OK OK OK OK
Listen...I've been busy. I'm sorry. I've let you down and I wish I could promise it won't happen again, but I'd be lying right to your face. Matt Haines never tells a lie.
You have to understand though...Chris Gow and I are being completely overloaded with information. All at once we're memorizing...
1.) Music
2.) Drill
3.) The Japanese Language
Add to that meeting lots of people, sightseeing, and working around the Ikeo (the name of the complex we're staying at) and there hasn't been much time for blogging.
Allow me to try to catch you up with what has been going on...
Life Around Ikeo
The Ikeo exists as part of a series of churches in the Tenri religion. The director of Aimachi Band is "Coz" (this is the nickname he told us to call him). His father founded a series of churches...one of them being Ikeo in Handa City. Ikeo itself is in an area best described as being between a rurual and suburban area. However, downtown Handa City (bigger buildings than any downtown area on Long Island) is about a 20 minute run away.
Ikeo is kind of like a college campus. There are dorm houses (we live in one of them), a Tenri church, a cafeteria, a pool, lots of gardens, and a HUGE gym/music building where the band rehearses. While there's a lot here, it's all pretty close together. From our dorm house, it doesn't take more than three minutes to get anywhere else on the campus.
There are a wide variety of people living at Ikeo. Most of them seem to have some connection to Aimachi band. Some are members, some are family of members...but I think some are just members of the church. All of the Japanese people on Ikeo have some sort of job (I only know of one or two people who live at Ikeo but work off the campus). Each day you can walk around and find people cooking, gardening, washing windows, sweeping, making uniforms or props, etc. I believe some people pay to stay at Ikeo, but not everyone.
As far as foreigners go...there are two Americans (Chris and I) as well as five guys from Thailand. We are guests so we do not pay and do not have a specific job. Chris and I felt kind of bad just hanging out while everyone else was working, so we help out each day by helping to make the uniforms (Aimachi has new uniforms every year).
It all seems like a pretty relaxing lifestyle! Meals are the same time each day and prepared by people staying at Ikeo. Breakfast is at 8AM and usually consists of salad, cereal, white rice, bread, butter, and jelly. Lunch is at noon and Dinner is at 7PM. Meals always include white rice (sometimes fried as well). There will usually be some sort of soup with noodles...chicken, beef, an omelette type creation, sushimi, cooked fish, LOTS of vegetables etc etc etc. Japan is probably actually going to add years onto my life since I've eaten more vegetables in the last week than the rest of my life combined. I've loved everything except for the sushimi (it was tolerable...but I think I need to try it a few more times before I get used to it). Dessert is usually some sort of fruit (rough for me, I know) but last night they brought in a bunch of danish type things.
A lot of them stay up pretty late also! It's not uncommon for Chris and I to be up at 2AM watching Japanese gameshows with a 45 year old and a 9 year old (I was in bed by like 9PM when I was 9!). Chris and I will usually try to learn Japanese at night. We both have this program called Rosetta Stone that you use on your computer. There are several languages on mine, so we've been helping a few of the Japanese members with their english at night also. They are MUUUUUCCCHHH better at english than we are at Japanese. For example, I'm struggling with lesson one...Hatchan (a colorguard member who marched Santa Clara Vanguard) is able to make her way through like Unit 15, Lesson 5 without much trouble.
Aimachi Band
THEY ARE REALLY GOOD!!! Like REALLLLLLLY good!! Like...if they had 135 members...they would be WAY up there at DCI. There colorguard is AMAZING! This is still very early season for them and they are incredible...I think they might be the best colorguard I've ever been in a group with (I think...not positive...but either way they are great).
The drumline placed third last year at WGI in Dayton! Also incredible.
It's a Cavalier-style marching technique, so that's taking some getting used to! :) Pretty much everything I learned at The Cadets...this is the exact opposite. Chris and I have been spending a lot of time memorizing music. During the day we'll go into the gym and learn drill dots on our own.
Rehearsal is almost everynight from 8:30 (actually gets started at around 9) until 11. One of the instructors usually says "Ok Matt and Chris...today we will go very slowly through Movement 3 so you can learn wihth us." We respond "Hai!" (which means yes). Apparentely slow is a relative term. They FLY us through the drill and we pretty much hang on for our dear lives until after rehearsal when we can go back through it slowly on our own in an attempt to register what we just did!
As far as difficulty...it's easier than a Cadet show...but the first movement in this year's show is VERY challenging. Fast tempo, big stepsize...and the worst part is I have to do it with a trombone (much more awkward than a baritone...though much lighter :) ).
Chris has it made. There is this 12 year old boy named Yutaka that was marching Chris' spot before Chris got here (just so he can get ready for when he actually marches in the group). So now Chris has a personal tech. It's a REALLY funny thing to watch this 12 year old (very short) boy chasing Chris around the floor, telling him where to go. I wish I could have gotten some pictures of that for anyone who has marched with Chris at Cadets or was taught by Chris at Capital. I, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. Nobody marched my spot so I'm left to fend for myself.
During rehearsal almost all of the instruction is in Japanese. Someone in the trombone section will usually translate for me, though I am starting to pick up on some of the phrases myself. They also communicate with us through hand signals, singing, or even the occasional english phrase.
For now I need to go. Chris and I have to finish making cushions for the uniform helmets, ride bikes into town and buy a cake for Yuko (Cadets 2005 mello...today is her birthday), play trombone, run, add music to drill, go to rehearsal, learn english...and then FINISH CATCHING YOU UP WITH SOME MORE BLOGGING.
I've got a bunch of pictures to add and some sightseeing stories. The director has been incredibly generous, so we've done a good amount of sightseeing so far.
OK...talk to you later!
You have to understand though...Chris Gow and I are being completely overloaded with information. All at once we're memorizing...
