Marching Band

Of all the sports my kids have been involved in, Marching Band has been the most time consuming, grueling, and exhausting. Timpview High School has a fantastic band director. His name is David Fullmer. Dr. Fullmer is the type of person who expects everyone to give 110%, including himself. Actually, we measured him to give 200% most of the time, so he is great at inspiring the kids to do their very best. Marching band season starts June 1st with Summer Band. This is not too difficult. The kids get up early and go to practice at 7:30 a.m. They run, march, and memorize their music. They also have quite a few fun activities like a surprise breakfast in the park, a surprise movie at a theater after an especially long run, a bike hike up the canyon, a BBQ, and of course, PARADES. Actually the point of Summer Band is to perform in a number of local parades, culminating with the Freedom Festival in Provo and the annual Band Lagoon Day. After Summer Band, the kids get 2 weeks of vacation (usually they have scout camp or something in here, and are expected to learn and memorize their difficult Fall music). At the end of July, they are back at school for section rehearsals where they perfect their sound. Then comes BAND CAMP. This is 8 hours a day, M-F, for two weeks. Generally the temperatures are over 100 degrees, and the entire time the kids are outside in the sun (with the exception of the pit percussionists who practice some of the time indoors). Dr. Fullmer is an expert at charting a Marching Band show. The kids each get a packet of about 40 laminated charts hooked to a cord they hang around their necks. Each chart tells them exactly where they are supposed to stand at each specific interval in the show. Dr. Fullmer stands on a VERY tall ladder to oversee the operation. The kids rehearse very hard all day. Once school starts, rehearsals are twice a week for 2 1/2 hours after school. This is in addition to section rehearsals (up to 4 hours per week) and Pep Band for each of the home football games. Finally, once October arrives, the band is ready for competition. All the work really pays off. This year, their first competition was last night, up at Davis High School in Kaysville. They won first place in EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY!! That is really amazing. YOU GUYS ROCK!