Katrina Fitzpatrick, Bob Hornsby, and the Morton Band Program

The Morton High School band, based in Morton, Illinois, has a stellar reputation for its exceptional musical talent and competitive achievements. Over the years, the band has become a powerhouse, consistently performing at a high level in both state and national competitions. Their success is largely due to the dedication of the students and the strong leadership from their directors, Bob Hornsby and Katrina Fitzpatrick. These two have been instrumental in shaping the band’s growth, pushing the students to strive for excellence in both musicianship and discipline.

Morton’s band program is known for its well-rounded approach, balancing marching band performances in the fall with concert band and jazz ensembles throughout the year. The marching band has earned numerous accolades, including top finishes in state competitions and appearances at prestigious events. They often perform at local parades, football games, and community events, serving as a source of pride for Morton.

In addition to the competitive side, the band also fosters a strong sense of community and teamwork among its members, with many students continuing to pursue music in college and beyond. The Morton High School band’s success is a reflection of the town's commitment to supporting the arts and investing in the youth, making it a significant part of the local culture.

Learn about Katrina's near-death experience to see some llamas, and let Bob tell you which two 90's rock bands are best to play drums to.  These two, along with the help of many staffers, an army of volunteering parents, and with wild support from administration, have put together 19 back-to-back state championships.  Of all the "things" that these two are to so many people, I'm proud to say that they're two very good "friends" to me. 

Transcript

 <�!DOCTYPE html> <�html lang="en"> <�head> <�meta charset="UTF-8" /> <�title>Bob Hornsby and Katrina Fitzpatrick<�/title> <�/head> <�body> <�h1>Bob Hornsby and Katrina Fitzpatrick<�/h1> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> <�span style="color:#808080">[00:00:00]<�/span> I don't even know how this started. I think it started with the ice cream sandwiches. Oh, I know exactly where this is at now and so You were staring at him with a question mark We would get these ice cream sandwiches and I think just by happenstance one day either I or katrina had eaten our ice cream sandwich And we had like a piece of the cookie whatever on our teeth and we looked like completely jacked And we were just laughing about it And then we decided, oh, it would be fun if we take some of this the ice cream sandwich thing and intentionally put it on our teeth.<�/p> <�p>You're talking about the black breading. Yeah. Yeah. The chocolate. And so you look and then we would just go. And act like we didn't know we had it on our teeth and go and talk to the kids So we would just rotate around the table and be like you both had it Yeah, wow, and we were just like you guys are doing a great job today And it was just like it was like how long could we extend this conversation with <�span style="color:#808080">[00:01:00]<�/span> them?<�/p> <�p>like looking at us either laughing or Wondering if we knew if he was there. And so. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Welcome to Morton Musin News, where we bring you events, highlight the voices, and celebrate the unique charm of our community. From local happenings and business spotlights to heartfelt interviews with people who make Morton special, this is your go to source for staying connected with all things Morton.<�/p> <�p>Tune in and let's discover what makes our town truly remarkable, one story at a time.<�/p> <�p>I got you guys bobbing your heads over there. You guys like the jingle? It's great. Oh, man. So excited to have you guys here. I've got two friends in my studio here at Muse. Talking to Katrina Fitzpatrick and Bob Hornsby today and all the things that you guys do with the Morton High School band even down into the junior high school and how all that kind of feeds into this machine that you guys got going on here.<�/p> <�p>Let's start with some of the really kind of basic nitty gritty <�span style="color:#808080">[00:02:00]<�/span> kinds of questions. Katrina, where are you, where were you born and raised and where did you go to school and how'd you end up in Morton? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Okay. I was born in Groveland, Illinois, which of course is part of the Morton school district. I went through the whole Morton program, went to Jefferson, went to Grundy, junior high, graduated from high school, so started band here in sixth grade, just like most of the students in town do, and so very hometown based. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Okay. Bob. Let's see here. Well, first of all, thanks for having us. Absolutely.<�/p> <�p>Appreciate it, man. This is really awesome. Pretty cool. I was born in Rockford, and then my family meandered down here And started at, I started all my school in Morton. So I was a Grundy Gator for a year and a half. And then I, then we moved and then I was a Jefferson Patriot and then I was a junior Potter and then I was a Potter.<�/p> <�p>Okay. So yeah. And pretty much really. I think we moved here when I was like five, and <�span style="color:#808080">[00:03:00]<�/span> other than college and a brief stint out of state, I've been here, which is awesome. Where was college? College was University of Illinois. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Did you tell me college, Katrina? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> No, not yet. Okay, what do you got? Bradley University and then ISU for post grad master's.