Stand Ready Poem by Laura Barney
Stand Ready by Laura Barney
Summer brings sunlit days
Early mornings
And late nights
Rest is not an option
Work is our Choice
We watch the Dawn
We Welcome the Dusk
Late Summer Comes,
Harder work begins
For a week we say goodbye to our family,
Normal life,
And Rest.
Minute upon Minute
Hour upon Hour
The unforgiving sun
Beats down on our backs
But we are happy
Deep inside
Working, working, working.
Early Fall begins, our work pays off
Late bus rides to far and near places
The Field is our battleground.
We stand and focus,
Move and play
Wave our Flags and wield our weapons
Our Instruments singing to the stadium lights
And the Judges, seated high.
After Our performance, we stand at attention
Red, Black, and White soldiers
A silent army.
The Announcer speaks, the tension grows.
Silence overcomes the field
Except for our beating hearts we make no move
Even our breath has stopped.
The winner announced but still we stay frozen, our breath restarted
We watch and wait for our leaders
Adrenaline back, racing and pounding through our head
Mind
And Soul.
Our Leaders return, holding their heads high
Arm and Arm, Trophies in hand, and still we say nothing.
At Ease! The call breaks out
The spell of our silence is broken.
Yells and whoops and screams of triumph
We clasp the hands and hug the other bands
Congratulating and complementing their hard work.
On the late bus ride home, who could be sleeping?
Again and Again we ride those buses
Again and Again the strained then powered silence.
Until the season is over, our hard work done,
We now wait with our memories
For the Marching Band Season to start again.
Summer brings sunlit days
Early mornings
And late nights
Rest is not an option
Work is our Choice
We watch the Dawn
We Welcome the Dusk
Late Summer Comes,
Harder work begins
For a week we say goodbye to our family,
Normal life,
And Rest.
Minute upon Minute
Hour upon Hour
The unforgiving sun
Beats down on our backs
But we are happy
Deep inside
Working, working, working.
Early Fall begins, our work pays off
Late bus rides to far and near places
The Field is our battleground.
We stand and focus,
Move and play
Wave our Flags and wield our weapons
Our Instruments singing to the stadium lights
And the Judges, seated high.
After Our performance, we stand at attention
Red, Black, and White soldiers
A silent army.
The Announcer speaks, the tension grows.
Silence overcomes the field
Except for our beating hearts we make no move
Even our breath has stopped.
The winner announced but still we stay frozen, our breath restarted
We watch and wait for our leaders
Adrenaline back, racing and pounding through our head
Mind
And Soul.
Our Leaders return, holding their heads high
Arm and Arm, Trophies in hand, and still we say nothing.
At Ease! The call breaks out
The spell of our silence is broken.
Yells and whoops and screams of triumph
We clasp the hands and hug the other bands
Congratulating and complementing their hard work.
On the late bus ride home, who could be sleeping?
Again and Again we ride those buses
Again and Again the strained then powered silence.
Until the season is over, our hard work done,
We now wait with our memories
For the Marching Band Season to start again.
Daily Herald Articles by Gina Jackson
Judge Comments 2015Weber Review 2015 Music GE - Philip Haines Music Ensemble- Mark Lighthiser Visual GE - Carl Nelson Visual Ensemble - N/A Percussion - Nick Waters Color Guard - Lorraine Kohagen Nebo 2015 90.91 Music Effect - Eric Hammer Music Ensemble - Gary Gilroy Visual Effect - N/A Visual Ensemble - Mike Schofield Percussion - Sean McNeal Color Guard - N/A Recap Wasatch Front 2015 84.96 Music Effect - Steve Abrahms (No Comments) Music Ensemble - Teddy Mascari Visual Effect - Richard Kramer Visual Ensemble - James Boyer Percussion - Brandon Maxwell Color Guard - Tony Melancon Recap Pocatello 2015 63.45 Music Effect - Robert Hunter Music Ensemble -Chad Simons Visual Effect -Emmett O'Leary Visual Ensemble - Joe Tornello Percussion - Scott Farfas Color Guard - Justin Anderson Bridgerland 2015 90.08 Music Effect - Meryl Wamhoff Music Ensemble - Steve Accatino Visual Effect - Ron Ryles Visual Ensemble - Nick Peterson Percussion - Evan Hinds Color Guard - Ron Maier Recap BYU 2015 97.25 Music Effect - William Silvester Music Ensemble - James Hannah Visual Effect - John Donner Visual Ensemble - Richard Suk Percussion - Julia Davila Color Guard - Kevin Morris Recap Davis Cup 2015 92.71 Video Music Effect - Dan Smith Music Ensemble - Dan Bryan Visual Effect - Kevin Bell Visual Ensemble - Jackie Gilley Percussion - J.W. Koester Color Guard - Lorraine Kohagen Recap Mt Timpanogos 2015 Video Music Effect - Richard McEnaney Music Ensemble - Steven Schifferdecker Visual Effect - Brian Soules Visual Ensemble - Frank Dorritie Percussion - Joe Fant Color Guard - Joshua Benningfield Recap Red Rocks 2015 Music Effect - Dan Smith Music Ensemble - Mark Lighthiser Visual Effect - Richard Kramer Visual Ensemble - Brian Soules Percussion - Evan Hinds Color Guard - Jonette Dangerfield Recap Band of America 2015 Prelims Music General Effect 1 Music General Effect 2 Music Performance Individual Music Performance Execution Visual General Effect Visual Performance Ensemble Visual Performance Individual Prelim Recap Band of America 2015 Finals Music General Effect 1 Music General Effect 2 Music Performance Individual Music Performance Execution Visual General Effect Visual Performance Ensemble Visual Performance Individual Finals Recap |
ISU Minidome 10.11.15AF Marching Band @ Summer ConcertAF Jazz Band I and II receive Excellent and Superior Ratings at the UMEA State Jazz FestivalJazz Band I received all superior ratings and Jazz Band II received I-. II+ and II-. It was a great day for Jazz at AFHS! Alie Carter, Alyssa Ash,Jacob Baldwin and Josh Zabriskie were named as Outstanding Soloists at the festival.
