My plans for 2026-2027 SOT leadership :D!

 YOOO YOOOO SUPER AWESOME BLOG REEADERSSS!!!!!! 

woahh! Emi!!! ur making blogs left and right!!!!!!

yes bro I finally have a weekend to myself what do u expect

Today I have been RELAXINGGGG. MUCH MUCH MUCH NEEDED RELAXATION! My junior year is junior yearing me in the booty right now so the fact I finally have 2 days to just breathe for a little bit is genuinely awesome to me. WAHOO!!! 

As you guys probabblyyy know yeah I definitely mentioned it here somewhere, I have applied once more to be a leader for my schools band program! I did it last year and had a pretty awesome time, so why not do it again with a little more experience and confidence under my belt? :D In this post I'll be giving you all and most importantly myself a nice lil rundown of what I intend to accomplish during most importantly the marching season if I get chosen for saxophone section leader and woodwind captain! YEAHAH!!!

PRE SEASON (MAY-JUNE)

If there's one thing I learned from last year's leadership, it's definitely the absolute importance of pre season. Pre season is the time where the tone for the rest of the season is set! It's when the incoming freshmen meet the new leaders, learn technique, many other new skills, and what it means to be a part of the SOT marching band. One big humongous thing that we as leadership lacked during The Light Within season was getting the new members to lock in, and that was mainly due to our diminishing confidence and self-assurance. In other words, we mainly failed in enforcing discipline, one of the most important traits you need as a member of the SOT. The problems leadership faced during TLW definitely applied to myself, specifically during pre season when I was new to the entire leadership thing and kept on continuously doubting my abilities.

 I wanted my main focus throughout my leadership to be in fostering connections and cultivating a community within my section, which I did eventually achieve (!) buttt it took a while for it to actually flourish. During the first few marching mini camp days and a singular pre camp day, and the entirety of early summer, I was actually really really nervous to begin getting to know my section. 

I wanted to make the freshmen and new members feel welcome and included and it wasn't until early-mid August when I finally locked in and starting talking to all my saxes, slowly but surely. Looking back...I'm glad I did all that! But I wish I did it earlier! Had I done so during May and during pre camp, I feel like the bond in my section could have been a bit stronger and things could have went a lil smoother. But you live and you learn! I am no longer summer of 2025 Emi, I am now spring of 2026 Emi, a more confident, well rounded version of that past Emi! And this Emi has some plans for this lovely pre season :]

SETTING THE TONE WITH WORDS BUT MOST OF ALL ACTION

Even if leadership isn't announced by then, I intend on setting the tone the first day of marching mini camp. My bestie westie Isa, CB'S future head drum major, is taking on this approach, and I got very inspired by it so I'm going to do the same! On day 1, DAY 1, I am immediately setting the example by being LOCKED IN, I feel like that's also something I could have done better after some self reflection these past couple of days. 
We yes we ARE enforcing discipline this year, and that all starts from leading with example. And also, now that I am more confident in doing so, I want to give a nice little introductory speech to my saxes! If the leadership list is released before mini camp, I will do it day 1, but if it's released after a couple days into it, I'll do it on the last day! Or maybe regardless I'll do it on the last day! We shall see what fits best :D My little speech could go something along the lines of this!

[insert pickup words like okay! or alright!] "Welcome or welcome back to marching band everyone! We are so excited to get this season up and running. I am Emi, this is Nick (or whoever else), and we will be your section leaders for this upcoming season. We'll be here to guide and help you guys with anything you need, so don't be scared to approach us, I promise we don't bite :D More info will be given out as time goes on, but know now that marching band is truly an experience you guys don't want to miss out on. If you're looking to foster life long connections, learn new things, improve mental and physical health, and win some cool trophies, then you're in the right place! [insert improv of other things thatd id like to mention] That'll be it for today! Thank you guys for showing up and have a good night!"

something snazzy like that :D

I definitely won't follow it word by word and will just go with the flow :] But I'd like to stick with this approach as I think we could have gave a better more welcoming introduction to our section, especially the newbies.

I've been told a couple times from some underclassmen that I seemed quite intimidating during the first few months of marching band and even though I do still want some of that intimidating aura to keep the new youngins in check, I also want to get rid of some of that fog and be friendly + welcoming first day!  

