"Three pints?" said Arthur. "At lunchtime?"
The man next to Ford grinned and nodded happily. He said, "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
-Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Thank God for September.

I went out to Gahanna for the high school alumni band night this evening. The Lions were completely thrashed by DeSales Stallions, but I had a great time anyway. When I arrived, I found that the directors had brought my old trombone over from the middle school for me to play. It was my first instrument in 4th-8th grade, and I continued playing it in the marching band and jazz band until I graduated high school. I was very touched that they thought of me. The event felt a little different this year, with Jeff Shellhammer not there, but I was very impressed with the way Rob Cebriak has assumed the leadership role. Clearly, the quality of the program will progress as he and the rest of the staff continue to do great things. The new teacher they hired to fill the low brass spot is Jonathan Bradshaw, the husband of Rachel (DeVries) Bradshaw (class of ~2004). With Jonathan Bradshaw, Greg Miller (Chuck Miller's son, class of 1993), and Kevin Dengel (class of 2002) all teaching there now, it's great to see the traditions and legacy of the Gahanna instrumental music program continue to grow as one generation passes the reins to the next.

Congratulations to Rick Blatti, Associate Director of Bands at OSU, for being appointed Interim Director of the School of Music. Further congratulations to Tim Leasure, Assistant Professor of Trumpet, for being appointed interim Associate Director of the School of Music. I'm looking forward to next year!