<�/p> <�p>And then <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> you came back to Morton right away after college? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah, we lived in Bloomington Normal just for a while. Craig was finishing up. He went to U of I. Okay. I was that was my first year working here in town and we were splitting the difference. Okay. Between Morton and Champaign. <�/p> <�p>Oh, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> yeah, I so I basically graduated from U of I with a history degree and then I did some work with teacher certification and whatnot at ISU and then my first job I was back here working study hall <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> And this is much noted <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> and assistant band director and assistant band director.<�/p> <�p>I was not certified in music, but they were desperate. So I did that. I did that for a year and then I taught for four years at Farmington high school <�span style="color:#808080">[00:04:00]<�/span> doing social studies. And then one of the, one of the jobs came open up Morton and came back, but I've been doing, I think the drum line since 98. Okay.<�/p> <�p>So that was my senior year of college. So it's been a long time. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> And you got into drumming early then? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Yeah. My dad was a drummer. And so my parents bought me a Kind of a garage sale drum set and when I was about <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> in third grade third generation hand me down oh, yeah It was yeah, it was a <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> piece of trash in it, but that's all it needed to be You know what?<�/p> <�p>I mean at that time <�/p> <�p>perfect trash Yeah, I'd go down and put the headphones on and listen to Aerosmith and try to drum along with it Yeah, and was it an <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> electronic one? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Oh, no. Oh, you said headphones. I put the legitimate Walkman headphones To the Aerosmith <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> you pop the cassette. Oh heck. Yeah close the case.<�/p> <�p>Absolutely. Yeah So that's how it started. Joe Perry and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Yeah, they were, Aerosmith was a good band to learn how to play drum set too. Cause the parts <�span style="color:#808080">[00:05:00]<�/span> aren't really that hard, but like I really liked <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> the band. So let's see, you're a little bit older than I am. And so that would probably be the eat the rich album.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> It was the very first one that I played to, I alternated between Aerosmith Pump. Pump? Oh, that was after, okay. Yeah, then Guns N Roses, Appetite for Destruction. Those are the two albums that I learned how to play drum set on. That's tough. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Katrina, what was your weapon of choice when you got into music?<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Well, for the first six months, it was the saxophone. Okay. And that's still in the arsenal. However, at that time, our starting class in sixth grade had 24 students that started on alto sax. Oh, that's a lot. And for anyone who knows anything about proper Concert band, orchestration, instrumentation. That is not good.<�/p> <�p>It's like having a whole full team full of quarterbacks. That's fun. Really good. You're not going to win games. The term dynamic <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> is in my mind. Yes. Nobody can catch the ball. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah. So anyways, the director was looking for people to switch after the holiday concert to flute and me and <�span style="color:#808080">[00:06:00]<�/span> one of my good friends.<�/p> <�p>Oh, I remember. Yeah. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> You're a flutist. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah. And so we picked up the flute and I really took to it. Like I still kept the sax around, but. Um, so I was kind of a know what the flute was my fast track to moving forward in the band program. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> And when you came to <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah, so basically, so when we started, I was at Grundy school, my sixth grade year, so we had one year of elementary band, and then we went straight to the junior high after a <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> year of sixth grade.<�/p> <�p>I guess I meant professionally, like when you came back after college. Oh, gotcha, gotcha, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> yeah. Yeah, pretty much. I had taught for a semester in District 150 as a permanent sub. And that was great. And then when Bob left the post of assistant band director at the high school, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> the word left is fun. You resigned.<�/p> <�p>No, it was like vacate because we have a real teacher here. <�/p> <�p>Yeah. