Posts Tagged ‘UW’
Posted by glennled on January 1, 2011
UCLA applied full-court pressure on almost every UW possession
‘Twas the day before New Years, when a skeleton crew of the Husky Alumni Pep Band played for the crowd of 1,783 at the UW-UCLA women’s basketball game in Seattle. We were on hand because the Varsity Marching Band was enroute home from San Diego where the night before, the University of Washington football
HMBAA Pep Band in foreground
team upset the University of Nebraska, 19-7, in the Holiday Bowl. Here’s how I saw the basketball game.
UCLA triumphed, 60-48, with a smothering full-court press and stifling defense. The Huskies (5-5, 0-1 Pac 10) handled it well for most of the game, shooting 62.5 percent in the first half, and were leading, 36-28, several minutes into the second half. But when UW got into foul trouble, the game turned in UCLA’s favor. Three players fouled out in the final five minutes, and the Huskies committed 25 turnovers. The No. 8 Bruins (11-1, 1-0) had more depth, as one of their bench players scored 15 points. UW junior Mackenzie Argens, 6 feet 3, scored her first double-double of the year with 18 points and 11 rebounds,
Kingma hits a three!
but scoring leader, guard Kristi Kingma, was held to 12 points.
Meanwhile, the band played on. As the game was played on Friday afternoon, we were a little short-handed. For example, we like to have six trumpet players but had only four. But it was fine, and as we filed out of the stands to go check in our music folders and pack away our horns, we got lots of compliments from nearby fans. It was a good week to be a Husky. The men’s basketball team pulled off a rare sweep in Los Angeles, beating USC, 73-67, on Wednesday and UCLA, 74-63, on Friday, while the football team won their only bowl game since 2002. Wuff-wuff and Happy New Year!
Skeleton crew of the HMBAA Pep Band pauses between songs in second half
HMBAA Pep Band swings into song during a time out late in the game
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: Bruins, HMBAA, Holiday Bowl, Huskies, Husky Alumni Pep Band, Kristi Kingma, Mackenzie Argens, New Year's Eve, trumpet, UCLA, University of Nebraska, University of Washington, USC, UW, Varsity Marching Band, women's basketball | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on December 13, 2010
How do they do that? That’s what I always wonder when I see people riding unicycles and doing their amazing moves and tricks. And that’s what made the half-time show so thrilling at the basketball game in Seattle between the University of Washington Huskies and the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Dec. 4. [I played trumpet in the Husky Alumni Pep Band at this game.] The half-time buzzer sounded, the two teams trotted off to the locker rooms, and out onto the court rolled about 40 dazzling members of the famous Panther Pride Unicycle Team (PPUT) from North Bend, WA in the Snoqualmie Valley. The riders range from age 7 and up.
How do they even get up on those things, much less keep from falling off? Well, as I learned from their website, www.pput.info, there are at least 11 different ways to mount a unicycle. And the Unicycling Society of America has defined 10 skill levels of unicycle riding (see http://www.unicyclingusa.org).
PPUT Photo
Last July, PPUT competed at the “U Games” in the San Francisco Bay Area (see http://ugames.caluni.org). These games are the North American Unicycling Championships and are the largest gathering of unicycle enthusiasts on the continent. PPUT brought back 60 gold, silver and bronze medals!
They appear on TV (see http://www.king5.com/new-day-northwest/Panther-Pride-Unicycle-Team-99467054.html). They ride in various parades, including Macy’s Holiday Parade, Salmon Days in Issaquah, and Autumn Leaves Festival in Leavenworth. They do shows at basketball games for UW, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University and others. They perform for corporate and group special events, local and statewide, and have tons of Flickr photos and YouTube videos (see http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local /san_francisco&id=7561416&rss=rss-kgo-article-7561416).
See what happens when you play trumpet in the school or alumni band? You get to see marvelous shows like this–free! It broadens the mind and uplifts the spirit, that’s what it does.
PPUT Photo
I’m always amazed at how many people are engaged in so many volunteer activities like this, whatever they may be—from flying model airplanes to rock climbing to drum and bugle corps to Renaissance festivals and medieval fairs to dog shows and horse shows, et.al.—“you-name-it.” And very often these activities evolve into organized competitions from the local to national to world levels. Whatever the endeavor, we all appreciate, admire and honor excellence.
The next time you’re in the library, find a directory of societies and associations—-it’s thick!—and open its pages. You’ll be amazed at the variety of human interests and avocations. And we’re just like everyone else—it’s fun to play trumpet and ride unicycles for free at basketball games!
