Marching Greyhound Parents are a little…

By Pat Gerber

…….excitable. Let’s admit it. We LOVE to see our kids perform, and some of us are just incredibly creative when it comes to showing our excitement! How could we possibly start a performance without first hearing….Give me a C!!!! Our kids may say they are a little embarrassed by the public display of love, but really they anticipate it and are motivated by it. So, yes, we band and guard parents can get a little loud – but that is part of the whole experience and really a lot of fun! So join in!

…….clueless. Although I manage to keep a job, raise 3 kids, pay my bills, when it comes to understanding and knowing everything “band” I admit that I feel clueless much of the time! Inevitably a fellow parent will mention to me about a “form” that was due, money the kids need for yet another t-shirt, or possibly a sack lunch that is required for the long bus ride. I literally break into a cold sweat….did I know about this? Did my kid know about this? Is there still time for me to go to the ATM or make a PBJ sandwich? It is nearly impossible to keep it all in your head! Thank goodness the structure of the band encourages our kids to manage a lot of these pieces themselves. So, I must admit, with my band kid being a senior…I have decided to just revel in my cluelessness!

……competitive. And I don’t just mean when we are performing against some of our favorite rivals! Have you seen the spreads for the spirit bags lately? Have you seen some of the spirit bags themselves! If not, be sure to come to the next send off! Section Mom’s and Dad’s have brought in glass-top tables, candelabras, butlers, and catered meals to accompany the spirit bags the kids take on the bus! Parents who volunteer to create the spirit bags for their kid’s section have a whole new level of pressure! But the kids so enjoy anything the parents provide – so thank you to all who contribute – whether the treats are in a brown paper bag or served on a silver platter!

……incredible. As Mr. Kreke says, “The Marching Greyhounds could not even get out of the parking lot without the parents and their support.” What is wonderful about becoming involved with this activity as a parent is all of the really great people you meet! I have developed many friendships over the 8 years of my band tenure. It really is fun when you are helping the kids and having fun with other adults as well. So no matter how you get involved or are involved, know that you are valued. As I walked back to the buses with the kids after the Lafayette Jeff show, many of them walked up to parents (not their own) and asked for their opinion of the show, their help with something, or just to greet them. It is amazing that the kids feel so connected and comfortable with all band and guard parents.
So the next time you hear someone say….”Those Carmel Marching Greyhound parents are a little….”, just smile.

By Pat Gerber –

Recently, in a staff meeting at work, we were discussing the goal of achieving a unified system of services.  Although each staff member brought an expertise to the table, the idea was to work in concert with one another to provide services that ebbed and flowed with the needs of the system.  One colleague, as a means of analogy, referenced a collective group of beings from Star Trek called the The Borg.   Now, I am not a “Trekky” nor do I know much about this particular group of “beings”.  What I did learn from this colleague, though, is that this is a collection of drones with the mission of acting as a “hive” and their goal is to achieve perfection. They work to all think with their “hive mind” to make decisions knowing that they impact the hive as a whole.  Unfortunately, The Borg, used their organization and effort towards domination for evil deeds.

Although, hopefully, our children are not out for evil as they contribute their own expertise to the band there are many similarities to The Borg from this fictional series.  Each band and guard member quickly learns that his/her decisions and movements impact the overall visual impact, the sound, and the unity of the performance.  As the band strives to achieve perfection, it may require many repetitions of the same movement even though any number of individuals has already mastered their parts.  Even if certain instrumentalists have been given solos during the performance, the quality of that component of the show is impacted by the whole band both before and after the solo.

So as our band strives for perfection and aims to think as “one” during their performances, let’s remember how it really is a group effort.  It is about individuals bringing talents to a group and striving for perfection for the good of the whole.  If any group of “beings” can do it, the Marching Greyhounds can!