RIP George Parks (UMass Band/Drum Major Academy)

[stowfan]

Here's a weird one for Michigan's game tomorrow: My son is a 15 year old sophomore at Cuyahoga Falls High School. The school, Falls played in football this week has a significant Jewish population in the school district. In observance of the Yum Kippur high holy day, Falls High hosted the game (Thursday) last night.

When I dropped my son off for the game, there were several large over the highway buses in an already crowded school parking lot. The luggage compartments on the buses were open, and loaded with sleeping bags. It looked like a bunch of college kids on a camping trip.

I asked the policeman directing traffic what was going on? He told me that the University of Mass. band stopped here on their way to Michigan. As I drove away it dawned on me, UMass was playing Michigan in football on Saturday. Here's a link to what happened::(

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/103145459.html

 

[colobuck79]

Here's a link to what happened::(

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/103145459.html

Damn. :(

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Here's a weird one for Michigan's game tomorrow: My son is a 15 year old sophomore at Cuyahoga Falls High School. The school, Falls played in football this week has a significant Jewish population in the school district. In observance of the Yum Kippur high holy day, Falls High hosted the game (Thursday) last night.

When I dropped my son off for the game, the were several large buses in an already crowded school parking lot.
The luggage compartments on the buses were open, and it looked like a bunch of college kids on a camping trip.
I asked the police man directing traffic what was going on?

He told me that the University of Mass. band was here on there way to Michigan. As I drove away it dawned on me that
UMass was playing Michigan on Saturday. Here's a link to what happened::(

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/103145459.html

Jeeeeeez. :(

(At least it happened before he he had to set foot in Michigan.)

 

[Deety]

Here's a weird one for Michigan's game tomorrow: My son is a 15 year old sophomore at Cuyahoga Falls High School. The school, Falls played in football this week has a significant Jewish population in the school district. In observance of the Yum Kippur high holy day, Falls High hosted the game (Thursday) last night.

When I dropped my son off for the game, the were several large buses in an already crowded school parking lot.
The luggage compartments on the buses were open, and it looked like a bunch of college kids on a camping trip.
I asked the police man directing traffic what was going on?

He told me that the University of Mass. band was here on there way to Michigan. As I drove away it dawned on me that
UMass was playing Michigan on Saturday. Here's a link to what happened::(

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/103145459.html

That's George Parks, of the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy, which many, perhaps most, of Ohio's drum majors have attended. I have a friend, an orchestral conductor, who would go back there to teach in the summers and always came back with a completely renewed sense of enthusiasm for his work. He said the discipline and work ethic and plain old love of music he saw at those camps was astounding... clearly it was something very special. This is someone who will truly be missed.