to sing with Bud (and Jim and Lori) once again.
Some background setup: As a trumpet player and committed bando, I didn’t make time to be in high school choir my freshman year. Nor did I my sophomore or junior years. I did become an instrumentalist for the Pop Group and did travel with Mr. Beavers to Bermuda, and again with him and Mr. Wingerter to California so I was part of the choirs in some manner. It wasn’t until my senior year that I participated fully in the choral program and was exposed to and “assimilated” into the over 250 member choral Messiah experience.
I was lucky. Some would say blessed. Whatever you choose to call it, I grew up in a northwest NJ community that believed the arts were an integral part of each student’s education. This is not to say that budget challenges didn’t impact the district, but threaten as they did, the Board of Ed always seemed to find a way to keep music and sports intact. As a K-12 child I didn’t pay much attention to politics. I just knew I was going to be in band and play basketball….until it became clear I should just stay in the music wing….a tale for another day perhaps.
All of this said, when I graduated high school and stepped onto the campus of Penn State University I ASSUMED every other music major had the same experience in high school that I did:
A more select Pop Group with full back up band (2 trumpets, trombone, saxes, full rhythm section)
Needless to say I was stunned to learn this wasn’t the norm across the country. (Yes I was naive…perhaps I still am in some respects.)
Again, I was lucky. Music was critical to my parents and extended family so I was exposed to it from the get go with piano lessons beginning at age 6. Trumpet arrived in the 5th grade after some attempts at cello, clarinet, and viola…yeah, viola. And I sang all through elementary and middle school too.
Ok, back to the point of all this because you have enough to hang on to.
A couple of months ago I saw a Facebook group that was seeking RHS choir alumni to sing in a 50th Messiah Anniversary event. 50 years to the date of the first concert. Mr. Beavers would be there as would Mr. Wingarter, and a few other conductors post-me. I didn’t read much about the details, just date, time, location, and locked it into my calendar. Then began the ripping through the house to find my Messiah score. After many moves over my lifetime I lost many of my belongings from those years, yet there it was, on a shelf in the small front bedroom, where I put it 25 years ago upon moving into this house.
Saturday morning was crisp and beautiful–the perfect day for a road trip back to the homeland. I left fairly early because I needed to/wanted to make a stop before going to the high school for the event. I picked up a couple of sandwiches and spent a couple of hours with my life-long best friend Larry Turner. Larry, also a member of the choirs, was unable to attend the event due to health reasons. This was so hard because he was such a force in our music department. I knew how much he wanted to go but I also knew a trip down memory lane, some good hearty laughter between us would be just as important. Lar, if you’re reading this, know that you were missed by many and spoken of with love. I’ll get back up again before the end of January!
The drive was easy and very quickly the scenery was all too familiar. Turn off Waze and take it all in! The fact that Wild West City still exists frightens me just a little, but I digress.
After I left Larry I realized I had some time for two other quick visits. Yes I stood outside in a line of people to get a vanilla maltED (it’s a north jersey thing. You call it a malt, we called it a malted!) at Cliffs, and then did some stalking of the house where I grew up. Nothing but joy about these photos!
I arrived at the high school and time slowed down to a crawl. I got my name tag, saw a few faces I recalled, and then walked into the auditorium. And I walked slowly, oh so very slowly down the aisle toward the stage. I am not completely sure why I did this but it allowed me to take it all in. 40 years had gone by but memories flooded in fresh as ever–and I let them.
As the afternoon continued to unfold, Bud Beavers, Jim Wingerter, Lori Lynch, and a few conductors led us through 2 hours of music. Recitatives and arias were sung by former soloists (many of which became thriving music educators and professional singers)–two were Doug Beavers’ granddaughters (OMG their voices were both jaw dropping amazing). We were accompanied by Dr. John Girvin who was a master pianist when we were in school together and who is now, in a word, ridiculous! At one point we took a break and I wandered the halls where I grew up, finding my name on the John Phillip Sousa Award plaques, and marveled at the the fact that hundreds if not thousands of other young students found their joy in life in these rooms just as I did.
The band side of things was just as rich as the choral side. Larry Schillings, Walter Sayre, Larry Goff, Matt Krempasky, Darryl Bott, Todd Nichols–just a few of the names from the past 50 years who kept pushing and reaching new heights, expanding young minds, and inspiring musical growth for so many people.
