I hope you enjoyed last week's webinar. I really enjoyed sharing new content with you. For those of you who could not make it, you can see a recording on our Facebook page.
It's time to put on your dancing shoes because it's that time of year. The Big Dance, a.k.a. MARCH MADNESS.
Everyone loves this time of year, as winter turns to spring, and most of us indulge ourselves in the madness that is the NCAA Tournament. What started with James Naismith and some peach baskets in 1891 has evolved into something very different in 2022.
Whether you follow college basketball religiously or only watch the games during March, you likely have at least a cursory understanding of who's hot and who's not. You probably know a good Cinderella story and secretly hope Coach K wins one last one on his way out the door.
The crowds, the games, THE PEP BANDS! There is nothing quite like it.
You don't have to know anything about college basketball to enjoy the tourney—and even the most casual fan can enjoy the collegiate game. Behind the recruiting, practicing, and extensive training, there is still a certain innocence to college sports, including basketball. And, it's easier to believe that behind the big-time business that is college athletics, the old motto of, "anyone can win on any day," still rings true.
Initially conceived by then Ohio State Basketball Coach Harold Olsen, the season-ending tournament and subsequent National Championship was created in 1939 and saw his Buckeyes defeated by the Ducks from the University of Oregon.
The NCAA Tournament is the crown jewel of collegiate sports, and dare I say, even more important than the college football playoffs. More teams, more cities, and more hope helps to fuel the imagination and ignite the passion of every fanbase.
March is a time to believe, dream, and hope. But not just in sports, and March is a magical time in music as well.
Just as with their athletic counterparts, March Madness also applies to music. The hype and hysteria may not be the same, but the frenzy is. Contests are held, ratings are awarded. Auditions lead to All-State bids in which the best of the best collaborate on a stage of a different kind.
Just like in college basketball, for music teachers, March is busy. March is non-stop. March is MADNESS.
The hardwood court is full, not with 6'10 athletes guarding the paint, but with Winter Guards battling just as fierce to defend their titles. The school musical is in flight, and you are busy recruiting next year's class just as hard as a coach might recruit his incoming class.
There is no bracket. There is no cutting of the net. There is no Dick Vitale screaming, "how do you like that baby?" But that does not make it any less important and challenging.
The grind of seven mon
ths is real. The toll that it takes on you is nothing to be ignored. But, like your athletic counterparts is finite and has an end date. You are almost there. You are advancing and winning like a champion. You will prevail.
Because you are a champion, and that's what champions do during March Madness.
Now, where's our Dickey V? We could use an, "Oh yeah, baby!"
Have a great week!
Scott