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> So yeah. So my very first year here at Morton was the assistant band director of high school. And that was also combined with the general music at Letty Brown. Oh, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> so that was his vacated <�span style="color:#808080">[00:07:00]<�/span> position. The assistant band director of the high school was and that was good because like Katrina was great So that was a good that was a good exchange and I wanted to be in a social studies classroom anyway Right you know just finding that job helped out <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> but right right, right <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah And then so pretty much and then our both Bob and I we had the same former junior high band director and his name was Rick Skowronski He was retiring and so after a year of working in the assistant job in at Letty Brown And this job with opened and I kind of him and hot around it for a while because I really liked being at the high school with the marching man in the concert bands at the high school.<�/p> <�p>And I love the students at Letty Brown. We had a lot of fun that year, but we as a staff even back then knew that in order for the high school band to be successful, the junior needs to start <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> at the junior high. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah. And just building the consistency, just making sure that everyone had the same vision.<�/p> <�p>From the day the students join the program from the day that the students graduate from the program So that would have been my second year, which would have been <�span style="color:#808080">[00:08:00]<�/span> 2003 <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> how many years you've been in now? I think this is <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> 22 When you hear those numbers so I said out loud, I think this is my 22nd year, okay, or my 20 23rd It's sorry.<�/p> <�p>It's 23rd. Okay, 23rd. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Okay. That was one of the best hires our district ever made Was it true for the junior high position? No, because everything I mean it you've taught at that building Yeah, like Katrina's Kind of positivity emanates and connects a lot of people there. Absolutely. And it's, and it's just contagious to <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> you have to be cut from a special cloth to deal with middle school kids. <�/p> <�p>And you were, and it fit, it just fit perfectly. Like of the people that I was so happy to see every day going to work, you were at the top of that list. I mean there were like five people at the junior high school that I just like, I would die for. And you, Wellenreiter, Pete Martin I could go, Jen Rabe, Jen Dawson, you know those are my faves.<�span style="color:#808080">[00:09:00]<�/span> <�/p> <�p>And I could go on through some of the administration too and loved working there. And, but you don't love everybody you work with. You could just get along with some of them. And I wouldn't say that I ever hated anybody that I worked with or even disliked anybody that I worked with.<�/p> <�p>I liked everybody, but I mean, Katrina seeing you every day. I guess I didn't see every day. We were at opposite ends of the building, but when I did see you, when I did see you, it was like, I don't know, a shooting star <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> kind of words. Thank you. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> I like in Katrina walking when we walk in or when I walk in the morning for a sixth grade band, Katrina is like, it doesn't really matter how my day is going.<�/p> <�p>I walk in there and I'm like, Oop, shot of expresso. Cause Katrina's on. Yeah. You know what I mean? And so it's like I walk by that on my way to the percussion room and I'm like, well Like we get your day is now defined how Katrina is doing. Yeah Yeah, I mean it's and it's like it's like it's time to get things done cuz <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Part of the <�span style="color:#808080">[00:10:00]<�/span> blessing of us having worked together for so long is we've got over 20 years of jokes.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Ah, that is true That's deep bag. Yeah. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> No, that means it doesn't matter It's <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> it's <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> all funny. It's it's all funny and we can basically from the moment he walks in the door. I can look at him in today's joke is <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> bang. Yeah. Exactly. It's <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> true. It is. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> It's a blessing. It really is. It's like the kids have no clue what's going on.<�/p> <�p>Yeah. And that's also the charm for the inside jokes. Oh, yeah. All <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> they see is two adults there. Smiling and dancing at the front of the room. And they're like, I found what power <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> you have in that moment. Right. It's cool. Infinite power. I <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> thought we were learning concert G today. No, but you <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> have their interests.<�/p> <�p>Yeah. They're, they want to learn something. Yeah. We're bringing, yeah. Usually a lot of jokes from best in show. That's a great film. <�/p> <�p>And SNL. Yeah, absolutely. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> So it didn't take you guys very long. You said 23 years. And then just prior to a start in the podcast, you said you guys have been.<�/p> <�p>Like running the boards for 19 years. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> So that didn't <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> take real long to get up to speed. <�span style="color:#808080">[00:11:00]<�/span> <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> At the time it seemed like a long time, you know what I mean? Like when you're in your younger twenties, you're like, oh my gosh, again. But yeah, by the time, it was 2005 when the band won Illinois State for the first time in Class 2A.