1.) Music
2.) Drill
3.) The Japanese Language
Add to that meeting lots of people, sightseeing, and working around the Ikeo (the name of the complex we're staying at) and there hasn't been much time for blogging.
Allow me to try to catch you up with what has been going on...
Life Around Ikeo
The Ikeo exists as part of a series of churches in the Tenri religion. The director of Aimachi Band is "Coz" (this is the nickname he told us to call him). His father founded a series of churches...one of them being Ikeo in Handa City. Ikeo itself is in an area best described as being between a rurual and suburban area. However, downtown Handa City (bigger buildings than any downtown area on Long Island) is about a 20 minute run away.
Ikeo is kind of like a college campus. There are dorm houses (we live in one of them), a Tenri church, a cafeteria, a pool, lots of gardens, and a HUGE gym/music building where the band rehearses. While there's a lot here, it's all pretty close together. From our dorm house, it doesn't take more than three minutes to get anywhere else on the campus.
There are a wide variety of people living at Ikeo. Most of them seem to have some connection to Aimachi band. Some are members, some are family of members...but I think some are just members of the church. All of the Japanese people on Ikeo have some sort of job (I only know of one or two people who live at Ikeo but work off the campus). Each day you can walk around and find people cooking, gardening, washing windows, sweeping, making uniforms or props, etc. I believe some people pay to stay at Ikeo, but not everyone.
As far as foreigners go...there are two Americans (Chris and I) as well as five guys from Thailand. We are guests so we do not pay and do not have a specific job. Chris and I felt kind of bad just hanging out while everyone else was working, so we help out each day by helping to make the uniforms (Aimachi has new uniforms every year).
It all seems like a pretty relaxing lifestyle! Meals are the same time each day and prepared by people staying at Ikeo. Breakfast is at 8AM and usually consists of salad, cereal, white rice, bread, butter, and jelly. Lunch is at noon and Dinner is at 7PM. Meals always include white rice (sometimes fried as well). There will usually be some sort of soup with noodles...chicken, beef, an omelette type creation, sushimi, cooked fish, LOTS of vegetables etc etc etc. Japan is probably actually going to add years onto my life since I've eaten more vegetables in the last week than the rest of my life combined. I've loved everything except for the sushimi (it was tolerable...but I think I need to try it a few more times before I get used to it). Dessert is usually some sort of fruit (rough for me, I know) but last night they brought in a bunch of danish type things.
A lot of them stay up pretty late also! It's not uncommon for Chris and I to be up at 2AM watching Japanese gameshows with a 45 year old and a 9 year old (I was in bed by like 9PM when I was 9!). Chris and I will usually try to learn Japanese at night. We both have this program called Rosetta Stone that you use on your computer. There are several languages on mine, so we've been helping a few of the Japanese members with their english at night also. They are MUUUUUCCCHHH better at english than we are at Japanese. For example, I'm struggling with lesson one...Hatchan (a colorguard member who marched Santa Clara Vanguard) is able to make her way through like Unit 15, Lesson 5 without much trouble.
Aimachi Band
THEY ARE REALLY GOOD!!! Like REALLLLLLLY good!! Like...if they had 135 members...they would be WAY up there at DCI. There colorguard is AMAZING! This is still very early season for them and they are incredible...I think they might be the best colorguard I've ever been in a group with (I think...not positive...but either way they are great).
The drumline placed third last year at WGI in Dayton! Also incredible.
It's a Cavalier-style marching technique, so that's taking some getting used to! :) Pretty much everything I learned at The Cadets...this is the exact opposite. Chris and I have been spending a lot of time memorizing music. During the day we'll go into the gym and learn drill dots on our own.
Rehearsal is almost everynight from 8:30 (actually gets started at around 9) until 11. One of the instructors usually says "Ok Matt and Chris...today we will go very slowly through Movement 3 so you can learn wihth us." We respond "Hai!" (which means yes). Apparentely slow is a relative term. They FLY us through the drill and we pretty much hang on for our dear lives until after rehearsal when we can go back through it slowly on our own in an attempt to register what we just did!
As far as difficulty...it's easier than a Cadet show...but the first movement in this year's show is VERY challenging. Fast tempo, big stepsize...and the worst part is I have to do it with a trombone (much more awkward than a baritone...though much lighter :) ).
Chris has it made. There is this 12 year old boy named Yutaka that was marching Chris' spot before Chris got here (just so he can get ready for when he actually marches in the group). So now Chris has a personal tech. It's a REALLY funny thing to watch this 12 year old (very short) boy chasing Chris around the floor, telling him where to go. I wish I could have gotten some pictures of that for anyone who has marched with Chris at Cadets or was taught by Chris at Capital. I, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. Nobody marched my spot so I'm left to fend for myself.
During rehearsal almost all of the instruction is in Japanese. Someone in the trombone section will usually translate for me, though I am starting to pick up on some of the phrases myself. They also communicate with us through hand signals, singing, or even the occasional english phrase.
For now I need to go. Chris and I have to finish making cushions for the uniform helmets, ride bikes into town and buy a cake for Yuko (Cadets 2005 mello...today is her birthday), play trombone, run, add music to drill, go to rehearsal, learn english...and then FINISH CATCHING YOU UP WITH SOME MORE BLOGGING.
I've got a bunch of pictures to add and some sightseeing stories. The director has been incredibly generous, so we've done a good amount of sightseeing so far.
OK...talk to you later!
posted by Matt at 9:07 PM
1 Comments:
Yooooooo!
Honestly, I feel like the Cavalier marching style is a waste of energy...but it might just be because I'm still getting used to it. Easier on the knees though, perhaps. :)
Just shut up and audition for Phantom already! Talk to you soon!
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