Tuesday, October 14th

I believe in the power of the Verona Band. I always have and I always will. I believe in the music we make. I believe in the family we are. I believe that the music we make and family we are, work together in synergy to perpetuate a special, and certainly, singular culture.

 Making great in a small school is particularly challenging. We do not have the budget or resources that large schools have. We have one band. Come one, come all. In the end, what we really ask for is the desire to want to do something that is exceptional.

 Many schools mark such a tradition of excellence by trophies, banners, and awards. Those things are certainly nice, and we definitely have our fair share of those in the band room.  As nice as those accolades are, I find myself measuring things differently of late. What resonates with me lately is the human stuff.

• A surprise visit from an alumnus. 
• Going to a broadway show and seeing a VHS alumnus playing the drumset
• An email saying that I am now a member of my college marching band.
• A hug when we are grieving.
• A high five when we celebrate. 
• A soft smile knowing that we have done something special by sacrificing our own needs for someone else’s. 

We live in a polarized world. We live in an educational culture that often wants to make us a “metric.” Yet every time we meet during Period 2, we get to put that all away and make music together as a family. What a powerful and rewarding opportunity~

Monday 11.18

Today may be a good day to reflect on our foundational values as a band. Simply stated making great music, learning, and having fun all work together. It does take a commitment inside and outside of rehearsal for this to happen. Take a second to reflect upon this and let’s come back stronger tomorrow.

Monday August 5th 2024 – MM&W 2024 – Here we Go Y’All

Happy Summer and I hope your break has been great gang~ This Wednesday night we reconvene as a family from 6pm to 9pm. Freshmen winds/brass/percussion (not color guard) will start your uniform fittings at 5pm. Please take sometime to do some practicing before Wednesday so we can pick up where we left off from July! Also, make sure your physical paperwork has been turned in and that you have bookmarked this page https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SBK1BBmQBGwIbpGt69LxJ85_impiiaGXu7ezvNQPReQ/edit

What a great show we have planned with great people – here we go friends!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, June 23rd, 2024 –Goodbye Dean, for Now~

What would it take for four hundred people to get together on a Sunday in the middle of an unprecedented heat wave when the air is so thick that one could cut it with a knife? What would it take to bring people from every walk of life to reminiscence, celebrate, laugh, cry, and heal? What would it take for people to step away from the frantic pace of modern culture, slow down, and shine a lens on our shared & collective humanity? 

The answer is Dean. The one, the only Dean. It has always been Dean, and it always will be Dean. When I first entered the field of music education, he told me how proud he was of his former students who were serving in the field, and since that time the word service is forever ingrained into me. (Before going on, it is incumbent to recognize that Dean was proud of all his students. If I may be bold to say, I think he just wanted everyone to put the love and heart that he did into everything we do, regardless of career choice or financial gain). 

Dean was the ultimate servant, for fifty years putting his needs aside for the needs of others from every possible angle. Whether getting to school at 7:15am after a late night competition to keep us humble & hungry, or waiting until each and every student was safely picked up by their parents, his service is without peer. Though I am lucky enough to be serving in the image of Dean, my most poignant memory of my childhood (yes, my childhood, as are so many,  is inextricably tied to Dean) is when he waited thirty minutes for me to be picked up after rehearsal. I tried to hide behind a pillar in front of JP, but Dean would not have it. 

His selflessness and service will forever be a part of our moral fiber, pushing us to be stronger when we face difficult times. Not one professional day passes in the band room when I do not ask myself: What would Dean do? I can say without the slightest hint of trepidation I am not alone in my question, as Dean’s impact is immeasurable, even incomprehensible 

A few days before Dean passed, I had what I thought was an epiphany, but now just seems to be so glaringly obvious. Could one argue Dean, through his tireless work ethic and passion, simply represents stability for so many of us? For those of us who maybe did not have this in our lives, Dean’s presence alone was a grounding and stabilizing force. Though he constantly evolved musically & professionally, one thing was always a constant – Dean’s values. Love big. Work hard. Family comes first. 

Thank you to Kathy and the entire Deanicola family for sharing Dean with us. We are all forever changed. 

Love,

          Mr. Lynch 

May 6th, 2024.