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> So let's do some name dropping real quick. I don't want to risk the chance of Like discounting some of the other key players we've just got Katrina and Bob in here, but like Bob, take a turn, call out a couple of names. And then Katrina and what do these people mean to the bands?<�/p> <�p>I want to call it a system because it's not the junior high. It's not the high school. You guys are linked, fused. So do you want like kind of currently like right now or even through the process? Oh, okay. I mean, even as even as early on people who have maybe come and gone and sure done a touch and go. <�/p> <�p>But who are some of these key players maybe earlier on and then maybe let Katrina finish with who are the current big players now. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Yeah. No, I think I do really think you have to go back to our high school band director, Bernie Potter. I mean, he 100%. You know, he he was, you know, he <�span style="color:#808080">[00:12:00]<�/span> was, you I think really instrumental because both of us went through the program and he was intent on having good groups and he worked really hard on, on the marching man side, on the jazz side, on the concert side.<�/p> <�p>And so I think a lot of my passion. Came from being part of his groups. And then and then we were all just kind of lucky. We Katrina and I we went to high school together. I was two years older than you. Still are. Yeah. Still. Yeah. That's the way that works.<�/p> <�p>And then we kind of all just got thrown in together like Katrina and Craig, her husband and I, and then the director at that time was Jeff Neavor. And we were just, we were all just kids, you know, we were all just kids trying to. And we were able to figure out how to make you know how to make improvements <�span style="color:#808080">[00:13:00]<�/span> and hit goals that when we were in high school seemed just ethereal and yeah, I mean, and we've had a lot of kind of staff come and go that were super important. <�/p> <�p>We've had, you know, color guard instructors and pit instructors and administrators, right. That helped us along the way to grow things. Chuck Nagel is a great example of an administrator. He did so much behind the scenes. He did so much for, to to, to propel. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Go Chuck.<�/p> <�p>Yeah. For real. Yeah. I bump into Chuck every once in a while. He officiates. Oh yeah. Yeah. I think he officiates basketball. Okay. Maybe. And so I'll bump into him at an official's conference every once in a while. Oh no, track. He does track. Yeah. So no he was a really positive early supporter that helped us get some <�/p> <�p>things going.<�/p> <�p>We've had, and for the listeners who don't know, he was the principal at the junior high school when I first got there. So that was 2004 <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> in my first year <�span style="color:#808080">[00:14:00]<�/span> as well. In 2003. Yeah. Okay. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Yeah. And he had been there prior to that. Mm-Hmm. . <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> So, yeah. And so I think and then we've just had some parents over the years that, that.<�/p> <�p>Hopped on board with the vision and just really just made it so that we could focus on teaching and that we could focus on the kids stuff. So I guess Jim and Jenny Kloppenstein would probably be a really good example of a set of parents that really went. All in, and I guess, I don't know, just kind of getting more up to presence we've had some other kind of head band directors come and go, and I think all of them, all of them found ways to keep pushing this program and keep the expectations high.<�/p> <�p>So we've been really lucky and at the same time, we've been really lucky to teach together and grow together the core of people that have been around. So that's my list. I know I'm forgetting like so many people. Yeah. <�span style="color:#808080">[00:15:00]<�/span> It's hard when <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> you're asked to make a list like this, cause you're going to leave here and you're going to be driving home and you'll be like, Oh, I forgot.<�/p> <�p>So, you know, so, and so, but I think it's important to notice and Katrina, I want you to take a turn doing this too. But it's important to note that in a program. That this is a sum of parts not a sum of individual people, but it's a sum of of all of the parts and the efforts that are put in from both sides, from the parenting side, from the kids and then the administrators.<�/p> <�p>I mean, there's just a lot, just so dynamic. We could sit here for minutes and minutes and kind of discuss all the moving parts. But Katrina, as of lately who are some names that are part of this larger picture? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Right now, let's go ahead. I'm going to stick with the parents just for a second because it was really occurring to me as we were traveling with the band this year, whether it's been to St.<�/p> <�p>Louis, which is our national regional or ISU, we needed 41 passes to get on the field. And half of the parents that traveled with us didn't go down on the field. Like we needed a pit crew of over 50 parents to <�span style="color:#808080">[00:16:00]<�/span> put us on the road. <�/p> <�p>Wow. And <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> then when you think about it, like, Almost every parent in the band does something at some point in time during the season.