All who taught and continue to teach at RHS do so with one purpose: they made/make learning fun!
After the break we were treated to a video slideshow that featured photos from the 1970’s and 1980’s. Seeing all we did together and knowing that so much of that helped shape who we all became struck home…hard.
LEGACY:“A gift left to others that becomes a responsibility to pay forward.” (Thank you Courtney Beard for putting those words together at a time when many of us were searching for purpose.) Yes, I was lucky. I grew up in a community that considered music and the performing fine arts an integral part of the education of their children. 40 years after I left I returned to find the strength of the arts program in Roxbury is as strong as ever, if not even stronger. Example: Patrick Hachey, the current choral director, had his top group Classic Sounds perform for us. From Mendelsohn to Pentatonix they were outstanding. As I sat and listened to them I was transported back 40 years to when I stood on those risers and had the same look of joy and excitement on my face.
I made the journey home this past weekend for a number of reasons but I never fully expected it to have such the profound impact that it did. Bud Beavers, Jim Wingerter, and Lori Lynch were given a gift on Saturday. A gift few of us receive in our lifetime. Starred thought: You will never truly know the impact you have upon another person. Close to 150 of us returned and sang with them and for them again. When we were children, we were forever changed by their love of teaching, love of music, love of life. We learned confidence and strength of presence. We grew as musicians which in turn helped us grow emotionally. We learned respect, dedication, commitment, and all the other buzz words people throw out there about music education…but we really did! We in turn took all we learned and passed it on to our own children and students, and probably even strangers for again “we will never truly know the impact we have upon another person.”
As I sit here this morning and realize the impact these people had upon my life, the impact I have had on the lives of others is not lost on me. At the very least I was given a gift this weekend too: recognize what you’ve done and continue to do for so many people. 28 years (and counting) at UD…I know I’m paying forward the gift I was given by Bud Beavers and Larry Goff.
In 1995 the UDMB matter of factly informed Jim and I that yes, everyone returns to campus for Thanksgiving Saturday because playoffs at UD are an expectation. And for the next decade plus we did just that.
Then it became hit or miss…until it became a non-concern.
Today we returned to the ways of the past—in every sense!
Band members returned in droves the last day or two. Dorms were opened for them. Heck, even the weather cooperated! Playoff season at UD again!
99% of the UDMB cheered on the team to a 56-17 victory (1% of flu, plane tickets from the other side of the country and a cruise stopped 9 people from being here… oh, to be on that cruise! But I digress…
Many years ago we established that we would give the students as much down time as possible this time of year. That meant showing up for the home playoff games for the least amount of rehearsal needed. The phrase and rule was simple: “If you don’t know it by now you never will.”
Playoffs are a time to be on autopilot. It is and will always be about the team. Not the band! Today the UDMB did all of that and a tad more. An hour rehearsal, eat, dress, pregame, game, WIN, done. Simple and easy.
And they rocked it!
And I’m proud of each and every one of them. And the staff who upended all their holiday plans too to be here.
One down…three to go. It’s all in the hands of the team. We’ll be there if you need us!
Oh, and yeah, if you stick around a place long enough eventually you too will have an alum who “buzzes” the band and takes a pretty awesome picture of rehearsal.
They arrive wide-eyed, nervous, excited, and full of wonder. They are alone for the first time in the what is the truest sense to them: no parents, no siblings, and if lucky, one friend from high school who is older but “out there somewhere.” They know band is their home but this band is not…at least not yet. Above all, they are hopeful.
Fall of 2019 welcomed 97 freshmen to the UDMB. Today we say “travel well” to 53 who remained through all four years as members of the program. People come and go for any variety of reasons during college–and that is perfectly acceptable. Life…filled with twists and turns no one can anticipate. Today we celebrate those who navigated the pandemic, returned to the NEW normal, and recommitted to something that is part of their soul: band.
As always I suggest they take some time to notice everything around them today. Notice the air, the smells, the sun as it rises above the tree line when looking from the top of the CFA parking garage–the location where they began this part of their journey. Listen to the neighborhood as it comes alive. Listen to the sounds around the stadium as it wakes and prepares for today’s game.