I just wanted to follow up after rehearsal today. When I think about our year in band together, it is pretty simple. We had fun,  we were musical and we learned a lot together. As this experience comes to an end for some of us next Friday night, I thought it would be prudent for the whole band to think about what we have done together, as a family, as a unit. After all the changes we went through last year, we could have used many excuses to let the program slip. But what did we do? We did the opposite and ended the season at Rutgers with tears and hugs and memories that we will tell our grandkids about.

Holiday Concert? We rocked. Region Concert Festival? We slayed. VA Beach? We partied.  Now we have our swan song(s) next Friday. No trophies. No banners. No Intergalactic awards for Best Cowbell. Simply the family coming together to present an  unprecedented program of Sousa, Grainger, Yurko, and some other guy who I can’t remember. (Joey?)

It’s May, it’s warmer, it’s the testing season, we are tired. Yes, family – all true. But what makes the Verona Band the Verona Band  is our never give up attitude. Let’s get back to basics… Why do we do this? What do we need to do to make next Friday night what we ALL deserve it to be?

The answer is in our  hearts. It is not on Google classroom, nor is it in your daily participation grade. It is not on the black on the page.  Our hearts guide everything we do. Let’s get back on the bullet train that has been the VHS Band all year back on track and soar to our destination next Friday night together.

With great respect,

                                     Mr. Lynch

Summer 2023

Hello Bach and Rollers! I hope your first weekend since the end of school was great~ Ms. Fiore, the staff, and I are excited to see everyone tomorrow night from 6pm to 9pm, as we have three rehearsals left before our Summer break, with a preview performance for your parents at the end of the rehearsal on July 12th!

Since it is the first rehearsal since school ended, we need everyone to show up with strong chops, meaning you have done playing, drumming, and spinning since last week. Since we only meet once a week, this is essential to keep pushing forward and maintaining the “magic” we have all felt during the first two rehearsals. Remember we make the commitment to Wednesday nights unless we are of town, and everyone is asked to handle this in an ethical and integral way.

Finally, here is the link to the all essential info once again. Make sure you have filled out the vaca form, that you have signed up for the class (email guidance), and that you are working on the physical forms. This will be your “ticket” for a spot in the show~

See you tomorrow! Mr. Lynch

Monday, April 17th. “Coda”

We have talked so much about what a great year it has been thus far, but more then anything I think we all feel it~ From Masquerade to Disney, we have made memories that surely will last beyond this year. To use a musical term, it is time time for our “Coda”, as we approach the Spring Concert, Chamber Night, and the Memorial Day Parade (please plan on the latter). I know we will all keep pushing to make sure the music speaks the way we know it can, as we make the individual sacrifices needed for the band to flourish. (AKA everyone needs to practice~)

As I mentioned on Remind, the HBW 7th/8th grade band is coming up tomorrow morning starting at 7:45am for breakfast (which is for both HBW/HBW) and a combined rehearsal during first block. This is HUGE, and likely the last time we can do a full band recruitment day. Let’s be frank – we need numbers y’all!

So please, make sure you have played and come early to welcome the future VHS “Band-ites”. Specifically, we can use volunteers at 7:45am! Let me know if you have any questions. R’owkay then.

Mr. Lynch

March 2023

I was thinking a lot tonight about seasons in our program. Marching band season. The backbone of the community, spirit, and family culture of our program. We would, and did, do anything to make our show a success. Play season. The work that went into Hello Dolly was unfathomable and the production followed suit. 

How about concert band season? Well on Thursday night, we have the potential to play a program of incredible literature that undoubtedly has the capability of moving other human beings without worrying about trophies, placement, or the Intergalactic award for the Best Cowbell section. Music for the sake of music. Art for the sake of the art. What a beautiful thing that certainly can not be quantified. 

In the last few days, can I ask that we as individuals, and the collective entity that we call the Verona Concert Band, make the most of this concert band season?  No gesture is too small….

 Run through the 16th note licks in Oxford. Know the tendencies of the concert F in Grainger. Run through a lick in Foster’s America. You are smart, wonderful human beings – you know better than anyone what needs to be worked on. 

It all counts. We all count. Every detail is woven like the fibers of a rug into a larger musical picture. Ask how you can push yourself these last few days before the concert and beyond. It will make a difference.

Wishing you a wonderful musical experience and iconic memory making on Thursday night.

Happy Concert season fam.