The Communication Station

Welcome back to the land of the living folks.

It's been a very interesting weekend in pipe bands.... I suppose it's always interesting, but this weekend is incredibly interesting.

The big news is the collapse of the City of Chicago pipe band. This band is one of the fastest rising stars in pipe bands these days and it is very disappointing to see it crumble.

According to the pipes/drums article there was an issue with lack of communication. I can appreciate that, it's hard to keep up with everything at once in the leadership roles and thus, communication can break down. It's too bad it ended this way. Waste of a great drum corp I'll say that much.

Where's the lesson? I suppose it can be found in the sit down, bottle of wine chat Wes and I had Saturday evening. Communication is everything in management. Communication between managers (Pipe majors, sergeants and lead drummers), communication to band members, and communication of vision.

I feel as important as the first two are, the communication of vision is the absolute most important. Having your vision, and sticking to it, helps people know where they stand. Whether it's existing members, or joining members your vision helps them know if they want to be part of your band. Without a direction, nobody knows whether they're coming or going.

So Wes and I took the collapse of Chicago to heart. This is a band much like ours, grown quickly, and unstable. We also have communication problems on both sides of the fence. So we have to make a strong effort to bring it back to where we were successful. Trust our instincts again, and create a vision for the band.

For my part I have to help Wes with the management of the band. I also need to lead my drum corp with confidence. I have these awesome guys in the band that have strong personalities and they need to be managed as much as the drum sound or the music. I need to help everyone achieve their best.

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This weekend also sent a breath of life into my pod cast idea. I was contacted by Donald A. Morrison's daughter who coordinated with myself and Mr. Morrison and I am pleased to announce that my first podcast interview will be with Pipe Major Donald A. Morrison in the next few weeks.

If anyone has any stories or history to share with me regarding Mr. Morrison, or anything else for that matter, I sure would appreciate it.

Have a great day, spend a little time looking at how your band communicates within itself. There's always room for improvement.

I'm on a plane to Windsor tomorrow morning so who knows what I'll dream up for tomorrow!!


Cheers

Sean

My New Idea

Happy Friday. Let's all take a moment to reflect on our week, and thank the stars it's Friday.....

Good, now, yesterday I hinted at a new idea I've had kicking around and I think you'll like it. It ties in beautifully with some pretty awesome news.

I went on my facebook yesterday to find that PM Donald Morrison has received the Governor General's Award.

Here's the sad side of this, I know pretty much nothing about Mr. Morrison. I've spoken to him twice, once at Nate Mitchell's wedding, and the second at the PPBAM indoor contest last year when I was judging. I wore my shiny new Peel Police kilt and he picked that police tartan out from across the building and came for a chat. He was a really interesting fellow and I would like to learn more about him.

This ties in beautifully with my idea. I want to start a monthly (hopefully) podcast that I post for free, perhaps here. I don't have a working title for the podcast but the focus would be on interviewing interesting figures in the Prairie Pipe Band world. Not just Manitoba but across all three prairie provinces (I'm counting you out there Alberta so deal with it).

So here's the plan. I'd appreciate it if you could send me folks you'd like to know more about. Or you think others should know more about. Age doesn't matter. It could be Jordan Perillo, or Buz Brown. Send me whatever information you know about them to help me get going, then I will contact them and see if we can set up an interview.

There are a ton of great people with great stories out there and I think it would be valuable to start keeping some form of record of our history here in the prairies.

So email me at st_johnston@hotmail.com

We can get started.

For interviews far away I'll have to develop some form of phone based interview or when either party travels.

I will also research certain topics if folks would like. I.E. past pipe bands or great events. So fire away.


Happy Friday everybody and enjoy your weekend.

Cheers


Sean

Education by Evaluation... and Some Estimation

Good morning yet again.


I know this seems odd that I'm suddenly writing a blog everyday, but I'm finding it very therapeutic and my wife says it's good for me.

That and my readership is pretty consistent so, just in case I ever have something truly important to say, I want to keep everyone reading.