<�/p> <�p>And some parents, it's almost a full time job. It's <�/p> <�p>amazing. Like <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Natalie Friend, she was in charge of the invitational this year that brought in basically the funding it takes for us to go on to next year. And then Nicole Potts helps, like organizes and like manages the money. Kurt Smith, of course, our president.<�/p> <�p>And then Anne Bradford and Tim Bradford, they're the head chaperones. There are so many things that happen behind the scenes that They will deal with what the students before it even comes to us. Yeah So it's almost like a line of defense So like you said we can teach we can direct we can make sure that the show is spectacular as we want it to be And it's the parents who are organizing the transportation, working on the parking, getting the meals, working on the special diets for the students that have allergies.<�/p> <�p>Did that happen <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> just organically? I mean, or was there some sort of like a hand me down of a torch system established at some point? <�span style="color:#808080">[00:17:00]<�/span> <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> I think it's it was really just who wants to jump in like a great examples, like Matt Milby that works over I'm not, I'm not welding the props at night.<�/p> <�p>Like, you know his kids got into the program. He's had a couple in there and just I think he started just helping with whatever props that we had, but then we were just so fortunate to have a guy in him That is handy and is passionate and knows how to build things and knows how to fix things.<�/p> <�p>And he's been doing that for <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> years, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> four or five years, maybe more. I think maybe even more. And now he's a leader there and just watching our prop parents putting stuff together, tearing stuff down, painting things, repairing things it's. We have our own little army and it's honestly amazing and we're so grateful I <�span style="color:#808080">[00:18:00]<�/span> mean, we know just talking to Like Andy Empey our new director How fortunate we are that we get to focus on teaching because in a lot of programs it isn't that.<�/p> <�p>It's the band director or the staff that's up there putting together props or painting props or taking them apart or just any and all of the things that Katrina said were really fortunate and that's, we're lucky. So we're talking about involved parents, I mean, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> yeah. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> It's as much theirs is it is anyone just because like the amount of time that they have or they make to invest.<�/p> <�p>It's not that they have the time. They're making the time to invest. Was <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> it always like that? I imagine that this is this has to be something that has perpetuated from success. And so I mean, early on this correct me if I'm wrong. This may not have been as robust as it is now. And so here you are 19 years later after your first I is it a championship state title?<�/p> <�p>Right. And so then after that, that the next year I would imagine comes, it comes along a little bit more <�span style="color:#808080">[00:19:00]<�/span> easily with a little bit more willingness and servitude towards this larger entity of the band for their kids. Am I right in guessing that? <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yeah, there are so many, through conversations we've had with some of the parents, they're so thankful that their students have a program where they can be successful.<�/p> <�p>And they're willing, like you said, to invest. Make that happen for their kids and knowing that they had a part in their student success, even though it was hard work on the student's part, the parents were able to be right there by their side. There's not many activities, whether you're, like, if you're in athletics, well, yeah, you can coach your kid's team, but not everyone can be a coach, nor does everyone want 50 parents trying to coach.<�/p> <�p>Yeah, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> but it's like this is a place where people whether it be uniform sewing or washing the uniforms, everyone can share their talents. You'll <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> take it. Yes. I think it's one of those things too. It's like, I mean, you know, Ben with having kids, there's no greater feeling in the world than seeing your kid happy.<�/p> <�p>Yeah. And being able to like kind of take part in that a little bit. What we've learned <�span style="color:#808080">[00:20:00]<�/span> over the years with our band parents is that, I mean these are parents that, you know, when these kids were little, maybe they did. Yeah. Or maybe they did dance or maybe they did kind of all these competitive things.<�/p> <�p>And sometimes that just doesn't shake out. You know what I mean? Like some kids grow, some kids don't but the competitive spirit, right? The ability to go and see your kids shine in the thing that they have the aptitude for. I've often said that I don't know if any of us would really be as involved in this activity as we are if there wasn't a competitive angle to it.<�/p> <�p>And so I do think that success has bred more involvement and I think all of it stems from being, everybody wants something to hang their hat on, you know and we've been lucky enough to have. enough help to build something where people can hang their head on it. So it's been cool. So when you say these things, the only way for me to understand it is to kind of <�span style="color:#808080">[00:21:00]<�/span> put it in the context of sports and you mentioned soccer and things like that, you know so with that every season comes across and there's bumps along the way.