Allow your emotions to have full reign today seniors. No more holding back. No more waiting for the right moment–the moment is NOW. Hug hard, cry harder. Sing louder. Look into people’s eyes and acknowledge their place in your world. You never get a second chance at….your senior day. Relish all of it.
Oh, and yes, know without any question how proud of you I am, and how grateful I am for all YOU taught me.
Apparently it has been a year since I populated this site with a smattering of random thoughts running around in my brain….yes. it’s 5:15am and I’m blogging….wth?!
Game 5 @ UD has a 1pm kickoff which translates into: get out of bed before God has made coffee and start functioning!
The band is, well, off the charts this season. They head into the end of the regular season simmering quite nicely and turn up the heat at all the required times. If you haven’t had a chance to see the UDMB this season you’ve got today and next Saturday. Get to the stadium! The team has been FUN to watch and is showing promise for a postseason! Fingers crossed they tear apart Monmouth this afternoon…but we all know post season in the FCS must be earned. Nothing is guaranteed. Time will tell.
That’s it on the professional front…now perhaps a moment of personal thought: I, like so many of you who take a moment to scroll through my rhetoric, am tired. No, exhausted, frustrated, horrified, and feeling helpless. There is so much hate out there. I don’t understand it. People are mad, blaming others for their woes, pointing fingers and saying that their world would be better off without certain people, making baseless accusations by repeating what they hear in the media or read online without any thought, research, or questioning of the validity of the statements. It is a head shaker for sure.
Each day it gets a bit harder to push through the vitriol floating around in our world. We are bombarded by it every day from every source. Social media, television ads, the news, the “news,” standing in line at the grocery store and reading the covers of magazines, billboards, and on and on.
I have no solutions to offer so I am merely typing this all out of my system in an effort to practice what I preach: find something you love to do, and do it. Immerse yourself in it. Spend time with your family and friends. Laugh and laugh often. And perhaps the most important tidbit–try not to take yourself so seriously. Life is too short so don’t drown in the minutiae.
For me this means UDMB, visual and musical creation, enjoying the peace of walking through the woods, spending time with my dog and cats, and remembering to “raise my helicopter” and recognize all the good I am surrounded by. It’s hard with all the negativity out there but it with be worth it in the end.
Time to fuel up and get the day underway…hard work by 280 college band students that will culminate in 280 smiles from feeling accomplished. So get out there folks and join me in putting a touch of beauty into the world today. Yup, it will be worth it in the end.
I won’t even try to calculate the number of weeks nor days….I’m a band director not a mathematician. Regardless, it is quite possible this year was one of the most challenging of all.
Returning after a second shoulder replacement which was being very uncooperative with regard to rehab/recovery added to the psychological stress of returning to full in person teaching. Nothing worse than conducting with one arm when on a podium on the 50 yard line.
Yet the 2021 UDMB was AMAZING! It was so good to be back in the field and so good to work with such magnificent students! Musically, visually, and all things in between in all sections of the band was a joy to be around each week. They lived for band more than ever before because they had lost it! Nothing screams success more than students who get a second chance at something they love.
Spring semester classes were also terrific. Symphonic Band grew exponentially and MBTECH was a boisterous group. Once again the students were thrilled to be back in action, and they were hungry to learn. We pushed each other and I’m honestly not sure who learned more: them or me.
As I sit on my couch enjoying an adult beverage while watching a few episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (of course that’s what I’m watching!), I can’t help but think about the seniors who are graduating this weekend. The seniors who I think of as sophomores because I never got to know them as juniors. The seniors who ATTACKED the field this past fall as if their lives depended upon it. The seniors who may have cried harder than any other senior class has at the end of their final pregame, halftime, and postgame show. The seniors who will forever have been robbed of a year of their college experience yet rose above the lose with more maturity than I did.
Dear senior class of 2022 (udmb class of 2021)—you are stronger than you know. You are wiser than you realize. You are more loving than you are aware. You will do great things even if you don’t know what they are yet. You lost a year of your life but you grew up faster than most because of that loss. You savored every moment of band this past fall because you had to make up for lost time. You raised the bar of leadership unlike any other group of students I have had the privilege of working with. You had to do that because the circumstances were unique to you!
For the rest of your lives you will bust out laughing anytime a bowl of hummus is placed upon the table before you and no one else present will understand why (Just gonna leave that there…).
