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HS Band day being held at a Rutgers game.

DJ Spanky

DJ Spanky

The Lunatic is in my Head
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Jul 25, 2001
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This was just announced in the latest RU email.

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Great idea.

However........the game is Homecoming against Purdue. And the problem is that Rutgers alumni band members are invited back to sit with, march with and play with the Rutgers Marching Band. They don't want to be sharing this time with high school kids. I've already seen a bunch of blowback on this from band alumni. Definitely dropped the ball on this one.
 
Sparky will you be joining the Alumni band this year at homecoming?? Hope to see you there, love connecting with the alumni
 
I'm devastated auto-correct doesn't recognize me!

I will not be joining the alumni band on the field. I will try to swing by during the game, and will also try to swing by in the morning wherever practice is held. It's kind of tough with a noon game, as I have a tailgate to run up in the Blue Lot.
 
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DJ, When you get a chance,check your PM's on the other site. I can't send them on this one.
 
My thoughts on why this is the right game:

- it's the right game because a) it gives us time to promote b) it's not Ohio State or Michigan State c) it's not EMU or Morgan State...It's a B1G game!

- this is a GREAT way for band alumni to get involved with recruiting kids from the high school ranks

- it annoys Sparky :boom:
 
DJ Spanky said:
I'm devastated auto-correct doesn't recognize me!

I will not be joining the alumni band on the field. I will try to swing by during the game, and will also try to swing by in the morning wherever practice is held. It's kind of tough with a noon game, as I have a tailgate to run up in the Blue Lot.
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Spanky, are you running your tailgate this week, would like to stop by. If so, where, what kind of vehicle?
 
RUBand said:
Spanky, are you running your tailgate this week, would like to stop by. If so, where, what kind of vehicle?
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Yep. Vehicles? Ve don't need no stinkin' vehicles! Just look for the flags! (Oops, I need to post that thread. You'll see it in a bit!) We'll be cracking the first beer around noon.
 
DJ Spanky said:
It's also a GREAT way to piss off band alumni, which is all the feedback I've gotten from them so far.

Who's Spookie?
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But why? Why not just embrace it and make the most of it? Hands, across America....[banana]
 
They should just bring back the Home News Festival for HS bands.....or something similar in addition to showing the HS bands the game day atmosphere.

But Spanky is right - after the band alumni have been slighted in the past by Tim Smith it would have made sense for the new director to focus homecoming on the alumni band. It's the one time that some alumni band members make it back at all for a game. The key here is providing the feedback to Todd Nichols and seeing is he (unlike Tim) looks for a solution for next year.
 
AreYouNUTS said:
But why? Why not just embrace it and make the most of it? Hands, across America....[banana]
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Yeah, really. The band alumni sound like a bunch of entitled brats.

Is there a group, any group, that DOESN'T get pissed off by something??
 
Considering we are trying to expand our band size, wouldn't prospective members meeting alumni, hearing the great stories, seeing how you make long term friends, and seeing how you are still attached to the program help our cause? I know what wouldn't help... bitter alumni. I think the alumni need to think about what is best for the program, not them.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Metropolitans3 said:
Considering we are trying to expand our band size, wouldn't prospective members meeting alumni, hearing the great stories, seeing how you make long term friends, and seeing how you are still attached to the program help our cause? I know what wouldn't help... bitter alumni. I think the alumni need to think about what is best for the program, not them.

Just my 2 cents.
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This is what I was thinking Make the best of out it, right? Haven't the band guys been saying, for years now, "we need a high school band day"? Okay, it's Homecoming and we need to mend fences with the alumni, I both AGREE with and GET this, I really do, but this doesn't have to be a "negative" event, IMHO, that's all.
 
Metropolitans3 said:
Considering we are trying to expand our band size, wouldn't prospective members meeting alumni, hearing the great stories, seeing how you make long term friends, and seeing how you are still attached to the program help our cause?
Click to expand...
Okay. Yeah. Great. We'll tell this to all the alumni who were turned off to the band over the last 16 years due to Tim Smith. "Hey, c'mon back to Homecoming for the first time with the new director and, oh, by the way you get to share it with a bunch of high school students." I'm sure they'll be falling all over themselves to get there. We're gonna have to rent another stadium to fit all of them. My god, this is brilliant. BRILLIANT I tell ya!
Metropolitans3 said:
I know what wouldn't help... bitter alumni.
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You already have those. In droves. What we're trying to do is mitigate the circumstances and give them a reason to come back in the first place.
Metropolitans3 said:
I think the alumni need to think about what is best for the program, not them.
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Yeah, good luck with that.
 
Jim_from_RU said:
Yeah, really. The band alumni sound like a bunch of entitled brats.

Is there a group, any group, that DOESN'T get pissed off by something??
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Wrong! everyone here understands the tradition and purpose of homecoming. You don't have another unrelated event at the same time
 
RUBand said:
Wrong! everyone here understands the tradition and purpose of homecoming. You don't have another unrelated event at the same time
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Exactly! Particularly when time is short before the game because it's a noon start.
RUBand said:
Spanky, are you running your tailgate this week, would like to stop by. If so, where, what kind of vehicle?
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Hey, sent you a PM.
 
I can see both sides to this.

But since it seems like it is going to happen now why not make the best of it and tell the kids who do show up how much fun you guys had and show/tell them some of you're traditions...

Does the Band still sing the Alma Mater when crossing back into NJ (or the Raritan - forget which) from away games?

I was on the bus coming back from the Palestra after beating Temple to set up the A10 Championship game against Penn State and at some point that is what happened. No sound and then the bus began to sing. Very cool moment (for me anyway) to be part of.

Share that.
 
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The focus right now is building the band's numbers, and quickly. Bringing in HS band kids for Homecoming seems like it might be a good way to engage them and get them to sign up as freshmen.
 
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Had lunch with another band alumni today: when I mentioned this the first reaction I got from him was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He's someone who has been around to a lot of other universities as an instructor and with drum corp, and he said every where he's been for Homecoming it is always focused on the alumni.
HeavenUniv. said:
DJ,
Do you still want them? If so, I will drop them off at your tailgate.
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No, I'm not gonna need them, Corey ended up not inviting his friends. Thanks anyway!
 
DJ Spanky said:
Had lunch with another band alumni today: when I mentioned this the first reaction I got from him was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. He's someone who has been around to a lot of other universities as an instructor and with drum corp, and he said every where he's been for Homecoming it is always focused on the alumni.

No, I'm not gonna need them, Corey ended up not inviting his friends. Thanks anyway!
Click to expand...

Band Alumni have every right to be upset by this. Asking alums to share the field with high school band kids is a slap in the face to all of them and a big mistake by the director of bands at Mason Gross, and the new marching band director. But, this is what you get when you have two career high school band directors trying to run a Big Ten band program. Sad...
 
RUnewjersey said:
Band Alumni have every right to be upset by this. Asking alums to share the field with high school band kids is a slap in the face to all of them and a big mistake by the director of bands at Mason Gross, and the new marching band director. But, this is what you get when you have two career high school band directors trying to run a Big Ten band program. Sad...
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it's 1 freakin' game guys, com'on, it's not the end of the world. Express your feelings to him - without being jerks about it, and make sure it doesn't happen in the future, that's all. In the meantime, yeah, make the best of an understandably unfortunate scenario - for you guys - and enjoy the day!

Okay that's it I give up LOL! [cheers]

p.s.. -remember, I'm on your side and have been since about Year 5 of the Smith era, so I get "some" of the frustration!
 
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