ASD Honor Band |
2015 Allstate Band and Orchestra
Jacob Baldwin – Alto Sax
Brayden Bezzant – Tenor Sax Jason Cannon – Clarinet Kyle Cannon – Horn Christian Davidson – Horn Wyatt Gilles - Trombone Davis Johnson – Euphonium Rebecca Lambert Clarinet / Orchestra Jake Miller – Percussion / Orchestra Melanie Rugg Flute BreAnne Osborn – Oboe Natasha Ramirez – Clarinet Joel Rodeback – Horn Sam Schiess – Tuba / Orchestra Scott Smith – Clarinet Treven Thomas - Horn AF Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony receive Superior Ratings at 2015 UMEA State Band Festival!
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Mountain Point Hospital Jazz Band PerformanceAFMB Rehearsals and Wasatch FrontClick here for all band Pics and VideoFly Me To The Moon Jazz Dinner DanceThe AFHS Jazz Bands present an evening of great food and jazz music. Dinners are at 6 and 6:30 by ticketed reservation only. Choose either prime rib or chicken cordon bleu. In conjunction with Dinner and Dancing, there will also be a silent auction of many incredible products. All proceeds benefit the Band programs at American Fork High School.
Tickets may be purchased until May 11th at Fresh Market or at this link. Click to order tickets 
Wind Symphony Region 2015
AMERICAN FORK HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND RETURNS TO POCATELLO, WITH THANKS
American Fork, Utah – 7 October 2015 – For the American Fork High School Marching Band community, this Saturday is the sixth anniversary of a tragedy. On October 10, 2009, one of the band’s four buses left the freeway south of Pocatello and rolled onto its side, killing 33-year-old woodwind instructor Heather Christensen and injuring 42 of the 55 students aboard.
The band was returning from a competition at Holt Arena at Idaho State University, when the bus driver blacked out due to a medical condition. Christensen left her seat and attempted to regain control of the bus. She was killed when the bus rolled onto its side, after missing a culvert and some rock formations which could have made the accident more severe. “Heather saved a lot of lives that night,” said Tim Osborn, a band parent who was then serving on the Alpine School Board. He had attended the competition and arrived on the scene shortly after the accident. On Saturday, for the first time since the accident, the AFHS Marching Band will perform in Pocatello at the annual Mountain West Marching Invitational. AFHS Director of Bands John Miller said, “We thought it was time to return to Pocatello, as much to show our appreciation to the community as to perform.” Remembering that tragic weekend, Miller singles out for praise “the good Samaritans who stopped to help; the Idaho State Police, Bannock County Sheriff’s Department, fire fighters, ambulance personnel, and other first responders; the hospital staff in Pocatello; the administration and band teachers at ISU who met us at the hospital and offered food, lodging, and anything else we needed; and many others who helped us in a difficult time.” Osborn said, “The kindness and professionalism of everyone involved was just incredible. It shows you the kind of community that Pocatello is. The memories will live with us forever.” The outpouring of public support and sympathy continued after the band returned home. Miller recalled, “In the days and weeks after the accident, our band room and our hearts were filled with letters, cards, flowers, and other expressions of love and support from around the world.” Of the students involved in the accident, only one remained hospitalized the following day. Three nights after the accident, every member of the band was on the field at Brigham Young University’s Lavell Edwards Stadium for the band’s next scheduled competition. A few students with serious injuries played from seats at the edge of the field, instead of marching. That night, the west stands of the stadium were filled with band members and supporters from many schools and cities, as the American Fork band performed last in the competition. That year’s field show honored military veterans, but, beginning that night, it honored Christensen as well, with a large banner and a few words of narrative. None of the current band members was in the band in 2009, but some were in the stands that night with their families. Miller reflected, “I never saw a show where, when the music stops, there’s no applause for a while. That night, you could hear people weeping. And there were little kids in the stands who felt the power and emotion of that moment, and decided right then that they had to be in the band.” At the end of the season, in early November, the band received a last-minute invitation to Grand Nationals in Indianapolis. To accept the invitation, they had to raise about $250,000 in two days. Donations poured in from near and far, and the following weekend the band reached the national semifinals and won the Esprit de Corps Award. Band mom Sarah Beeson said, “I just recall how the kids pulled together for the rest of the season, after the accident. No one was alone. The parents just stood back and watched them take care of each other. And if we asked the kids how they could keep going, they said, ‘We’re doing this for Heather.’” Richard Flores was Christensen’s student for five years. Then a drum major, he was on one of the other buses when the accident occurred. Remembering Christensen he said, “She was a very thoughtful person, focused on helping others get better. She was incredible.” Miller said, “Heather was a dear friend, and so much of the good she did is still with us.” Ordinarily, the largest bands perform in the evening at competitions, but American Fork will perform Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Holt Arena, then leave for Logan, Utah, for another competition that evening. |