PPUT Photo
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Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: Alumni Pep Band, Autumn Leaves Festival, basketball, drum and bugle corps, half-time, Huskies, Husky, Issaquah, Leavenworth, Macy's Holiday Parade, North American Unicycling Championships, North Bend, Panther Pride Unicycle Team, PPUT, Red Raiders, Salmon Days, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, Snoqualmie Valley, Texas Tech, trumpet, U Games, unicycle, Unicycling Society of America, University of Washington, UW | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on December 10, 2010
7-ft N'Diaye at the line
While the UW Varsity Marching Band was away in Pullman for the Apple Cup football game—by the way, UW beat WSU, 35-28!—the Husky Alumni Band supplied the pep band for the home basketball game in Seattle against the Texas Tech Red Raiders from Lubbock, TX. It was no contest, as the Huskies won “going away” in dominating fashion, 108-79.
Husky Alumni Pep Band
What was the prime difference between the two basketball teams? the players? the coaches? the home court? the talent? the height, size, length? the quickness, speed, leaping ability? the offense, the defense? the bench depth? the experience level? Or was it something else, perhaps–some hidden ingredient? Maybe the secret advantage was the inspiration provided to the team and the crowd by that outstanding pep band, led by those 8 great trumpet players (including me)! Well, why not? why not make the claim? why not take the credit when something everybody wants to happen turns out just right? Our politicians do that every day!
And let’s give some extra credit to the fabulous half-time show, too, featuring the Panther Pride Unicyle Team from Snoqualmie Valley (see the next post on this blog). They must have helped the fans and Huskies some, too, huh?
Now if you want a better description of how the game was actually played, please go to http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/120410aaa.html and watch the highlights on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDUwJMwtEFM&feature=player_embedded. Man, does this Husky team look tough! I think it’s the best team Coach Lorenzo Romar has ever assembled. We’ll see.
You remember last March, when the Huskies lost to West Virginia, 69-56, in the first round of the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Basketball Tournament? That game was “the men against the boys.” Their starters were taller, heavier, stronger, and just as quick and fast. We were no match.
Well, maybe it will be a different story this year against such teams. Maybe this year we will be the men. We have a better front line, and we have more depth. As the game against Texas Tech showed, we have a better Matthew Bryan-Amaning (“MBA”), a true center (Aziz
Justin Holiday at the line
N’Diaye), and a sterling Justin Holiday. Coach Lorenzo Romar says he has a 10-man rotation right now and is hard-pressed to narrow it to 8. Plus, Romar’s teams always seem to improve throughout the season. For example, N’Diaye is foul-prone; he fouled out last Saturday. We need him to rebound, block shots, and defend well. Let’s watch him improve. The Maui Tournament exposed our weaknesses, and we have about four months to work on them.
If we peak at the right time—post-season tournament time—we could be double-trouble for anyone! Next March, we want to at least break through the “Sweet Sixteen” into the “Elite Eight.” That’s what the Husky Alumni Pep Band is playing for. Come on, guys–let’s even aim to play in “The Big Dance!”—let’s be there, Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX, 2-4 April 2011. Book it!
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: Apple Cup, Aziz N'Diaye, band, basketball, coach, Elite Eight, Houston, Huskies, Husky Alumni Band, Husky Alumni Pep Band, Justin Holiday, Lubbock, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Maui Tournament, NCAA Basketball Tournament, Panther Pride Unicycle Team, pep band, Red Raiders, Reliant Stadium, Romar, Snoqualmie Valley, Sweet Sixteen, Texas Tech, The Big Dance, trumpet, trumpeters, TX, UW, UW Varsity Marching Band, West Virginia, WSU | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on November 11, 2010
Half-time Finale to ABBA's hit song, "Waterloo"
Wow, this was spectacular…you should see the videos below! At the UW-Stanford football game on 30 October, about 800 cheerleaders and dancers from 44 junior high and high schools from Washington performed for the fans during the half-time show. It’s such a big show that it’s sponsored by the Cheerleaders of America (COA), headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, and it bears the official name, “Second Annual UW Half-time Spirit Extravaganza.”
The theme, chosen by the UW Husky Varsity Marching Band, was music by the famous group, ABBA. The cheer/dance teams performed a featured routine to a medley of ABBA songs, followed by a mass scramble to spell out “HUSKIES” to the popular sports song, “Rock and Roll Music, Part II.” The cheer/dance teams then
Band plays ABBA medley while cheerleaders wait to return to field for finale
joined the Husky Band to cover the entire field while the band played ABBA’s “Waterloo” for the finale. Beautiful show that lifted the spirits on a cold, rainy night when the home team wasn’t doing so well on the football field—way to go!
Watch it all (both the rehearsals and performance) at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx9zGPKB9Gg and
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: ABBA, band, cheer/dance teams, cheerleaders, Cheerleaders of America, COA, dancers, extravaganza, half-time, Husky, medley, Rock and Roll Music Part II, Stanford, UW, Waterloo | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on November 11, 2010
Thrilling Pre-Game Percussion Performance--Wow! Those Drummers!
