Pop the champagne!
Launch the confetti.
Cue the Guy Lombardo Orchestra.
Close up on Dick Clark.
Kiss the person closest to you!
WAIT... DON'T DO ANY OF THAT!
You can't drink at work, and kissing your drum instructor is just a bad idea on many levels. Guy Lombardo and Dick Clark are gone and any confetti you launch is just another thing to clean up, so what do you say we celebrate quietly this year?
Yes, July 20th is our Happy New Year.
What, you say? January 1st is the New Year... Naaaahhhhhh! Think about it, nothing new happens in January. For teachers, it all happens six months later. In July we get new classes full of new students. We hand out new music and new drill. We assume our new budget and in some cases our new facilities. Yes, it's our New Year and a HAPPY one at that! In July, EVERYONE is happy. The staff, students, and parents are happy and brimming with optimism. July 20th truly is our HAPPY and New Year!
No matter where you are in the world, no New Year celebration would be complete without the singing of the traditional carol Auld Lang Syne. You know the tune, the one where everyone sings the first verse and mumbles the rest? Whether it is beverage induced or just waning interest, no one ever sings all the way until the end, and that's the best part.
And there's a hand my trusty friend, And give me a hand o' thine! And we'll take a right good-will cheer for auld lang syne.
The celebration of a new year isn't so much about the journey as it is about the people with whom we choose to journey. The people make the journey. So, as we begin this new year, let us all grab the hand of a trusty friend, and with right good cheer sing at the top of our lungs to Auld Lang Syne.
So, Happy New Year my dear friends and thank you for only taking this journey once again, but for allowing be to be a part of it. I can't imagine doing it without YOU!
p.s. Am I the only one who thinks learning drill would be faster if we could turn drill spots into Pokemon Go characters
p.p.s. Looking for a cool band camp activity? Have your students make a My Story and tell the world why music is important. Click here for more details. If your students are camera shy, just have them post a pic and write their story.