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Are there any really large challenges that you guys over these 19 years that have been like, Oh man we got past that. I didn't, I don't know if maybe we were going to. Or has it been just pretty smooth sailing and just easy? I <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> would say two that come to mind. Obviously, I know 2020 hit everyone hard.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Okay, <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> COVID, but being like fearful that we would not be able to start sixth graders. And I know we've talked about the importance of <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> starting on time. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yes. And to me, it's like, and all I can, all we could do is calculate three years down the road if you don't start them. And if they don't have those three years of development and training, It's kind of a wash for three years.<�/p> <�p>Yeah, your mind will just kind of, I don't, I'm not saying throw it all in now, but that was certainly something we worked through and are the administration here in town was great. We were still able to start. It wasn't full on, <�span style="color:#808080">[00:22:00]<�/span> but I think getting through that and coming up with different ways to recruit sixth graders, since you couldn't go into the classrooms, you had to do go outside.<�/p> <�p>We had to get sterile mouthpieces for like we divide the 30 mouthpieces. So there was enough for every kid in the class to have something like. So we had the way to get through, and we had the students investment too, because nothing's more heartbreaking than looking at a senior class and telling them, Yeah, this year we're not going to compete, this year we're not going to travel, this year all the experiences you've been waiting for.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> For your senior year. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> You don't get those. And that happened that year, didn't it? Yeah, and the seniors, they all stayed. They basically were like, You stayed anyways. This year, you know what we're going to do? We're going to rehearse. That's after we told them like, you get to rehearse this year. Yay. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> And that lands differently for the juniors and the sophomores, but those seniors, they're like, man, this is what I've built.<�/p> <�p>These last three years of experience for this senior year. That's <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> brutal. They were amazing because <�span style="color:#808080">[00:23:00]<�/span> the message was like twofold. It, we were really lucky that we had that group that embraced this idea that. The job now is legacy, you know, establishing a legacy. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> It's bigger than your senior year, you <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> know?<�/p> <�p>And not only did that help them and us through that season, but then the next season when competition resumed every show, I was like, we're doing it for those seniors, right? This is their shot. You guys are their shot. To show what they could have shown their senior year. You're a living, walking reminder of the imprint that they've left.<�/p> <�p>So you got to go out there and you got to do them proud. And our kids were really motivated to do that, right? They were motivated to make sure that those seniors felt the love. It was that was but that was tough. It was a tough roadblock. So that was one. You said there were two. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yep 2013.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> <�span style="color:#808080">[00:24:00]<�/span> Okay. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> I <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> don't know where this is going. Escape yourself. Okay. Yeah. Mm <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> hmm. Okay, so up until 2013 because as a younger staff had a lot of energy had a lot of ideas and at the time the activity of the marching arts I'm trying to think, it wasn't as pageantry oriented as it is now. You could go out there with a good idea, and well rehearsed students, and you could do really well.<�/p> <�p>But then as WGA, that's like a winter guard scene, and winter percussion, and inevitably winter winds, as that began to take hold in the spring, which our programs, we don't have, The shows that were being designed became more and more involved. And I don't want to say more intelligent. I don't want to say more creative.<�/p> <�p>But it just took a lot more time and layers and expertise to design a show that would elevate the student's performance to be noticed at the state level. And we, it was hard as a staff realizing that my ideas aren't good enough. Or at least my <�span style="color:#808080">[00:25:00]<�/span> ideas with the time I have to spend aren't good enough. And so we had to make a hard decision to let some things within the design process go because for years Craig would write Drill, Jeff Niebuhr before that, and we would design our shows and cope with the ideas.<�/p> <�p>And I know you were part of some of them, like Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Powerful Beyond Measure. Yeah. And they were fantastic shows. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> There was one about time. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> Yes yes. And they, so like, but then we realized we needed someone with more expertise in having. I don't want to say it was just a hard decision to let go to gain.