Odessa High School Band Blog

Feliz Navidad from the OHS Band Staff

2011-12-02T20:25:00.000-06:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

UIL Performance of "In The Heights"

2011-10-23T20:08:00.002-05:00

OHS Halftime 10/14/11

2011-10-15T08:38:00.002-05:00

2011 Tall City Performance

2011-10-09T10:14:00.002-05:00

Westside Concert Videos - Sept 30, 2011

2011-10-01T15:01:00.000-05:00

In The Heights - Mvt 1

In The Heights - Mvt 2

In The Heights - Mvt 3

Grandioso

In The Heights Flash Mob

2011-08-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

Facebook Profile Picture

2011-08-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

Act One

2011-08-05T17:32:00.005-05:00

In the shadows, a young man sprays graffiti onto the awning of a bodega, but his artistic reverie is interrupted when the store owner, Usnavi, enters and chases him away ("In the Heights"). Usnavi opens his bodega and supplies everyone with their morning coffee and papers. We meet the major characters and neighbors as they pass by his bodega. As the morning rush subsides, Nina Rosario enters, home at last from her freshman year at Stanford. In a moment alone, Nina reveals that she struggled at college ("Breathe").

Meanwhile, Nina's parents seek an emergency loan from the bank to keep their struggling taxi dispatch afloat. They leave Benny, a young employee, in charge of the dispatch for the first time ("Benny's Dispatch"). At the hair salon across the street, Vanessa has financial troubles of her own. Vanessa dreams of escaping to a studio in the West Village, but doesn't have enough money to do so ("It Won't Be Long Now"). When she stops by Usnavi's bodega, Sonny asks Vanessa out for Usnavi, and she accepts.

When her parents return, Nina becomes nervous and reveals to them that she lost her academic scholarship and dropped out of Stanford. Her father, Kevin, is devastated that he cannot provide tuition without the scholarship ("Inútil"). Nina seeks comfort from her friend Vanessa, but the salon owner, Daniela, sits her down for a makeover and gossip session ("No Me Diga"). Daniela decides to tease Vanessa by telling her that Usnavi slept with one of the neighborhood skanks, just to see how Vanessa would react. Vanessa reacts in a way that shows that she likes Usnavi, but does not truly recognize it.

After Usnavi discovers he sold a winning lottery ticket worth $96,000, everyone on the block dreams of how they would each spend the small fortune ("96,000"). Later, Abuela Claudia reflects on her childhood journey from Cuba to New York in 1943, remembering her mother saying "patience and faith" along the journey ("Paciencia y Fe"). She reveals that she holds the winning lottery ticket.

Nina and Benny find themselves alone on the street. Nina admits that she felt like an outsider at Stanford, and Benny says that being the only African-American in a Latino-run business can be intimidating. The two take a tour of the neighborhood landmarks around which they grew up ("When You're Home").

At a dinner party, Kevin announces that he has sold Rosario's Car Service to pay for Nina's tuition. His news is met with anger. Nina follows Benny to a dance club, apologizing, but he is furious at Kevin's decision, which has put him out of a job. Vanessa and Usnavi enter the club and begin to dance ("The Club"). Tensions rise on the dance floor because Vanessa and Usnavi are attempting to make each other jealous.

Suddenly, the power goes out throughout the city ("Blackout"). Chaos ensues, and Usnavi loses Vanessa in the darkness, while Sonny and Graffiti Pete are at the bodega protecting it from vandals and trying to distract them with fireworks. Abuela Claudia reveals to Usnavi that she won the lottery. With fireworks exploding in the sky, Nina and Benny find each other and kiss.

Act Two

2011-08-05T17:32:00.002-05:00

The next morning, Benny and Nina are on his fire escape after spending the night together. Nina teaches Benny Spanish. ("Sunrise") Down on the street, Usnavi's bodega has been looted. Abuela Claudia convinces Usnavi they should use her lottery winnings to relocate to the Dominican Republic. Usnavi agrees to be rid of his corner store and pursue his dream ("Hundreds of Stories").

Nina's parents have been searching for her all night, and when they learn that she has been with Benny, Kevin is furious. Kevin vows that Benny will never be a part of the Rosario family because he is not Latino. The family is at a breaking point when Camila instructs them to get it together before it is too late ("Enough").

