Author Archives: Carmel Bands

2010 Band at BOA

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Carmel places 5th at the 2010 BOA National Competition

Carmel places 5th at the 2010 BOA National Competition

Stop and Smell the Roses.

Who can decide what it really means to this band, this community, this time?

Talk to the judges… at Lucas Oil Stadium and they will tell you that, every year, the drills become more intricate and the music more complex; the standards and the expectations rise; and that for the Marching Greyhounds to have remained in the top tier of all high school bands, show after show, year after year, for 15 years is simply an amazing achievement.

Talk to the directors, the instructors, the staff… and they will talk of a season that began with hope and ended with pride.  They will tell you of the joy of watching young people learn to trust one another even as they come to believe more in themselves.  They will assure you that what comes out of these instruments is far less important than what has gone in to the young people playing them.  And that there’s no job anywhere that’s more challenging — and rewarding — than the one they’re so fortunate to have.

Talk to the band members… and they’ll talk of the complexity of learning to play Rachmaninoff and Bach and Debussy and Saucedo, of the endless repetitions it takes to learn new drills.  But, they’ll talk also of new friendships and fun, of the satisfaction that comes with success and the new understanding that comes from failure, of counting steps and memorizing notes, of the discipline it takes to stay focused on the task at hand.  And they’ll tell you that what they’ve gained from this experience will last their lifetime.

But talk to the parents… and they will tell you a story that began long ago, a story of tiny hands that once could barely wrap around their fingers but now hold a drumstick or a baton…of wondering whether all that instrumental noise would ever turn into real harmony…of watching tousled hair eventually become combed, of toothless grins that took forever to fill in, of tiny babies who grew, almost overnight, to become those same mature young men and women who took the field so confidently with the Carmel High Marching Greyhounds.

And they will tell you what it feels like when chills run up your spine, when there are tears in your eyes and a lump in your throat and just so much pride in your heart.  And they will say what everyone else will find right and true:  Prudence, Temperance, Fortitude and Justice are not just movements in a program.  The Carmel High School Marching Greyhounds are not just a band.  Stop and Smell the Roses is not just a theme for a season.

This band, this community, this program will remain forever indelible to our lives.

Congratulations to the Carmel Marching Greyhounds for an amazing journey into the finals Saturday evening placing fifth in the nation for the 2010 Bands of America Grand National Championships!
-Doug Pileri

2010 Marching Band Rehearsal

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A most important accessory....

Friends;

A dot book is a small notebook utilized by marching bands in order to aid the learning of formations on a field. The dot book was invented by Frank Troyka, a prominent high school band director. The name is derived from the use of dots on drill sheets which symbolize players on the field: a dot book focuses on the owner’s particular dots and other marchers the player may have to guide (use to determine an adjusted location).

As I discovered, Dot Books are also a form of art, fashion, and individualization. These kids are very creative and after all one must own a dot book that represents one’s personality. If you ever want to have a fun day — go out and look for dot books.
I did. 🙂

-Doug Pileri, 2008

2010 Nationals

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Marching 2010

Once upon a time, I used to live in Paris. There I had the privilege to meet the famous French photographer Robert Doisneau at an exhibit of his work. His most famous photograph, Kiss by the Hotel de Ville, is a good representation of his photography style. I asked him what he saw in a photograph and his answer surprised me. He said: “Je ne vois pas de photo. Je vois des moments!”, or in English: “I do not see photos — I see moments!”

That’s what I see when I look at the ‘Carmel Marching Greyhounds’:  moments of determination and fun, moments of concentration and sharing, of coaching and learning, of listening and playing, of competing and reflecting, or winning and losing — and starting all over again.  Moments of amazing young men and women and their supportive parents and dedicated directors and coaches and staff — all working together to create magical moments that are such a special part of the growing-up years.

And so, my goal is to aim my camera at those moments, to freeze those experiences, and to put them in a little ‘memory box’ called this blog, where you can take them out, look them over, and enjoy them for the first time — or all over again.