Yesterday's post was a downer, I appreciate all the comments of support. I have pretty thick skin after all these years I just thought it was worth pointing out that no matter what you do somebody is going to poo poo it.

I'm very thankful for the support from the Transcona parents organization. They were upfront with me from the get go and they didn't want to keep all this junk from me. So points to them!!!

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Now, today's post is about something near and dear to.... not too many of us. I want to harp a bit on the most delicate instrument we know. I want to discuss the ins and outs of the one instrument we all ignore... until it's gone.

The mighty bass drum.

The smartest thing I've learned to date about bass comes from Dave Chorney. Dave is my go to guy for all things midsection, and most things drumming. Also he's a chili making fiend so hit him up for some recipes.

"Bass should be felt, not heard"

That doesn't mean bury it. But it means that it shouldn't distract from the band, just be an integral part. Imagine, if you will, suddenly cutting out all the drones in a band in the middle of an MSR. The result would be equivalent to just dropping the bass. You don't focus on the drones, but man do you miss them when they're gone.

I've been blessed to work with some of the very best bass drummers. Brian Hoel, Chris Brown, Dave Chorney, Rob Fulton, and now Cali DeMeyer. How I've been this lucky I don't know. Your bass drummer has to be the most committed member of the band, if they miss a gig you're hooped, you don't have two and a fill in never cuts it.

I've been listening to a lot of competition recordings and trying to map out different styles of bass drum writing. I feel like there are too many styles to choose from. I want to add a more creative layer to our band by utilizing our very talented bass drummer to create some excitement.

For a listening exercise, if you have them, pull out the World's 2011. Check out the following bands: SFU, SLOT, Scottish Power, and Shotts. Close your eyes, crank your speakers and listen only to the bass drumming.

It's high time we started to appreciate this art form. As lead drummers, and pipe majors, we need to hear this and understand it. As band members we need to know what we're listening for, it will help anchor even the shakiest rhythm piper or snare.

When you see your bass drummer, give them a pat on the back. They're the only real soloist in the band and they do it all for very little praise.

Tomorrow we'll chat about a cool idea I'm dreaming up here sitting in my office.

Cheers

Sean

The Monkey in the Middle

Can you believe I've blogged two days in a row!?!?!


I wanted to speak briefly about my new role with the Transcona & District Pipe Band. Only to clarify a few facts and hopefully shut some foolish people up.

A few months back I got a phone call from my mother telling me that Dave Stewart had called her looking for me to call him. So I did. That's where this all started.

Dave let me know that they had been searching for a replacement for their drumming instructor Ian Aastrom who had to vacate the post due to work, and other life commitments. He asked me for advice. He had exhausted all resources and knowing how busy I was wanted to know if any of my guys would donate their time or work something out with them.

I told him I would find a solution to keep Transcona operating. That's all. After speaking with a couple guys, and my wife at great length, I decided that the opportunity to work with Ryan, and become another part of Transcona's storied history was very very important to me.

I called Dave and spoke with him about the possibility of changing band nights (they practice Tuesdays) so I could help out. I live 3 blocks from where they practice, and it seems like a great fit.

This did up my involvement significantly. I am now directly involved in the writing and instruction of 3 juvenile drum corps in the prairies. Two River's, 96th Highlanders, and now Transcona. This is all piled in with my duties as Grade 2 lead drummer at Saspb.

I should stress, Dave and Transcona put the call out for months looking for a replacement before they called me. I didn't call them.

So imagine my surprise when I find out that, though there was some great pats on the back from many this Saturday at our first contest, there were also some people who felt it their duty to go to the parents of Transcona and describe me as a band jumper, a schemer, and that I was only looking to dissolve Transcona into St. Andrew's and destroy their band and their history.

I'd like anyone who reads this to think of anyone who might say these things, then go find them, and set them straight. There's a monkey in the middle of this and I would appreciate them flinging their crap at themselves.