OH AND ALSO BEFORE I FORGET!!! During that little lovely speech of mine, I would also like to state right off the bat that the floor is open for feedback, suggestions, and comments at any time! I think it's incredibly important for the people in our section to have their own voices, not just the leaders. This is definitely something that I think could have 10000% been improved last year as I feel our sectionlings didn't have much say in what Nick and I were enforcing and doing. Even if I do turn out to be co-leader once more, that won't mean that I'll be more on the sidelines and agreeing with everything the main leader is doing, oh no sir! I will be enforcing some things that I believe is right as well, because this is ourrr section! Emphasis on our!

 

Even while I'm looking to be a little more authoritative and strict, I am also looking to be open to anything the saxes have to say about how things are working. For example, maybe during a sectional I could ask, "so what is one thing you guys think we should definitely dig in on today?" or during a little speech after a rehearsal I could ask "how did you guys feel about today's rehearsal?" "What's something that went awesome and what's something that went awfully bad so we can fix it? :D" I think little questions like that will go a long way in getting my people comfortable in speaking up and contributing to how our section works. This is an approach my brother took when he was leader and I would love to do something very similar to what he did as it allowed some band legends like Adrien to get in the spotlight and make their voices heard for the first time :]

STARTING UP SECTIONALS AND SOCIALS + MORE

Now with the marching mini camps out of the way, I'd like to also think about some of June even though I won't be there for most of pre-camp :D My family and I will be leaving for Europe and will be there for like 14 days (a little less than usual cause my papa has work). However! This won't stop the grind! Even though I'll be overseas and even though there will be no rehearsals after pre-camp, I'd like to give out our first playing assignment during the month of June.

this is me in spain :D

If my co-leader stays in town while I'm gone, I also would love to have him run a couple sectionals to work on music and most importantly technique. We did this exact same thing last summer and it went well so I'm keeping the approach :D Speaking of playing assignments! They were quite a problem during last year's season! I don't know much about other sections, but it was hard for us to get everybody in the saxes to send in their playing assignments on time, even though we made it clear that the consequence of not doing them would be laps at the next rehearsal. 

I feel like one thing that prompted some people in our section to not turn in their playing assignments was the fact that the "laps" they were supposed to get never happened. Some good ol inconsistency! This exact same thing happened during my sophomore year with some other leaders who were also quite very inconsistent, which made everything feel very disorganized. With our leadership during TLW, I admit there were a whole ton of things that felt quite disorganized and that's definitely something I want to change! If we say we will give laps to those who don't turn in their playing assignments, then we WILL give laps the very next rehearsal whether they like it or not! I could maybe also butt in another little consequence, like one senior sash point being taken away which can also be a good motivator :]

Apart from playing assignments and sectionals while I'm out of town, I would also like to start having socials and bonding time as soon as I get back from Europe! Last year we had our first social during early August, which isn't bad by any means but I would like to start them a bit earlier on in the season! (early-mid-ish) Summer is definitely THE time to have socials with your section and this year I would love to have more socials! 

The one we had in August was the only one we had the entire season BAHAHAH which is ironic because by the end of it all the saxes had a nice bond with each other. You don't necessarily NEEDD socials but they're def recommended to pu too because it's factual that the better you get along with your team, the better you all perform together when it's time to lock in :D I once more will be focusing on building a nice community within my section but this year I'm going above and beyond with it. Even though we will likely have a ton of saxes rolling in next year, we are still going to be a nice tight knit community who get along well with each other! At least for the most part! I can't force anyone who dislikes each other to suddenly start liking each other! You can not like some of your family members but that means you don't still love them!

Alrighty that'll be it for early summer movin on :D

oh also lol I can't believe I forgot to mention this throughout my yappening but please know that my plans I put up there for the saxes will also apply to the woodwinds if I become captain :D Yes we woodwinds will have socials if I am their captain and yes we will be the best section at the bay :D

EARLY SEASON (JULY-AUG)

HAVING A FUN ASS PARADE

Now this is when things start getting real! By this time I will be back home and events like the July 4th Parade, summer evening rehearsals and mid summer camp days will be up and running! During last year's July 4th I was still super nervous with getting to know my saxes, and I could tell some of them were super nervous with me! This year we are making the parade 10x more fun and 10x less scary for the newbies! 