I will miss you. I will miss your smiles. I will miss your presence. I hope you will visit. I hope you will say hello. I hope you will pull my ever distant self into a bear hug and not let go…or at the very least offer me a beer.
I move from one thing to the next because I do not do goodbyes. I suck at them. I’m an awkward turtle in every way when it comes to saying “goodbye.” It’s not because I don’t care. It is because I care too much. So while you’re decked out in your graduation garb and making memories with your family and friends, I will be thinking of you while working on various time sensitive items for DMA, organizing materials for next fall, and spending some much needed time with an old basset hound who wants her “mom” more than usual these days.
I move from one thing to the next because it is my defense mechanism. It is how I survive. It is not right nor is it wrong—it simply is. I recently rewatched “The West Wing” and recognized my own thoughts each time President Bartlett said “What’s next?”
So what IS next? In some ways it is the same old same old. I talk a good game about retirement yet that’s not happening…not yet at least. I have more to do at the helm of this machine called the UDMB. I have more dots to plot, more scores to learn, and more classes to teach. I have to get a new bbq so I can resume AD and Field staff bbqs because I must see the newest iteration of the Dad Squad. I have more administrators to educate…just gonna leave that there, too.
One day I will retire…but today is not that day.
Travel well my seniors. Travel well, enjoy your lives, and meet me in the parking lot for an adult beverage sometime next fall !
Gene Carlisle looks on at the band he was once a part of 60 years ago.
I chose to reuse this picture of Gene because 1) he has emailed me a few times now inquiring about Alumni Band, and 2) this is what it is all about: looking back on something you were once a part of, and knowing exactly what each person out on that field is feeling–pride.
This weekend was a rough one for reasons I will not go into. The circumstances caused me to post a request on the UDMB Alumni FB pages for letters to the current band. The topic: why band is critical to your college career and the rest of your life.
The UDMB is CRANKING! No question about it. But I also see the stress and anxiety in the eyes of my students as they work as hard as they can to feel “normal”…what does that even mean?…after 18 months of a pandemic that we STILL aren’t quite finished with. It is clear they are loving what they’re doing but they are also trying to figure out how to find balance in a chaotic world.
I figured I would get 4 or 5 short paragraphs from people……um…no. Not even close. I am currently scheduling each LETTER as a separate page on this blog to be posted each morning. We’re closing in on 3 weeks worth!!
A few thoughts to the readers, especially the students:
Find a letter that is from a person who was in your section–they “get” you;
Don’t read them all at once! They will all sound the same after awhile…and I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing!
Bookmark the blog and return to it when times seem difficult–maybe one of the letters will resonate with you more.
**When you read and see opening salutations of “Baby Band” please note it is meant with affection. The UDMB is called that by the Alumni Band on Homecoming…because the Alumni Band is the “old-timers band.” 🙂
These are meant for everyone! Whether a member of the UDMB or another college band out there–it’s all relevant.
I do not believe that anyone will fully understand how the CoViD-19 pandemic has changed us but it most assuredly has changed everyone. At first the world was petrified, then people became nice, supportive, helpful, and then the anger arrived. It is the anger that is most disheartening…and something that does not exist in the bubble called the UDMB.
The return to band this fall required a process of unbelievable structure — more than ever before. The approval steps alone required patience…incredible amounts of patience on the part of not only myself and staff, but also that of each student. Vets were anticipating a swift return to normal. That didn’t happen until the 4th day of band preseason. The process was anything BUT normal.
And yet, here we are. One football game under our belts and a full season looming before us. The best part of all: not a single person is taking band for granted!
I’ve always believed the UDMB had an amazing work ethic. This season has broken the glass ceiling on that benchmark! They arrive, they work, they are quiet, they listen. We do things right the FIRST time…unless we need to do it again in order to make adjustments, add in new layers of responsibility, or simply to check that everything is solid. And then we move on. Amazing!
The UDMB is eager to be great…and they already are! The take care of each other, check on each other, help each other…they are a family.
More than 50% of the band is experiencing their first season as a member of the UDMB. Yet an outsider would not believe this percentage split. The quick to learn attitude of the “rookies” is astonishing. It is only outmatched by the upperclass members who take the time to TEACH them: “This is the way.”
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