I have suggested to Two River's that they amalgamate with Transcona. We have a great group of kids, good instructors, and a good thing going, but we're struggling to recruit as well and it would serve the community to have a stronger Transcona Pipe Band. They have taken it under advisement and nothing will be discussed until the new season. At no point do I care to dissolve Transcona, destroy the history I'm so invested in, or hurt this band in anyway.

I answered a call no one else would.

I would appreciate anyone having a problem with that speaking to me personally.

I've spoken at length as to why I was involved in starting Two River's. When I did that no one believed I was capable of teaching, but I had a lot to offer and I wanted to teach. That's it. Nothing malicious. So get over it.

I've adopted a very positive attitude this season towards the pipe band community and I refuse to let the back door smack talking of certain individuals harm my positive attitude. I'm only asking those that know me to stand up for me, you know who I am, and what I'm about. I want to have a million snare drummers running around this province and I don't care what kilt they have on.


Cheers

Sean

New Scores for a New Band

Good morning folks,


It's been a busy two days full of score writing for Transcona. I've spent the past few days going over all my old music deciding where my style has come from and trying to get back there.

I remembered back when Bob Cooper was instructing Transcona we used to have these set scores for parade music, so into the binders I went looking.

This caused me to pause.

These scores are tough!!!!

Groovy little numbers that would be at home in a grade 4 competition circle. Have we watered down pipe band beginner standards that much? It occurred to me that young guns like myself (when I was 14) and others like Dave Bowman, Colin Pollock, etc. who showed quick progress were still on pads for awhile before we could play this stuff. Nowadays kids are pushed onto the drum quickly to appease anxious parents and kids with attention spans equivalent to say.. the common fruit fly (this is an inside the Two Rivers corp joke you're now all in on).

Don't get me wrong, kids these days have a great ability to retain information. I love my students they're all pretty cool kids. But teaching has changed quite a bit. Getting the information to them is different, not harder, just different.

I should describe my parenting experience with Jake. We signed him up for soccer when he was 5. He was given a uniform the first day, told he wasn't allowed to touch the ball with his hands, and pointed in the direction of the opposing teams goal. That was his education and he was playing.

Angie took pictures, grandparents came, it was a big deal! All in one day....

Now let's look at new drum pad students. First day, you are sat down, hopefully you have sticks and a pad that you didn't get from the local music store but a highland supply place. You are shown the basics of grip and if you can handle that you are sent home with single strokes on a page to practice.

This lasts for about two weeks then you are given a beginner roll sheet, maybe paradiddles. It goes and goes. If you're excellent you might see a score in two months. Kilt and drum are a year away minimum.

This puts all the pressure on the instructor. It is up to us to make sitting at a table hitting a piece of rubber, and being nitpicked, fun enough to stick it out.

This is why my beginner scores are significantly easier, I can put more players on drums sooner. Flams, drags, long runs, these don't exist in my beginner scores. But it causes another problem, getting kids past the easy scores once they've achieved the goal of being "good enough to play drum".

With the new scores for Transcona I've cranked it up a notch. Ryan and I are looking to have two tiers of band again like Mr. Lawrence used to. Parade will be high level grade 5 from drumming perspective, and competition will be aimed at a decent grade 4 level.

Then I'll tap dance, video game reference, joke, make funny faces, voices or whatever it takes to keep the kids at the table long enough to learn the stuff.

Get out and teach somebody but remember, you're 60% entertainer these days, 20% mentor/role model, and 20% instructor.


Cheers

Sean

A Morning After Blog

Good morning everybody!


I hope everyone slept off whatever parties/festivities they took in last night after the Winnipeg Scottish Festival. I tried very hard to endure the day but my recent pains left me growing cranky as the evening began. Home I went and at some point I fell asleep in my chair with the Power Rangers blaring....


I usually use Sunday to reflect on the contest prior. I don't usually reflect via blog until a few days after to avoid either an over abundance of pride or a crippling amount of self-pity. Today I'm feeling a little more open and I thought I'd share.

First, the contest was run great. I can't say enough great things about the committee that has kept this games running. We all owe them, and all the volunteers that run all the games, a debt of gratitude.

