Saturday I had the privilege of being the Band Director for the Day. I was not real certain what it would entail, but when I talked with Frank Tracz, the "band man," he told me where to meet him, and so I did as I was told.
Now I have known several music men in my time, and most of them have been energetic, charismatic people. They must have learned from Frank.
When we met, it was as if we had been friends for years. He was funny, friendly, and definitely passionate about his band. As I watched him work, I marveled at the relationships he had with his students. The respect they had for him was obvious . . . but so was the respect he had for them.
I learned a lot about marching band today. That will be in a future blog. But as in any organization, the leader sets the tone. After meeting Dr. Tracz, I now know that our band is:
1. High energy
2. Friendly
3. Disciplined
4. Respectful
5. High caliber
6. Dedicated
7. Funny
8. A little crazy at times
Over the past 21 years, I have noticed a great improvement in our band. They have graduated from doing the "World Famous K-State Spin" (which might be kind of fun to do sometime as a retro look), to complicated shapes and words. They tackle difficult music, their numbers are large (over 400), and they even sing. And despite a grueling schedule, they still smile.
Frank says he is so lucky . . . this is what he gets to do for a job. He says it isn't work because he loves it so much. After experiencing the band for a day, I can say that KSU is inordinately lucky to have him in charge of our band program, and I am privileged to have gotten to watch him "up close in action!"
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