October 27

It is difficult to think that the fall is leaving us and winter is approaching.  The uniform trailer is heading out so that all of the uniforms can be cleaned and the equipment trailer is headed to the shed to be stored until next spring and the Tulip Festival.  It's a good time to reflect on this very special season and share the most vivid memories that the Director remembers: the second day of band camp when I went to the field and watched Pete teaching the drill - it was easy to tell from the beginning that this would be a special show and a very special band the second day of band camp (#2) I observed a freshmen getting into a car after camp and hollering at father how terrible band turned out to be.  I wondered at the time if the freshmen would make it through the year.  That freshmen turned into a very good band member! the Friday of band camp I watched the staff working with the sections and I remembered that sometimes it's not what you know but WHO you know that really matters. the day in September when a student asked me why I was so much nicer in school than I was in band rehearsal.  It hit me very hard and caused me to re-examine what I was doing.  It came to me that I was treating the students exactly the opposite of the way that I should have been.  These were the kids that signed up for band and wanted to be there every day.  Band changed from that day forward. Marshall #1 - the afternoon rehearsal and the attitude and energy that every student put into the 2 hours. Marshall #2 - Peter rehearsing the hornline at 5:00pm in the hot sun.  Why did those kids keep going? Marshall #3.  the sheer euphoria of the crowd reaction to our show.  To quote one of the judges - "WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW. WOW." Marshall #4 - a selfish confession - I enjoy watching my sons work together.  It is nice having them around.  It is nice knowing that they understand me. having the band IMPROVE EVERY DAY!  I do not know why or how exactly they did it but they did improve EVERY day. the "Freshmen Run Through" -  THEY WERE UNBELIEVABLE Sim's speech before finals at Sioux Falls watching the band at the Dutchmen Field Championship and realizing how well designed, written and produced it really was - Thank you Peter Connell! No, I don't have any vivid memories about trophies, or wins, or scores.  I will always remember the moments of surprise, the smiles, the performances, the kids having fun, the tradition that continues...............

October 13, 2009

It's good to be from here....... As I looked over the scores from last Saturday's contests, I could not help but notice that it was bands from our "four corner area" of contests that won all of the shows.  Sioux Falls Lincoln went to Des Moines and finished first at Valley Fest, Sioux Falls Washington went to Lincoln, NE and won the Links Contest, Marshall went to Minneapolis and won the Eden Prairie show and Bellevue East came to the Dutchmen Field Championship and won.  I think that it shows how good the bands in this part of the world are.  We start the season at Marshall and Waseca, go through Sioux City, Luverne and Brandon, and compete head to head at Sioux Falls.  I want to commend all of my fellow band directors for having the stamina and desire to continue learning and teaching at such a high level.  People outside of this part of the world think that nothing is happening here - well - they are wrong!  Once again, congratulations to ALL of the band directors and students from Northwest Iowa, Southwest Minnesota, Southeast South Dakota, the Omaha area, and metropolitan Minneapolis that put it on the line every year.  It's a pleasure to be associated with all of you!

October 11

The 2009 Dutchmen Field Championship is over and all that is can say is WOW what a day.  We marched our Homecoming show in really pleasant weather at 8:00pm on Friday and woke up to snow on the ground on Saturday.  The sun made it's appearance at 1:00pm and the weather was not that big a problem.  We made some adjustments for warm up and the show went off without a hitch.  I think that every band member, staff member and parent needs to be commended for the effort and enthusiasm that made our 6th annual show such a great one!  I must admit that I put a great deal of stress and pressure on myself Friday night and Saturday morning.  I have been hauling bands around for 34 years and have marched in snow, rain, fog, and mud.  The only thing that we have not encountered is the bitter cold weather that was predicted for Saturday.  The adjustments that everyone made contributed the super show that hit Korver Field. 22 band marched and played at the highest level of the season!  The judges were very impressed with how well everyone approached their shows in the cold conditions and the show organizers were really pleased with the crowd and how well they responded to the bands. I want to take a moment to thank DFC Chair Jim Plagge and Band Board President Dan Roghair for leading the charge this year.  The show was, as has become the tradition, well organized and well run.  To all of the volunteer parents that spent hours working at the show - thank you and I hope that you have finally warmed up! Finally, there is nothing quite like sitting on the field at 10:00pm surrounded by over 1600 students from all over the Midwest and watching fireworks.  You can feel the joy, the hope and the companionship that they pass to each other as they sit and watch.  John and Ann Den Hartog came up with a great idea a few years ago when they decided to host the fireworks show - and I cannot thank them enough for their generosity. SJC

October 6

And so it goes.......... Last Saturday night as the Pride of the Dutchmen toed the out of bounds line and prepared to march on to the field at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, I saw a flash of blond hair run past the far boundary line after setting one of the backfield conductor ladders.  I smiled.  It was my wife Cindy.  For my entire tenure as band director she has supported me, she has supported her children, she has supported the band.  She has attended EVERY show, every contest, every concert.  She has sat in the stands with snow falling down on her head and watched the band while her children snuggled into her coat.  She has slept on gym floors, cleaned up after thousands of band members, sewed buttons, wiped tears, laughed often and sat quietly in the background while her husband received WAY to much attention and credit.  I do not see many band director's wives at these shows.  Maybe they are sitting in the stands.  I doubt that many wives would do what she has done.  She has done it with quiet grace, kindness, love and devotion. She honors me and the band members with her presence. For the past 34 years, Cindy Connell has been THE Pride of the Dutchmen.