Second to our kids. The Two Rivers Juvenile group. You should all be very proud of the hard work you put forward and the performance you gave. I know your instructors are proud, and certainly your parents.

I really enjoyed watching the games, but I've come to the conclusion I'm not ready to retire. As nice as it was to see it go by, I was quite pained watching the corps going in from the back. Cam Fidler took my place this weekend, and all the guys rallied around him and put in a good performance, but I missed playing.

We weren't nearly clean enough, this comes from being significantly behind the eight ball as it were. Music got chosen, written, and handed out late, and it's up to me to make sure we are better organized going forward. In the old days I could take my time, get things done cause I had time. Now, all of us boys in the corp have busy lives and we need lead time to prepare. Lesson learned.

I really enjoyed the City of Regina performances. I've always liked the tune selections and Rolly has a pretty rockin corp going, I'm really looking forward to some good contests in the next months and years coming.

Of course the big news in the emergence of the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band as a grade 3 competitive band. It was fantastic to see guys I played with many moons ago taking another run out there, their sound was fantastic and their music selection was clean and professional. Nate Mitchell has always been a good friend and I'm thrilled he got to lead the band in and give such polished performances.

I should speak to the obvious. I've often commented about pipe bands being families, and going into competition similar to battle. The bonds you make take years to dwindle. It was difficult to watch guys I am so close to compete with a different band. That's the honest truth. To know that from this point forward, we're us, and they're them.

While I find myself supportive, and pleased they found a place where they can make music and enjoy it, it still stings a bit. But that's life in the pipe band. It was only a matter of time before I experienced this side of it.

As I stated in a past blog post, I am adopting a supportive and community oriented approach to pipe bands. So sting or not, I am truly pleased for all the bands that played this weekend. This new approach has left me with a new fire, one that makes me want to compete and enjoy the spirit of musical competition against these great bands. It makes me want to go down and practice, write, and critique my corp so I can bring out the best in them.

It makes me want to be a better lead drummer.

Alas my injury will stem my drumming for a few weeks but I will do my homework and prepare. When the time is right, I will come back in better shape and rejuvenated. There is work to do, and I can't wait to get to it.

Congratulations everyone, enjoy the long weekend. Soak in your successes and lick your wounds. It won't be long before we do it again.



Cheers

Sean

A View From the Sidelines

Happy Scottish Festival, family day, Louis Riel Day, Valentine's Day... etc, etc.


I trust everyone finds themselves well this week. With the big first contest of the year staring at us this week always comes with some trepidation.

Yes for 2013 I got one of those nifty "word of the day" calendars.


Here's the St. Andrew's update as it is:


Two Rivers: In pretty good shape, still learning everyday, working hard. Lost the bass drummer a month ago and one of the snare students stepped into the role, very pleased with her progress. New pipers are fitting in well.

Grade 3: Apparently our dark horse for most improved. This doesn't surprise me at all with Dave leading the drum corp and Alex the pipes. They've been working hard and though they face some formidable opponents this weekend I hope they fare well.

Grade 2: Still struggling but the music has finally come together. The band will head to the circle this weekend with reduced numbers and a broken lead drummer watching from the sidelines but I am very happy with the hard work everyone has done.


Now, why won't I be playing Saturday?

After my last post I spent a great deal of time working on my own playing and committing to the over all community. I'm very honored to be the new drumming instructor at Transcona and District and I'm looking forward to making some progress with that gang.

Then about a week ago I got absolutely lit up driving home from work with my boss. At first a sore back and neck seemed normal but I have managed some spinal injury in my neck and now here I sit, basically useless from a drumming perspective.

Anyone who's played for me knows I rely heavily on all members of the corp to make things work, we work together. But as I've said before none more than Cam Fidler. Cam has been my backup since I took over and he will finally get a chance to take the corp in on Saturday. It's going to be awesome.



So that's the catchup. Please join me in cheering on all the bands this Saturday at the Winnipeg Convention Center. Keep a few extra claps reserved for Cam as he keeps the ship afloat this weekend.

Oh, and here's a seal laughing.... cause I like seals.

Sean