Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Chins Up, Rancho Bernardo
The following is a copy of an email I sent to all the current members of the Royal Regiment whose emails I had. It is simply my opinions on the controversy that has surrounded the Rancho Bernardo band this year, and I hope it helps some of you to feel a little better about things.
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Hello all,
I’ve been keeping up with all the controversy between the Royal Regiment and members of other bands mostly through Jenna’s blog. I’m quite upset by everything that seems to be happening this year. Maybe I was just ignorant to all of it during my four years in high school; regardless, there does seem to be a greater degree of animosity toward you guys then I’ve ever heard of before. So I’m writing this to you all to give you my two cents on the whole situation.
First, I’d like to say that you guys deserve every award that you win. You earn each and every one of them. People can claim that you put no effort at all into learning your show, but these claims are baseless. These people are angry that their bands don’t win, and they feel the need to justify their losses by bringing you down with them. (Mind you, I’m not saying that everyone does this. In fact, most people don’t. It’s just easier to notice the people who do because they’re the ones making the big fuss.) The Royal Regiment is one of the hardest-working bands in existence, and all the recognition it has received is certainly deserved. I’m sure at times that it feels as though you fail miserably and yet you still win everything, and I know this is disconcerting. But when you guys think you’re “failing” it is only because you’re not meeting the exceptionally high standards that Rancho Bernardo maintains. It’s hard to realize this because you’re all so used to working your tails off every year. But take it from me, few bands work harder than you guys do. I’m a member of a university-level marching band (and wind orchestra, for that matter), and the work ethic here cannot even be compared to that at RB. The Royal Regiment is a uniquely superb organization.
Secondly, I’d like to address the issue of other bands’ shows being more “crowd-pleasing” than yours. It may very well be true that other bands cater to the crowds more than RB does. But SCSBOA judges don’t judge that. They judge how well a band executes their show, both musically and visually. Exactly what they judge by is clearly spelled out at every tournament. So if you all perform a “less entertaining” but cleaner show and win a tournament, then you can hardly be blamed. For those who might claim that the awards should go to the bands that the audience enjoys more, then the fact that the judges didn’t pick them to win sweepstakes shouldn’t bother them in the slightest. If it’s true that the audience enjoyed their show more than they did Rancho Bernardo’s, then that should be reward enough for them. Criticizing RB for winning everything is completely uncalled for. You, the members of the Royal Regiment, have no real say in what show you will perform. If it is true that you cater to the judges more than the audience, then you all can hardly be blamed for it.
Finally, I want to tell you all that I hope all of the negativity floating about isn’t getting to you. When you’re at the top, others will try to tear you down. It’s inevitable. So I hope all of you can put all of this aside and continue to perform at the level the Royal Regiment expects of you. Do it because you love it, not because you want to spite others or because you want the judges to award you some shiny plastic. Let me just for a second recall the 2001 show, known affectionately as “the golden year.” You seniors out there remember the single greatest moment of that entire season. It wasn’t when the judges announced that we had swept every caption at Arcadia. Instead, it was after we had marched off of the field at Citrus College, and we knew that that was the best show Rancho Bernardo had ever performed. Period. We marched back to the trailer, and when Mr. Cox asked how we thought it went, there was nothing but shouts of pure joy and excitement. We didn’t know whether or not the judges liked our show, and we didn’t know how any of the other bands had performed. Frankly, we didn’t care. We knew we had raised the bar. We had surpassed our own standards. We all loved the show that we marched that year, and we knew we had done it justice. You all can accomplish the same thing this year – or any year – regardless of how other bands surpass you or try to tear you down. What matters is how you all feel about your show.
People in the Royal Regiment are there because they have a passion for music. My hope for you all is that you can find some way to love what you’re doing as much as I loved what I did during my four years as an RB trumpeter. If you do, then no one can touch you. Because when you march for the sake of marching, other bands and judges’ scores just don’t matter. Quite simply, just have fun. For many of you, this is your last season with the Royal Regiment, and I’d hate to think that you wasted it worrying about what other bands think of you.
All right, I’m done preaching now. I hope this message helps at least a couple of you get past all of the things that have been said about the Royal Regiment this year. Feel free to pass my message along to those whose email addresses I don’t have.