October 4, 2009

This has been the most extraordinary year for the Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band.  I mean - it has really been different than ANY previous year.  I have the reputation for overusing the phrase - "this is the best band that I have ever taught" - BUT - let's look at the facts: 1.  This is the first band that scored 80 points or higher in EVERY show that they have marched.  This has never happened in the history of this band. 2.  This is the first band that took 1st place at Sioux Falls in Class 3A Field.  We have finished 2nd and 3rd and 4th - but never 1st in the class in this competition. 3.  This is the first time that the Pride of the Dutchmen Band has scored 90 points or more in ANY prelim or finals competition - EVER. PERIOD. So, with these facts in my hand and with week after week of beautiful and exciting performances in my head I can honestly and factually state that the 2009 Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band is the GREATEST marching band in the history of the school.  This band and this show will be the prototype for everything that follows.  This band will be the one to which we compare all others.  This band IS tradition. Congratulations to the members of the band.  Thank you to the staff.  Keep writing the shows Pete. Steve Connell

September 30

I keep hearing an old Buffalo Springfield song in my head - "There's something happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear...." These students in this band have developed a marvelous habit - they listen and they do.  Every time a correction is suggested the members of the POD put it into play.  Every time they rehearse I SEE and HEAR improvement.  I don't remember the last time that I felt this way.  There are usually long and somewhat tedious rehearsals occuring during this time of the year but this band and these students seem to have found a way to overcome.  Perhaps it's the short season and they know that marching band is basically done after Sioux Falls.  We will rehearse for our home show but we will not go at 7:30am.  Maybe it's just their nature and they want to improve.  Maybe it's the show.  I don't know if I have seen band members enjoy a show as much as they have this one.  At any rate, it is fun to watch them, to listen to them and to teach them every day.  This is a good band!

September 27

Good Day?  Noooooooo - GREAT DAY Star Fest is over but it will always remain as a great day for the band.  The efforts of the past weeks have been paying off for the members of the Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band.  The band is finally beginning to achieve the recognition that they deserve for performing at the level that they do.  My personal opinion - too many people forget that we are just a small school in a small town in Iowa.  I know that I seem to over-emphasis that point BUT it is one that cannot be overlooked.  We have established a tradition of outstanding performances with the Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band that seems to ignore size.  We have a large percentage of students in our program and we have students with large hearts that are willing to do the work to achieve excellence.  It is a pleasure to be associated with this band and these students. Congratulations to the band for taking 1st place in Class 3A.  Congratulations to Samantha List, Merideth Pennings and Sarah Achterhoff for winning the Best Field Conductor Award at Finals.  Congratulations to the entire band for winning 3rd Place overall at the evening finals.  It was a GREAT day. Thank you to the chaperones, trailer drivers, and bus drivers for all of you help. sjc

September 26, 2009

September 26, 2009 Hello: It's been a few years since I have done this - I guess that it has taken me that long to find a free web site design tool!  Yes, this means that I have become a "Dutchman".  I'm going to try to keep you up to date on the happenings of the band and my impressions of the things going on with the Pride of the Dutchmen. END TO END When Peter Connell started putting this year's show together back in January, I didn't really understand what concept he was trying to produce.  I was smart enough to let Pete, along with John Spellan and Paul Connell, run with it and let it develop.  WOW did it ever develop!  You get three creative minds together and great things can happen.  End to End has become MY favorite all time show.  It is fun to watch, it keeps you at the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next, and the band sounds AWESOME!!!!!! MARSHALL If you were at Marshall - good for you. If you did not get a chance to go there - well you might have missed the single most outstanding "first contest" performance in the history of the POD.  It was absoulutly breathtaking.  The audience loved the show, the judges loved the show, and kids from other bands loved the show.  Before the show Peter talked to the band about the tradition of the Pride of the Dutchmen.  He spoke of the hundreds of people who had represented the POD and how much they cared about the band.  He challenged the band with the idea that they must uphold and build upon the tradition that IS the Pride of the Dutchmen Marching Band.  I believe that this band has already gone beyond that level.  As Peter said to me as we were walking back to the buses, "It seems like we have been knocking on a door for the past four or five years and tonight the door finally opened."  I agree.  This band is one that you MUST see. SIOUX CITY This Saturday we travel to Sioux City.  The band has shown a great deal of improvement over the week.  I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas and feeling like it can't get here soon enough.  I cannot wait until the Pride of the Dutchmen put their uniforms on again and go "END TO END".  I hope to see and HEAR EVERYONE there on Saturday afternoon. SJC