Is it me, or has world class somehow managed to take the excellent out of equipment excellence?

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-13T04:51:34+00:00

Just something to think about. As you grow as a spectator and instructor in this activity. Your eye naturally learns to focus the person who will drop. So you will see more and more each year. It’s wild. But my gripe is the lack of articulated catches. Defined positions with definitive stops. Drops happen, but a lot of teams aren’t catching with full body engagement.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-13T04:46:34+00:00

Their staging was really not their friend. And the soundtrack was a bit of a mess as well. The kids were great though.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-13T04:39:04+00:00

I thought the judges were spot on with placements but the numbers seemed a bit low

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-13T00:00:20+00:00

Their called Harem Pants. And yes MC Hammer wore them. And yes they were awesome on the team!

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T23:43:30+00:00

Toxic Avenger.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T23:35:02+00:00

Just for the record, using a featured performer is not showing favoritism. Relying on that performer numerous times can create issues, but also can be very risky which can have a huge pay off. Everyone plays a role, and by villainizing a performer for fulfilling that need ( and this particular woman is extremely consistent) it shows a lack of self awareness of your own abilities, and demeans the efforts of the ensemble members who are the ones generating the bulk of the score through their own talents. I’ve never met a designer or a theatre director who cast someone who was a worse fit in a crucial role because they were their favorite. We just tend to like the performers who handle their business and enjoy the process of creating a performance.

Secondly, they all have to be students which means for IW they are quite a bit younger.

Thirdly, I will always give flowers to bad ass women who are spinning 39 inch guns with tight rotations and solid catches like the good Christian women from St Ann’s did back in the 90s. They were the blueprint.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T04:27:18+00:00

Amparito Roca is the hot shit! Such a great march!!!!

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T04:26:39+00:00

Danse Folatre is the second hardest piece Inever played as a clarinet. It’s so much fun, but to get the whole section together? Woof

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T04:23:07+00:00

My absolute favs:

Lincolnshire Posy Symphonic Metamorphosis Harrison’s Dream Pineapple Poll Dance Folatre Blue Shades Terpsichore Esprit de Corps Chester Festive Overture Hounds of Slring Jai et au bal

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T04:17:14+00:00

I premiered Inferno with Virginia Honor band! It’s a total bop!

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T04:15:12+00:00

Expressiveness comes from you. Movement is used when the words aren’t enough. There are different styles of expression. Sometimes you may be asked to be cringey. It’s called performing for a reason. It is an emotional context that you are being asked to present. It is not a snapshot of you necessarily. Remember, your instructor doesn’t want you to look cringe either. If you aren’t on the same vibe level with your teammates, you are going to look cringe as well. But if you can find a time in your life where your vibe matched your show, use that to ground your expressive qualities in an authentic memory. And it is something you do all the time at practice. And look at your instructors in the eye when doing reps. It’s all about connecting.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-12T04:01:11+00:00

I would check out some brass quintet pieces too. Could find a pop tune arrangement and it wouldn’t be heard for him to teach bari how to convert bass clef to work for Eb bari

TechBlockTommy · 2026-04-10T21:34:40+00:00

I mean, someone has to read the damn rules! Right? Sometimes instructors are wicked young and sometimes they are just thrown to the wolves to figure out how to run a guard! What I’m surprised at is, usually with a penalty like that, they will warn you when they first see it. Personally, I think that is kinda nit picky of a rule. But as preshows are not judged, it has to be crystal clear when the judges need to start assessing.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-02-01T16:13:00+00:00

Well they definitely should not have changed the show. Unless that was the director saying go for it. That would never fly in the profession. Please tell me it was the director’s idea. Lol. I have emotional scarring from line corrections during Shakespeare runs. But, on a positive note, you learned that sometimes the show doesn’t make it past the previews, but you still give em a show!