Doug Pileri

2011 Winter Guard

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The Carmel High School Winter Guard runs the table, taking the WGI World Championship in Dayton. The Guard builds on it’s excellence….winning the Mid-South Color Guard Regional in Nashville, TN last weekend and State prior to that!  The Guard’s scoring in the finals was very impressive. It was a beatiful show.  Missed the show?  Check out the video of the Guard at the WGI competition: Carmel WGI Video

1. Carmel 97.1
2. James Logan (CA) 95.45
3. Flanagan (FL) 93.9
4. Avon (IN) 92.45

Why do we have a parade for the 4th of July?

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July 5th, 2010

Friends;

This morning, our youngest, Nicole, asked:  “Why do we have a parade for the 4th of July? I mean, I know we want to celebrate independence, but why a parade?” 

I answered her question with one of my own, a much more personal one:  “And what will the Carmel Marching Greyhounds bring to today’s event?”

The answer to both questions – Nicole’s and mine – may be summarized in one word:  ‘Spirit’.  There is something about a parade – something in the smiles of our veterans and in the cheers of the crowd…something in the wide eyes of the scouts and the energy of the gymnasts…something in the waves of the politicians and the pride of those driving classic cars…something in the diversity of all that that captures the spirit of our great and independent nation in a way that nothing else can.

And anchoring that spirit – and giving it the character and the promise and the enthusiasm of youth — were the Carmel Marching Greyhounds.  The first year members brought nervous excitement to this, their public debut.  The drum majors showed pride and nobility; the guard offered confidence and grace; the upperclassman demonstrated leadership.   As for the directors and staff, they brought sunscreen and patience; and the parents brought the essentials – the kids, a few chairs, enough water, and never enough money.

It was all so Norman Rockwell-like, so like his paintings that always seemed to capture those special moments in life that bring us together with a sense of family and community; moments when we seem to share common hopes and dreams; moments like those the members of the Carmel Marching Greyhounds helped to set to music.

Nicole has been asking a lot of good questions lately.  Some are best answered in pictures.

Best; Doug Pileri

And So We Begin

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In this summer’s ‘The Karate Kid’, a young man named Dre (Jaden Smith) leaves Detroit and all of his friends when his widowed mother’s job takes them to China. Alone in a strange land, he’ll find a coach, a teacher, and a friend in Mr Han (Jackie Chan) who will teach him the power, the discipline, and the skill of kung fu and, will, in the end, show him what it means to be a champion. The days will be long, the repetition will be endless, but the results will change his life, his friendships, and his future.

While some will see this as a martial arts action movie, it is much more than that. This is a story about the power of a great teacher, about the growing dedication of a young student; it’s a lesson about the value of repeating actions until they become ingrained, about being willing to struggle and stumble and get up again, about setting goals and learning to be unwilling to settle for less.

In many ways, the season that’s about to begin for the Carmel Marching Greyhounds is about many of the same lessons, the same values. And just as young Dre in ‘The Karate Kid’ has a teacher who makes all the difference – so do our student musicians and dancers. For the next several months, they will be under the guidance of those who are world-class at music composition and marching choreography, at brass arranging and percussion instruction, at visual design, guard and everything that has to do with putting a championship unit on the field.

They will teach their artistry and their crafts to our sons and daughters, but under the care of these gifted instructors, our young students will learn much more. They will learn what it means to become a team, to depend on each other, to find the stamina and the courage and the conviction to keep on keeping on when others would give up. But there also will be fun and new friendships along the way because these instructors know that life requires a sense of balance; there is time to work and there is time to stop and smell the roses.

And so they – and we – are about to embark on another great and grand adventure – a journey of music and marching and motion, of excitement and amazement of what these young women and men can accomplish under the unselfish and uncommon dedication of our staff of professionals.

These are the instructors, the staff, the coaches — and the foundation — for the journey ahead. Our sons and daughters may be the ones standing in the spotlight, but it’s the dedication, the talent, the skill, the experience – and the caring – of these men and women who will make all the difference.

And so we begin…