Wednesday night of this week, the Tribe FINALLY managed to string together three measley wins in a row with one against the Devil Rays. (At least they didn't wait until June for that!) (And yeah, I still call them that) Their timing couldn't have been better. After all, it sent the message that if this year's hapless Tribe can string three in a row together, then surely the far more capable Cavs can do the same.
The Cavs three game streak began last night. (now they only need to win two in a row... a much easier proposition) I predict the Cavs won't lose another until maybe game 3 or 4 against the Lakers and that will be the final loss of the season for the soon to be NBA champs. That's right, they'll be only the 9th out of nearly 200 playoff teams to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series. They're THAT special. I feel bad for Orlando fans this Saturday night. Life will truly suck for them as they prepare to come back to Cleveland to have their season ended!!
Another, far more interesting note to me:
Wadsworth High School band legend Sam Mayes retires at the end of this school year after 30 years of teaching and directing, 27 of it at Wadsworth, the last 9 at the Central Intermediate School where my daughter plays clarinet in the 5th grade band and sings in the 5th/6th grade choir.
Mr. Mayes came to Wadsworth by way of Coventry, a neighboring district, and there, by way of Indiana University of Pennsylvania(where he played trombone, Ray.) He even joined the "trombone line" last night to play the featured parts of Slip and Slide with about 15 5th grade trombonists? tromboners (no, that can't be it).
I was too dumb to have figured out that I could have passed some of my high school prison sentence playing an instrument for free rather than sitting in class, so I only knew Mr. Mayes from a student's perspective as that goofy new guy with bozo the clown hair. He came to WHS and took over as band director my senior year.
I knew him from a parent's perspective through two daughters in his band. He was the guy who somehow kept the band's population steady at nearly 50% of the class's populations. That's over 150 kids in both the 5th and 6th grade bands. They were so big that neither class/band had any space to practice as one unit except the performance stage, which was only cleared for use during concerts so they practiced in chunks. I also knew him as the guy who created the first 6th grade Jazz band in the school's history, populating it with nearly 50 kids... who always play Louie Louie as part of their Spring concert... and always feature solos from brave students (last year there were 7 solos but only 3 last night... SOLOS, by SIXTH graders in jazz band!!)
5th and 6th grade is a remarkable time for band kids. The school year starts with strange, scary, often annoying noises coming from their instruments, but the CIS band staff somehow manages to pick the right songs and steer the kids into delivering solid, if not occasionally amazing performances. Last night's final concert fell into the amazing category. My wife and I kept assuring ourselves that both the 5th and 6th grade bands weren't just AS good as many high school bands we've heard, they were truly better. I don't know if they kicked it up for Mr. Mayes's last show, or if the program is simply that rock solid, but it has never been a chore to attend these concerts. It has always been a pleasure. Last night was exemplary.
The auditorium they play in won't hold all of the parents from both grade levels, so they kick the 5th grade parents out after the band is done, then the combined choir sings (over 100 kids, all of whom come in an hour before school for every practice) and then they kick parents out again and then the 6th graders and the Jazz band finish the show. Mr. Mayes and his three bands received three standing ovations last night. They were the first in my memory at these concerts.
For me, being part of all three was a small thank you to him and to all the teachers who put in that kind of effort, that kind of magic over the course of an all too often unforgiving, thankless career. If you watched Mr. Mayes for more than about 30 seconds at a concert, you could instantly see his was a labor of love, but it's still a tough job that never gets the credit it deserves... not in pay and certainly not in respect.
Mr. Mayes is one of many examples of what's great about public education, what's so important that music remain a part of it, and a reminder that most of the people involved with it are VERY good at what they do... even if they don't all achieve his level of success.
Luth,
Out