It is high noon and the neighbors are frustrated by the extreme heat and continuing power outage. They muster enough energy for one last celebration before the bodega, the salon, and the dispatch shut their doors forever ("Carnaval Del Barrio"). People, led by Daniela, start to dance and sing. The celebration continues onto another block when a noticeably upset Nina comes out and stops Usnavi from dancing, pulling him into Abuela's house. Kevin makes an announcement over the taxi radios that Abuela Claudia has died ("Atención"). The neighbors reunite on the sidewalk, this time to hold a vigil in honor of the block's matriarch ("Alabanza"). Usnavi and Nina look through boxes of Abuela Claudia's keepsakes—old lottery tickets and photos from the block's history ("Everything I Know"). As Nina discovers photographs from her own high school graduation, she decides to accept her father's sacrifice and return to Stanford.

Across the street, as Daniela closes her salon forever, she reveals one last bit of juicy news ("No Me Diga (Reprise)"). She will co-sign on Vanessa's dream apartment in the West Village, thanks to a little convincing from Usnavi. Vanessa brings Usnavi a bottle of champagne to celebrate and asks him to stay, getting in an argument with him in the process, and she kisses him ("Champagne"). However, Usnavi's mind is still set on the Dominican Republic. Benny worries about his relationship with Nina. They stand together as the sun sets ("When the Sun Goes Down").

The next morning, Usnavi wakes up early to begin closing up shop. He sees the businesses around him: Daniela's salon is closed, and the Rosario's Car Service sign is gone. In just a few weeks, he will be gone, too, and the block will be completely changed. Sonny, however, is not content to leave without a trace. He commissions a graffiti mural of Abuela Claudia on the bodega's grate, and Graffiti Pete has stayed up all night completing the portrait. Sonny rolls down the bodega grate, revealing the memorial. Usnavi is stunned that they completed this all in one night, and he realizes that this block is his true home ("Finale"). He tells Sonny to tell the block that he has decided to stay, and promises himself that he's "stepping to Vanessa, I'm getting a second date."

Characters

2011-08-05T17:31:00.002-05:00

•Usnavi, the owner of a bodega in Washington Heights. He was named after one of the first sights his parents saw when they arrived in America, a US Navy ship. He dreams of going to the Dominican Republic, his parents' homeland. Abuela Claudia, the neighborhood matriarch, practically raised him. He is in love with Vanessa.
•Nina Rosario is the daughter of Kevin and Camila. She is the first to go to college (Stanford University), and everyone in the barrio admires her. However, she returns home from school for the summer with difficult news to tell her parents.
•"Abuela" Claudia is the elder and matriarch of the barrio who knows everybody and is like a grandmother to all (“abuela” means “grandmother” in Spanish). She is the one who looked after Usnavi when his parents died.
•Vanessa is Usnavi's love interest who works at Daniela's salon. She dreams of getting out of the barrio and getting an apartment downtown.
•Benny works at Kevin's dispatch. The only non-Spanish-speaking member of the community, he falls in love with Nina. He dreams of opening his own business, "Benny's Car Service."
•Sonny is Usnavi's sassy, lazy, yet ambitious younger cousin who works in the bodega.
•Daniela is the outrageous owner of the salon where the neighborhood girls gossip.
•Carla works at Daniela's salon along with Vanessa.
•Kevin Rosario is Nina's father, wants to make sure his family has everything they want. He is overprotective of Nina and owns Rosario's Car Service.
•Camila Rosario is Nina's mother, who wants what is best for Nina.
•The Piragua Guy ("Piragüero") is the owner of a small piragua stand that competes with Mister Softee.
•Graffiti Pete is a graffiti artist and friend of Sonny. Usnavi believes he is a trouble-making vandal, but Pete is really a good-hearted artist.

In The Heights

2011-08-05T15:39:00.001-05:00

WELCOME to the show that won Broadway’s highest honors by first winning its heart. WELCOME to the next chapter in the classic American story on stage. WELCOME to the kind of musical that comes around once in a generation. A musical that builds on the best traditions of theater while forging into fresh new territory. A musical about the importance of home, family and finding where you belong.

