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August 12, 2005
Today was the first day of tour. We're finally free to focus entirely on band. Our first show was tonight at Falmouth Academy. Falmouth Academy had a great performance previous to the field show. We then took the field for the first time in uniform and gave the show to an audience. Watching everything come together for the first time was exciting.
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August 13, 2005
The band arrived at Otis Air Force Base last night. We've been given barracks to sleep which is a tremendous upgrade from the gym floors of last year's tour. The base has also allowed us to use one of their mess halls. Having tables to sit at is also a luxury on band tour. We rehearsed in the morning then went to watch Drum Corps International Finals at Gillette Stadium. Watching the corps perform was a great learning expiernece for the entire band. We left the stadium inspired by the hard work the corps had done to bring their performance to the field.
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August 14, 2005
Today the band took the field on fire. Watching DCI Finals last night really pumped energy into the band. The band took the field running and never stopped. We learned exciting new drill and kicked up alot of dust in the process. There was really an atmosphere of family on the field as everyone threw themselves into the rehearsal 110%.
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August 15, 2005
Today was a real hard work day. The sky was overcast and the temperature dropped. Energy let down from yesterday's rehearsal. We ended the day watching video of ourselves taken throughout the day. We all learned alot from watching ourselves.
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August 16, 2005
Today was a great day. The band took the field determined to have a great day and that's what it became. We worked hard all day. The afternoon ensemble rehearsal was super focused and rehearsal was shortened by a half hour.
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August 17, 2005
Today was a show day in Orleans. We rehearsed at Eldridge Park in the morning berfore our show at night. It was great to be on a green field again. The performance was fun because we had the home crowd tonight.
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August 18, 2005
This morning was a rehearsal free morning for the band, much to the relief of many, allowing everyone to catch up on sleep. Tonight the band performed at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy's Alumni Field. The field is beautifully situated alongside the Cape Cod Canal. The full stands responded enthusiastically with a standing ovation. Afterwards the band and Staff were treated to a special snack, southwestern style to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of our band members!
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August 19, 2005
Breakfast started at 6:00 am for the band today. We left Otis Air Force at 7:00 and headed to Plymouth South High School. Spirit of America held workshops for the Plymouth field band of 100 plus members. The workshops were a great experience for both SOA and Plymouth. Dinner was graciously provided by Plymouth for both bands. The day ended with terrific performances by Plymouth and Spirit of America.
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August 20, 2005
Today the band had a focused rehearsal in the morning splitting into sections to clean and tech the show. This afternoon our final rehearsal at Otis Air Force Base was ended with a half hour of full ensemble. Tonight Spirit of America took the field as fog rolled over the field in Sandwich. The band came home to a terrific snack of mozzarella sticks and nachos from our kitchen crew.
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August 21, 2005
This was a travel day for SOA, we went to a Salvation Army Camp in Connecticut, were we stayed in cabins, by a lake. We also had sectionals among ourselves to hone some spots of the show. Then we went swimming. It nice to have a bit of a slower pace before diving into rehearsal on Monday.
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August 22, 2005
Today was a rehearsal day, the wood winds had sometime away from the rest to get refocused, and returned with vigor, and spirit. It was Colin McNutt's last day with us, but it was a great day or practice and we had a terrific run of the show at the end. Then we had to get uniforms ready for tomorrow's show.
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August 23, 2005
Two days left on tour and we had our second to last show today. Our audience for our show today was mostly under 3 ft tall at the Hole in the Wall Gang camp for kids with terminal illness. The band spent two hours of visual and musical rehearsal at Camp Connri before heading for the Hole in the Wall. We added a little extra zip to the show taking advantage of this special opportunity bring joy to the kids who came today.
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August 24, 2005
The tour ended with a bang in Fall Mountain, NH. The day began at Camp Conri before the band traveled to New Hampshire for an exciting day of workshops. The day ended with the final perfromance of Quest for Honor on the 2005 tour. The band left one of their best performances on the field tonight. Tommorow we travel home to Cape Cod. All eyes are turned towards South Korea where we will take Quest for Honor in 2006.
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