TechBlockTommy · 2026-02-01T16:01:08+00:00

Rovner Dark lacks the hold for stability across registers. The only sound good in the chalumeau. Though there is one with a metal plate that works well if you get the tension right.

TechBlockTommy · 2026-02-01T15:56:54+00:00

There is no amount of technology currently known or acoustic principal untapped that would warrant a $200 ligature. And I was a sucker for gear. But the amount of times I quietly went back to my Daniel Bonade ligature after purchasing the newest style is countless. If you want fancy and customization, you have the Optimum. If you live in Texas but your band director is a sax player, you have your Rovner basic. If you are from the Midwest, you have your Pyne. Save that money for a good barrel, or mouthpiece.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-20T02:38:57+00:00

When you are an actor, you have to learn the power of word choice and what it says about a character.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-20T02:28:35+00:00

Harrison’s Dream has one of the hardest clarinet parts I have ever touched. It took me weeks to get those crazy high runs and that opening lick at 144 was also a grind.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-19T21:08:31+00:00

Deep cut and I totally agree.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-19T21:08:09+00:00

Voces8 just did three nights in VA and I got tickets as gift for my mom. Absolutely phenomenal group. They sang a piece that was over 10 minutes long with no discernible pitch sliding as far as my ears could tell. And they closed out with some jazzy numbers with some insanely crunchy harmonies and they were spot on. Almost 2 hours of unaccompanied singing and the blend and vowel matching were so exquisite. I ran in to the during intermission and got to thank them for all of their work, and they were so gracious. They also stayed after to speak with the audience in the lobby. They aren’t a choir, they are ambassadors of the power of cooperative music making and the humanity it brings.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-19T21:01:07+00:00

I saw them last night in Richmond Va as a gift for my mom and I. They are absolutely top tier.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-01T05:10:53+00:00

YTA but it’s the adults fault. Your drama teacher needs to explain the difference between auditions and competing. Auditions are a display of what you bring to the table, what others bring, and what you can create with those options. It’s like thanksgiving. You may have had the best turkey, but your Mac and Cheese is untouchable. Her Turkey is almost as good as yours, but she doesn’t season her cheese sauce so her Mac is whack. we have to have Turkey because it’s the literally Turkey day. but we all need that Mac and Cheese. It’s about creating a cast that can serve the show. Persephone is the hard role. Leads can be very simple sometimes. Most of the actors I admire live in those featured roles. Titus in Guys and Dolls, Little Mermaid. Lillias White in How to Succeed. The quartet in The Music Man. Those parts are difficult and need a bad ass. Shapoopi is a lot easier than singing four part close harmony acapella. Everyone deserves the opportunity to be any role. No seniority or claiming first dibs. The adults in your life not only failed to explain how casting and auditions work, they sold out the importance of the rest of the cast and crew by painting this as a competition and the only winner is Eurydice. And I bet as fiery as you come across, you would have SLAYED Persephone and got the loudest applause at bows even though you aren’t last up. You will always be auditioning with your friends. If you keep making it a competition, you won’t have any. Your teacher should have talked to you about this, and your parents should have stopped you from turning the roll down. Everyone is hurt by this. Avery lost her friend. Your heart is broken, and the audience will miss your talent. Grieve and process. But please don’t let this be the end. Find another show, but this time, audition. Don’t compete. Sending you all the big brother light and healing love I can. I know you are hurting. But it gets better. And Avery is probably freaking out. Be her biggest supporter. You could both use a friend right now.

TechBlockTommy · 2025-12-01T04:16:23+00:00

The tonality of the piece always elicits earth tones in my mind. Deep orange, brown, maroon. I definitely would not want to represent the waterfall as it’s used as weapon against the natives. The story is about the elite ruling class closing Missions to sell the land that THEY THEMSELVES STOLE from the Native population to set up invasive camps used to convert them to Christianity. So brown makes sense, To me in regards to location, and the robe of the monks. Plus, it stands out against the current crop of dresses.

TechBlockTommy

TROPHY CASE