<�/p> <�p>I guess if that makes sense, and we almost didn't let it go, right? And that's when we almost we barely won that 10th year by less than a fraction of a point. And I think that's when we're like, it's <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> it's time to change. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> You have to evolve and be smart enough to realize that's where we're at. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> I think that would be my hardest also is that to stay involved.<�/p> <�p>In an activity that is constantly evolving. You have to, you, <�span style="color:#808080">[00:26:00]<�/span> it's so hard because you're so passionate about what you do. Everybody's opinionated, you know and you've been doing it for a while. To really be able to sit and look at something that you did and say, That's not good enough. It's not good enough, or I need to change, Or for the good of this show, this thing that I really, really love is not helping.<�/p> <�p>And even though I love it, it's got to go. You got to put your ego aside. Yeah. I <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#DE4A1D">Katrina:<�/strong> think that's what it is. Putting the ego aside. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> To do it well is really hard and it's very, it's a very humbling process and that, that ability to deal with that. Has not been a straight line path I know for me a hundred percent and it's still something that I have to deal with when I'm involved and I have an opinion and I'm like no, this is the right way to to do it to be able to say, well, okay, let's step back.<�/p> <�p>Let's zoom out. Let's take the drone up and look at the <�span style="color:#808080">[00:27:00]<�/span> big picture and then realize, am I right? Or am I wrong? Or does it really matter? And is this where I need to be putting my energy? So I think it's been for all of us a process of doing that. And it's hard because it's your pride.<�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> Before we jump into the modern picture of your band this past season, I wanted to ask you a questions and a couple of things. Both of you have taken turns saying has kind of brought me to ask this question. Like, where do you get those chops from? Like you mentioned something in.<�/p> <�p>Was it 2020? It's like this is the legacy to be able to be present in that moment in front of this audience of kids who you know, have a pain point and to be able to say this isn't about you. Like that takes guts. That takes a certain kind of stoic wisdom and then you know, where is that? Is that just something that you think is something that you've.<�/p> <�p>Meshed together through all <�span style="color:#808080">[00:28:00]<�/span> the people who have influenced you or is that come from something a book? another director a Combination of influences in your life Bob <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Well, I think I mean there's two things that keep me going with this and number one is Just the kids. I mean it I tell I make a joke all the time I'm like the reason that I'm gonna live until I'm 85 is because I've been Siphoning your youth and energy.<�/p> <�p>I mean, they have been 23 for 19 years. Exactly. Yeah. I mean they are just, they're so funny and they're so, they're just witty and they love each other openly and support each other and they're passionate and when you work with, when you work with kids like that, That makes you want to come back and work.<�/p> <�p>I just enjoy all the moments that I'm with them. And I tell them all the time, I really do. I try to tell them like, guys, I'm just, I'm so blessed. I'm <�span style="color:#808080">[00:29:00]<�/span> like, You guys have no idea what it feels like to walk out on the field, just pouring gratitude, you guys, you know what I mean? It just and just so fortunate.<�/p> <�p>And then I think the other side of it is being able to do it with my family, right. Being able to do it with my kids. That, that all three of them now have rotated through the program and having the support of my wife when even when I was young and there were no kids yet, you know?<�/p> <�p>Mm-Hmm. Or they were too little to be involved just to say. You know, we're building this for them and that sounds really nice when that kid's coming into the freshman year, it sure doesn't sound nice when they're two and dad's gone, right? You know and so a lot. Yeah. And so really being able to like have the support of my family and I extend.<�/p> <�p>The concept of family to Craig and Katrina, Craig and Katrina are my brother and my sister just as much as my biological family is. And so getting to do <�span style="color:#808080">[00:30:00]<�/span> this with two people that are just so special. That you're going to grow old with together. I think that's what keeps me going. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#6600CC">Ben:<�/strong> I got some tissues over there for you.<�/p> <�p>I'm sorry. It's just a little dusty in here. I know man. It's that. I'm not crying. You're crying. So I, from what I hear you say there probably isn't any individual or a book or a movie or anything like that that you can point your finger at, but it's just a it's the ability to be able to be present. Yeah.<�/p> <�p>And to know that like, you know that this moment is bigger than me. Set your ego aside. Yeah, and be able to see the value in it for others. <�/p> <�p><�strong style="color:#72B372">Bob:<�/strong> Yeah I think the point of this podcast, right, is to recognize things in our community and it is that I feel like <�span style="background-color:#00aaff26">I know we only have a little bit of time to, to do our thing on this earth and to be able to know that we're doing something that, that is really impactful for