In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

In The Heights - The Broadway Musical

2011-08-04T17:11:00.002-05:00

96,000

2011-08-04T17:04:00.001-05:00

2008 Tony Performance

2011-08-04T17:02:00.002-05:00

Chasing Broadway Dreams - Part 1

2011-08-03T16:29:00.002-05:00

In The Heights - PBS Special

2011-08-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Club

2011-08-01T16:16:00.001-05:00

It Won't Be Long Now

2011-08-01T16:15:00.002-05:00

Sunrise

2011-08-01T16:14:00.002-05:00

In The Heights

2011-08-01T16:12:00.001-05:00

When You're Home

2011-08-01T16:10:00.001-05:00

First game for The Marching Red & White

2010-09-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

First game for The Marching Red & White

2010-09-09T11:36:00.001-05:00

Summer Band 2010

2010-09-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

2009-10-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

Band Epic Promo 01

2009-09-22T21:45:00.000-05:00

Band Epic 01-The Pilot

2009-09-21T12:03:00.000-05:00

Sing Sing Sing DCI Tour of Champions

2009-09-17T15:38:00.001-05:00

Pre-K Japanese kids Marching & Playing Drums

2009-08-31T11:33:00.001-05:00

2009-08-25T15:46:00.002-05:00

2009-08-25T15:44:00.001-05:00

2009-08-17T16:30:00.000-05:00

2009-08-17T16:25:00.001-05:00

2009-08-17T16:24:00.001-05:00

2009-06-18T20:38:00.001-05:00

We're All In This Together

2008-10-25T09:58:00.001-05:00

Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

2008-10-23T10:59:00.001-05:00

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

We're All In This Together

2008-10-23T10:22:00.001-05:00

Rudy told he just can't do it

2008-10-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

Rudy and Janitor

2008-10-21T11:05:00.001-05:00

Hoosiers - Gene Hackman Motivational Speech

2008-10-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

Rudy Locker Room Speech

2008-10-21T10:37:00.001-05:00

Stage Fright Strategies

2008-09-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too! Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.
Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.

Symptoms of Stage fright
Dry mouth
Tight throat
Sweaty hands
Cold hands
Shaky hands
Nausea
Fast pulse
Shaky knees
Trembling lips
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation

Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.

Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
Concentrate on how good you are.
Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
Remember happy moments from your past.
Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
Picture the audience in their underwear.

Strategies in advance of program
Be extremely well prepared
Listen to music
Read a poem
Organize
Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.

Strategies just before the program. Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
Notice and think about things around you.
Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your talk (especially in the opening)
Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying
Yawn to relax your throat
Doodle
Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have
Look at your notes
Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes
Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
Take a quick walk.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Concentrate on your ideas.
Concentrate on your audience.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
Use eye contact.
Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
Don't eat if you don't want to. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.

Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels.
Before each presentation make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.

Quotes - Leave comments with your thoughts

2008-09-22T15:29:00.003-05:00

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
- Earl Shoaf

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
- Will Rogers

“So many of our dreams at first seems impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
- Christopher Reeve

C - A - N - I

2008-09-21T14:32:00.004-05:00

Can you see it? The light at the end of the tunnel? Its barely shining, but its there. Week after week, we continue to bring an extreme level of spirit to the football games and believe it or not, if the band and showgirls were not at the games, the team would not play as well. This spirit must continue as we learn the rest of our 2008 marching band show. Constant And Neverending Improvement. We must always push harder, breathe deeper, take one more step and continue doing the right thing. Next week we are going to learn the rest of our show totaling 30 sets. The OHS band is no different than any other band in the state of Texas right now, we are all learning our show one set at a time. Never forget that. See you tomorrow morning.

Another version of Rise and Fall of Rome

2008-09-10T11:21:00.001-05:00

Esprit de corps

2008-09-03T16:54:00.003-05:00

Esprit de corps (pronounced es-pree deh core) translates from French as group spirit. It is a synonym for words like morale, comradeship, and purpose. Normally, esprit de corps translates only as positive group spirit. In its strictest sense, it applied only to military groups, who together form a sense of purpose and comradeship. Yet it is often also used in common language to refer to any group that appears united and protective of its members.

Many different groups, like kids in a classroom, a scout troop, a parent’s club, a political organization, or thousands of others can said to be unified by esprit de corps. Where it does not exist, disorganization can prevail.

