How is the marching band season going? Hopefully everyone is hanging in there. This season has felt like a long one. We are also in the last month now, or month and a week if you are going to Grand Nationals. This is where we all, staff and students, start to experience a little burnout, a little "over it"-ness, and sometimes a little apathy. When I start to experience these feelings, I have to ask myself if I have gotten everything I want out of the season. Yes! You

For a lot of us, this is where we stop learning music. However, this isn't even the entry level of the music. "What do you mean Ryan? I have the right notes, right rhythms, and the right tempo... what else is there?"

So why are we talking about standards right now? Because we are about to start band camp and this is where we can really set the standards for the entire season. Setting standards early is so very important because it really sets the tone for the entire season. You get to decide what is acceptable now and reinforce it during the most contact hours you will have.

Welcome to the other side of snowpocalypse 2026! We got roughly 12-14 inches here in Cincinnati (some areas even more) and are getting ready for snow day number 2 tomorrow. Since temperatures will be below freezing (and the feels like in the negative) the rest of week, we may end up with a few more snow days. While it is important to go play in the snow, build a snowman, drink hot chocolate, doomscroll, and everything this we do now-a-days, it is also important to practice

Anyways, I just finished a book but I am going to call this my last review of 2025 since I read most of the book in '25.

Don't forget that summer is also when you have the most time to make an investment in your playing and fundamentals.