If we have to wait a hellish amount of time like we did last year, I instead will spark up some conversation with the youngins + other members to bond some more! Hopefully by then I'll have talked to them at least once but if not that's what we're doin! I am not a social guru by any means but I've learned a thing or two after last year and now am happy to say that I'm pretty confident in sparking up any conversation with either a close friend or an acquaintance that I only talked to once :] After the parade, I'd like to have a nice short little social at any restaurant (probably Yum Korea) with any saxes/woodwinds who are able to stick around for a bit! This will be announced a couple days before the parade so people can sort out times and stuff if they're in need of a ride :] Even if it's going to be hot as balls during the parade, I believe it is still a really hecking fun experience that could definitely be topped off with a fun social!

THE GREAT POST-PARADE, PRE-MIDSUMMER CAMP LOCK IN

After the 4th of July Parade, I'd love to have either some conditioning days (if band captain isn't already holding them every weekend), or a couple sectionals to get us ready for the summer evening rehearsals and mid summer camp! There will be a pretty big gap between the parade and those rehearsals so I really would like to take the opportunity and get things rollin before the season begins season-ing. Reflecting on last season, I've noticed that we really didn't have that many sectionals and I think now that it's definitely pretty important to get with my section every once in a while to really dig in on anything we need to work on so we can come back to the next rehearsal the best we can be :D Even if we had like 2 sectionals outside of practice last year, I've noticed that after each one, my section came back the next week with their skills significantly improved which was awesome to see! 

this was a goated sectional

i need more of these but in the summer :D

THE SENIOR SASH

Now for when the actual summer night rehearsals and midsummer camp days roll around, I plan on introducing the almighty senior sash to my section! This has worked on a couple people in my section last year as the ultimate motivator to do well during rehearsal and I would love to bring it back for that reason :]! This nice little tradition was started way back in 2021 when my brother was section leader! He brought out a sash from his graduating class and told his saxes that he would give it to whoever did the best during rehearsal that day. The person who gets the sash will be able to take it home and just admire it in all its glory and even sign it to make their mark! The tradition of the sash has survived ever since and has been used by other leaders during my past years in SOT which was beautiful to see :] Now it's my turn!

Or I mean it HAS been my turn! :D Last year my co-leader and I absolutely said YES to bringing back the sash because the leaders during our freshman year used it and we loved it more than anything! We promised that at the end of the season, whoever has received the sash the most will be able to keep it for the rest of the school year and will receive a nice prize from the both of us! Throughout TLW, the sash was passed around many many times, and even while it motivated our saxes and got them happy whenever they received it, we uhhh kinda maybe failed in executing the promise that we made [nervous emoji]

 Nobody minded, and even though we have no idea who has the sash right now, I am happy with how we used it throughout the season :] The ending of it all though is one example of some of the disorganization that we faced last season. It wasn't AWFUL but still, significant improvements could have been made. And so this year, we are definitely bringing that sash back but I'll absolutely ensure to make the best of it! As a nearly retired Valdivia passing down the tradition of a retired Valdivia, it is my duty to make the senior sash SO GOATED, that my sectionlings who are planning on becoming leaders in the future will use it with their very own sectionlings!

This time around, the sash will be introduced earlier, in person, with the same promise that WILL be kept, and each sash recipient of the day will be posted on the sax insta as a special little feature that they will likely appreciate! This year we're taking this white piece of silk SERIOUSLY and I so mean that! Like last year, I'll be keeping count of who gets the sash in the description of the WhatsApp chat so I can stay on track while my sectionlings can stay updated! As for the prize!

i just came up with a pretty awesome idea

i love being creative cuz it literally leaks into everything i do

For the prize I am thinking of releasing a google form right after I introduce the senior sash that asks "what gift would you want to receive if you win the senior sash? (5-10 dollars)" IT'S PERFECT! That way, not only will my saxes be even MORE motivated to win by the end of the season, but they will also receive a nice little personalized gift that they will cherish for hopefully a long time! Yay!

THE DOT BOOKS

Ohhh baby boy this is something that definitely needs to be addressed right neow as it was such a problem in my section and the horn line as a whole last year. See, in order to learn our dots well and memorize our show a whole ton easier, each person in the marching band including perc and colorguard (excluding pit) MUST have dot books. THIS IS NON NEGOTIABLE!!!!! Unfortunately though, last year in our section we had a couple people who never brought their dot book to rehearsal and I feel as if part of that is on me and my co-leader. This year we are doing regular dot book checks, and whoever does not have them shall face the consequences and run laps. Our head drum major Isa will also be doing this regularly too, so I expect to keep the use of our lovely dot books organized and consistent, with no one refusing to bring it to rehearsal!