The Stanford Cardinals skunked the University of Washington Huskies, 41-0, a couple of weeks ago. It was
Crushing half-time stats!
the Huskies’ first home shutout in 34 years (since 1976)! Our team stunk so bad that fans started leaving by half-time. No doubt, the cold rain made that an easy decision for many fans. But if you came for the bands and the music, then Husky Stadium smelled sweet as a rose, and you were entertained in high fashion. The half-time show, especially, was fantastic!
Husky Alumni Band
There were three bands at the game: UW Varsity Marching Band, UW Husky Alumni Band, and a visiting band named “Musica Grato Himi” from Himi, Japan. (As you know, I’m a proud member of the Alumni Band and stayed at the Stanford game to the bitter, cold, rainy end.)
The half-time show was spectacular! Not only was the music superb (from the movie, “Mama Mia”), but
also some 800 cheer and dance team members from 44 junior high and high schools performed on the field along with the UW Varsity Band and Musica Grato. The entire field was covered with enthusiastic, fit people in the most colorful uniforms! For more about cheer and dance squads, please see the next post on this blog.
Finale of the 2nd Annual UW Half-time Spirit Extravaganza
Some final notes about the Japanese band. Musica Grato is Italian for “give thanks to music.” In 2005, the UW
It was a sloppy game
Husky Marching Band performed in Himi, Japan, and Musica Grato performed in Seattle at both a Husky football game and at a concert with a band from the Northshore School District located in Bothell/Woodinville. Since Musica Grato was formed in 2003, it has steadily achieved magnificent results. Atop the list of their awards and honors are their performance at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008, and the Sudler Shield prize from the John Philip Sousa Foundation of America. During the 2010 trip to Seattle, they again performed a joint concert with the Northshore School District Band on Monday, 1 November, two days after the UW-Stanford football game.
The Huskies will come back
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: bands, Bothell, Cardinals, drummers, Husky Alumni Band, Japan, John Philip Sousa Foundation of America, Mama Mia, Musica Grato Himi, Northshore School District, Stanford, Sudler Shield prize, University of Washington, UW, Varsity Marching Band, Woodinville | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on September 6, 2010
My 9th trumpet student is from Magnolia and enters Ballard High School next Wednesday, the 8th. He’s never played trumpet before, but his grandparents encouraged him to take it up now, even when many of his classmates have already been playing for about four years. To catch up to their level and be admitted into the high school band, if he wants to, would be quite a challenge. He’s almost 15 years old. “Better late than never” is just part of the grandparents’ idea, and so we began in late July. They really just want him and his three younger siblings to learn to play, understand and enjoy music. On top of that, if he decides to join band someday, that’s fine. If not, fine. His little sister already plays the flute. His two brothers have taken a few beginning lessons with me, too, and it is yet to be determined whether they will continue. Perhaps their big brother’s experience will influence them. BTW, their older cousin is a Husky football player at UW. Wouldn’t it be very special if, as trumpet players, they also someday play on that field at Husky Stadium in front of 72,000 cheering fans?! But if not, that’s fine, too… 😉
Posted in New Students - Intro Posts | Tagged: Ballard High School, band, flute, Husky Stadium, lessons, Magnolia, music, trumpet, UW | Leave a Comment »
Posted by glennled on August 4, 2010
Parade photos by Elliot Suhr, seattlepi.com
It’s only about 2.5 miles from the Space Needle to Qwest Field along the route of the Seafair Torchlight Parade, but if you’re in the parade, near the end, it takes many hours to get there. That’s what I learned last Saturday, when several other members of the Husky Alumni Band and I mixed in with the UW Varsity Marching Band to play our music along the parade route through downtown Seattle. The obvious enthusiasm and pleasure of the hundreds of thousands of spectators of all ages who 
lined the streets made the whole event very fun for us all. And the weather was perfect. Oh, what a night!
There were Seafair pirates and a police motorcade and firemen and floats and clowns and drill teams and a queen and Hawaiian princesses and military bands and school bands and cheerleaders and–you-name-it! Our band was #81 of 105 groups in the parade. Fourteen awards were presented to the best and most creative entries. 
The parade was sponsored by Alaska Airlines.
The UW band was big, although not full size, which you’ll see as soon as football season starts next month. About 18 of us trumpeters came for the parade. If you ever have a chance to be in the parade, don’t turn it down…it’s so much fun!
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Parade photos by Elliot Suhr, seattlepi.com
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Posted in Festivals & Competitions, HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: cheerleaders, Husky Alumni Band, pirates, Qwest Field, SeaFair, Space Needle, Torchlight Parade, trumpets, UW, Varsity Marching Band | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on November 29, 2009
Glenn's Proud!