One example of esprit de corps can be found regularly on television shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The host and his team rally communities into assisting worthy families who need homes. Most of the shows feature many community members who are pleased to show their sense of truly belonging to a community by helping others. Such sense of purpose can make quite a difference in the world.

In military units, esprit de corps is essential, since soldiers who feel part of a team are most likely to protect each other. A demoralized unit is one lacking in morale, and it is by maintaining group spirit that soldiers are able to survive the rigors and horrors of battle and risk to life and limb. This is why military groups are often divided into units, usually groups of people who have trained together, and will fight together should the need exist. By establishing close ties between soldiers working in an army, it is always hoped that esprit de corps will develop.

A lovely example of the need of esprit de corps in organized sports is the moving film Remember the Titans, a biopic about a high school football team in the southern US that for the first time integrated black and white players. The goal of the coach is to help his players overcome their differences and accept each other so that a sense of purpose and positive feelings help the team. They further must accept him, an African American, as leader of the team, which was challenging given the prevailing views at the time.

A particularly effective moment in the film is Coach Boone’s impassioned speech on the grounds where the Gettysburg Battle was fought. His words, “If we don’t come together on this hallowed ground, we too will be destroyed,” express his strong desire for the team to develop the esprit de corps necessary in a racially divided world, and in the competitive sport of football.

Langham Creek HS Band Rehearsal

2008-08-26T14:23:00.002-05:00

Check out their marching technique, foot roll, instrument carriage (flutes) and body visuals. Everyone can improve and make a differance.

The Call

2008-08-24T18:14:00.000-05:00

To The Colors

2008-08-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

Bryan Clay Decathlete

2008-08-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

Farewell Summer Band 2008

2008-08-22T20:39:00.000-05:00

OHS Band Members, each of you deserve a huge pat on the back for completing this year's Summer Band camp here at OHS. I want to especially THANK those students who attended every single rehearsal and showed up on time ready to go. You are the leaders that will take the OHS Band to new heights. You have already broken so many ceilings and/or expectations that people have placed on you, keep it up. Most people believe that we as a human society have come to fear failure in all aspects of our life. I do not agree with this statement one bit. Instead, I believe that we as a society have come to fear how far we can go and what heights we can actually achieve. We actually fear the thought of being the best. Students, have a great first day of school on Monday and remember that you are a part of a family unlike any other and every person in our family is valued to the most extreme degree. Have a Great School Year.

The Cavaliers Drumline

2008-08-22T20:38:00.001-05:00

Blue Knights Drumline

2008-08-22T20:28:00.000-05:00

First Milestone Reached

2008-08-21T01:03:00.000-05:00

Congrats! Band you have reached your first milestone for this marching band season. you have completed all of the sets that we will be marching for the first football game in one week. It is time to CLEAN, clean, CLEAN what we have learned. We must now go back to the beginning and make sure every turn, every horn press, every band member knows where each set begins and ends. Yes, we still have a lot of hard work in front of us before next week. We must also learn pregame. Which we will be learning tomorrow evening. Thank you for continuing to allow us to motivate and push you to become the best band in the land. See you tomorrow.

Patrick Henry Hughes - Inspirational Story

2008-08-19T01:03:00.000-05:00

First Monday Night Rehearsal

2008-08-19T00:35:00.000-05:00

Students, good job this evening learning and reviewing your marching band drill. Mr. Harden, Mr. Olague and myself are proud of the hard work you are putting into this year's marching band show. Just remember, To become a great band, we must constantly do great things, Success is in the details and last but not least, Everything that you need is already inside. Let's continue to have great rehearsals and NEVER let up. Always continue to do your best and NEVER be content to rest and say "Oh, thats good enough." See you tomorrow.

Welcome to the OHS Band Blog

2008-08-19T00:18:00.000-05:00

This will be the first official entry in the OHS Band Blog. Congrats on finding this page. We hope you and your family have been checking the brand new OHS Band Website. Please use the website and this blog as a means to communicate with the band directors and staff. As well as to keep up to date on whats happening with the OHS Band. Directors and Staff will be posting articles and comments on this blog for students and parents to read. For the safety of the students, all postings and comments will have to be approved by me, Mr. Dojahn, before they are actually placed on the blog. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at steven.dojahn@ectorcountyisd.org. Thanks and enjoy the Blog.