Forever a member in spirit of the Royal Regiment,
Josh Parker
-----------------------
Hello all,
I’ve been keeping up with all the controversy between the Royal Regiment and members of other bands mostly through Jenna’s blog. I’m quite upset by everything that seems to be happening this year. Maybe I was just ignorant to all of it during my four years in high school; regardless, there does seem to be a greater degree of animosity toward you guys then I’ve ever heard of before. So I’m writing this to you all to give you my two cents on the whole situation.
First, I’d like to say that you guys deserve every award that you win. You earn each and every one of them. People can claim that you put no effort at all into learning your show, but these claims are baseless. These people are angry that their bands don’t win, and they feel the need to justify their losses by bringing you down with them. (Mind you, I’m not saying that everyone does this. In fact, most people don’t. It’s just easier to notice the people who do because they’re the ones making the big fuss.) The Royal Regiment is one of the hardest-working bands in existence, and all the recognition it has received is certainly deserved. I’m sure at times that it feels as though you fail miserably and yet you still win everything, and I know this is disconcerting. But when you guys think you’re “failing” it is only because you’re not meeting the exceptionally high standards that Rancho Bernardo maintains. It’s hard to realize this because you’re all so used to working your tails off every year. But take it from me, few bands work harder than you guys do. I’m a member of a university-level marching band (and wind orchestra, for that matter), and the work ethic here cannot even be compared to that at RB. The Royal Regiment is a uniquely superb organization.
Secondly, I’d like to address the issue of other bands’ shows being more “crowd-pleasing” than yours. It may very well be true that other bands cater to the crowds more than RB does. But SCSBOA judges don’t judge that. They judge how well a band executes their show, both musically and visually. Exactly what they judge by is clearly spelled out at every tournament. So if you all perform a “less entertaining” but cleaner show and win a tournament, then you can hardly be blamed. For those who might claim that the awards should go to the bands that the audience enjoys more, then the fact that the judges didn’t pick them to win sweepstakes shouldn’t bother them in the slightest. If it’s true that the audience enjoyed their show more than they did Rancho Bernardo’s, then that should be reward enough for them. Criticizing RB for winning everything is completely uncalled for. You, the members of the Royal Regiment, have no real say in what show you will perform. If it is true that you cater to the judges more than the audience, then you all can hardly be blamed for it.
Finally, I want to tell you all that I hope all of the negativity floating about isn’t getting to you. When you’re at the top, others will try to tear you down. It’s inevitable. So I hope all of you can put all of this aside and continue to perform at the level the Royal Regiment expects of you. Do it because you love it, not because you want to spite others or because you want the judges to award you some shiny plastic. Let me just for a second recall the 2001 show, known affectionately as “the golden year.” You seniors out there remember the single greatest moment of that entire season. It wasn’t when the judges announced that we had swept every caption at Arcadia. Instead, it was after we had marched off of the field at Citrus College, and we knew that that was the best show Rancho Bernardo had ever performed. Period. We marched back to the trailer, and when Mr. Cox asked how we thought it went, there was nothing but shouts of pure joy and excitement. We didn’t know whether or not the judges liked our show, and we didn’t know how any of the other bands had performed. Frankly, we didn’t care. We knew we had raised the bar. We had surpassed our own standards. We all loved the show that we marched that year, and we knew we had done it justice. You all can accomplish the same thing this year – or any year – regardless of how other bands surpass you or try to tear you down. What matters is how you all feel about your show.
People in the Royal Regiment are there because they have a passion for music. My hope for you all is that you can find some way to love what you’re doing as much as I loved what I did during my four years as an RB trumpeter. If you do, then no one can touch you. Because when you march for the sake of marching, other bands and judges’ scores just don’t matter. Quite simply, just have fun. For many of you, this is your last season with the Royal Regiment, and I’d hate to think that you wasted it worrying about what other bands think of you.
All right, I’m done preaching now. I hope this message helps at least a couple of you get past all of the things that have been said about the Royal Regiment this year. Feel free to pass my message along to those whose email addresses I don’t have.
Forever a member in spirit of the Royal Regiment,
Josh Parker