- Pre-game rehearsal
- One push-up for each Husky point scored
For the first time since 1968 (41 years!), the Apple Cup ended in shutout–this time the Huskies held the Cougars scoreless. The headline on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s website on Sunday morning read, “Huskies Crush Cougs in Apple Cup Blowout.” This 102nd game between the two schools started at 3:30 p.m. and was played under lights as a cold wind blew wildly around the stadium. We were among the ~67,000 fans who were so grateful it did not rain. Chris Polk rushed for 130 yards and became the first true UW freshman ever to rush for over 1,000 yards in one season. Jake Locker had the kind of game everyone has expected of him every time he’s played these past three years, running for 94 yards, passing for 196, scoring one touchdown himself, passing for another.
Once again, I attended for free as a member of the Husky Alumni Band (HMBAA). The band’s routine goes like this. We arrive three and half hours before kickoff and have a short rehearsal at the tennis court grandstand just north of Hec-Ed Pavillion. Then we walk to 4-5 tailgate venues in different parking lots. At each site we play about five tunes, ending up with a little longer session at the final stop near the Husky dog and Coach Jim Owens statues at the stadium entrance. In addition to the songs mentioned in my post (below) on 11 October, we played a bunch of other tunes yesterday, including “Shake a Tail Feather,” “Hey! Baby!”, “Vehicle,” “Find Myself a Sunny Spot,” “Polynesian Paralysis,” “Separate Ways,” and one of my favorites, “You Can Call Me Al.” Of course, we always play “Victory for Washington” and “Bow Down to Washington” everywhere–those two are givens.
During the game itself, the routine continues. We play a few tunes during some of the time-outs. Our turn to play is all coordinated with the UW Varsity Band via headsets. Then, after the Varsity Band concludes its half-time show, we play a few tunes from the track in front of the main southside grandstand until the teams return and the second half begins. Next, after the game ends, we play a few tunes in front of the people in the “horseshoe” stands at the west end, where we always sit during the games. Our last song there last night was “Celebration.” People in the stands sang along and swayed to music…it’s great to relish a victory.
Finally, we walk back to the Nordstrom Tennis Center behind Hec-ED, and play some more. I walked there with Dan Niven (see my post of 9 September below). Dan plays trombone, manages the Mills Music Store in Lynnwood, sings in the Total Experience Gospel Choir of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Seattle, and is an actor in various community theater groups. He’ll play the Ghost of Jacob Marley in the Evergreen Family Theatre’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the Redwood Family Church in Redmond in early December.
We overheard a couple of very pleased fans talking about this victory and about beating the University of California Bears next Saturday. Dan noted that they spoke using the pronoun “we,” meaning the Husky football team. He observed that it’s funny how people own the team when it wins but disown it when it loses, switching to the pronoun, “they.” It’s “we did this and that” when our team is winning, and “they did this and that” when our team is losing…chuckle.
How did the Alumni Band help “our” team win this historic game? Well, several times during the tailgate playing tour, we played our special version of the “WSU Fite Song.” We started out with the regular tune but suddenly broke into “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Then we switched back to the regular fight song, only to interrupt it again with “The Farmer in the Dell,” immediately concluding with a most discordant, emphatic “Splat!” And that’s how WE really won the 102nd Apple Cup!
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: Apple Cup, Bow Down to Washington, Celebration, Chris Polk, Coach Jim Owens, Cougars, Dan Niven, Hec-Ed Pavillion, Hey! Baby!, HMBAA, Huskies, Husky Alumni Band, Jake Locker, Lynnwood, Mills Music, Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Nordstrom Tennis Center, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, tailgate, Total Experience Gospel Choir, UW, Varsity Band, Victory for Washington, WSU, WSU Fite Song, You Can Call Me Al | 2 Comments »
Posted by glennled on September 9, 2009
Recently, I met the highly personable, enthusiastic Dan Niven, manager of the Mills Music Store in Lynnwood. Turns out that he plays trombone in the Husky Alumni Band at UW football games. It’s organized by the Husky Marching Band Alumni Association (HMBAA), www.hmbaa.org. I’m a “Hum’-ba” member, too, and am looking forward to playing at the Arizona game at Husky Stadium on 10 October. “See you at the Horseshoe!” he says to me. At the store, there are studios where instructors teach private lessons. For those students who prefer it, we can meet there for our sessions. It is located at 20505 Highway 99 (east side of the road), telephone 425-775-6500. Great place to rent or buy your instrument, music books, supplies and accessories. It’s one of 11 Mills Music stores. Try them!
Posted in HMBAA - Husky Alumni Band | Tagged: 99, Arizona, band, cornet, Dan, football, games, HMBAA, horseshoe, Husky, instruction, lessons, Lynnwood, marching, Mills, music, Niven, private, stadium, store, studio, trumpet, UW | 2 Comments »
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 