THE WOODWIND BOWLING SOCIAL

we are having a woodwind bowling social.

THE SAX JERSEYS

This is a very important topic!! Last year, Nick and I made some really sick ass sax jerseys for each person in our section to wear out during rehearsals or school or anywhere else they'd like!

Originally we were having a t-shirt design contest as it was a tradition with past saxes but after having a vote, we switched it around and made jerseys and I have to be honest, I liked the idea way better :D This year I absolutely would love to have us wear jerseys again, and thankfully the ones that Nick and I picked and made aren't specifically designed to align with TLW theme! Soooo that means we can just make new ones for the rookies and have the vets keep wearing their old ones! Not only would this save money it would also save a whole ton of time so I'm all for it if my co-leader and the rest of the section is all for it too :]

MOVING ONNNNNNNNN!!

MID SEASON (AUG-SEPT)

PRE-PEFORMANCE TIME

This time of the season is the calm before the storm arc that you see in some shonen anime :D Football games are starting up, and competition season is rolling around. This means it's time for me and my co-leader to hold some sectionals to get our saxes ready to perform! I feel like this is something that was SOSOSOSOOSO absolutely needed for our newbies last year as by the time our first football game started to roll around, NONE of the new marchers felt prepared to perform well. 

This is changing! At least for my lovely section! During these pre football game and comp sectionals I will be focusing mostly on marching technique since that is something we lacked on in terms of visuals last year and is definitely SO important in making a marching performance amazing and unforgettable. I will also go over any movements and choreo so my sectionlings can go into next performance feeling completely confident in the count structures and how to execute their squills well! Full runs of the show (so far) will be rehearsed as well to enhance their confidence even more :] For this, I may get a good speaker to use to play the show music loud enough for everybody to hear while on the field (tequesta park). 

I'm looking to have some really awesome and fun football games with my saxes, and as I have been doing, throughout the entire time I'll be focusing on my tenors and making sure they're doing okay while also have the most fun ever with them :] This is the time of season I am most excited for.

I mean yeah that's highkey it :D

END OF SEASON (OCT-NOV)

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

OKAY WE ARE GETTING VERY VERY REAL NOW. Football games and comps are EVERYWHERE and finals is slowly rearing its ugly head! There is nothing specific that I am planning to do throughout this time period besides sectionals, senior sash, all that. One thing though that I would like to do after every rehearsal (especially the hard ones since things are getting real) is send nice, encouraging messages to the sax gc! I feel like a lot of my sectionlings will appreciate my positive words, as marching does indeed get super hard at times. I sure as hell have been in many bad places during seasons myself, and during those times I want nothing but some pep and encouragement. I sent out messages like these last year but this time I want to crank it up a bit and spread even more positivity around my section and keep them motivated :]

exhibit A! I love spreading my optimism and whimsy and such :D

THE END (THE SENTIMENTAL PART WHERE I WRITE PERSONAL LETTERS TO EACH PERSON IN MY SECTION)

By this point, the marching season is coming to a close! We performed at prelims, made it to finals (saying it now), and had a blast at universal or wherever else we choose to go! During this time I would love to make personalized letters to each person within my section, newbie or vet. Since I will be a senior, and since this will be my last marching season forever and ever (OH MY GOD), I feel like this will be something that I ABSOLUTELY need to do :] My section leaders during my freshman year did this and I still hold their letters close to my heart to this very day. Those guys and they way they led us kept me going through all of last year and they will continue to keep me going until I finish out marching with a bang :]

POST SEASON (DEC)

we will be having a secret santa :D

EMI'S PLAN: COMPLETE!

OKIE DOKES THAT IS ALL! PHEW!! I quite literally spent all of Saturday and most of today (sunday april 26th) writing and finishing up this blog and man am I glad I wrote this. Leadership is still a little bit daunting to me but I am glad for all the experience I gained last year and I am absolutely more than ready to make my last season the best one ever for not only myself but most importantly my saxes and woodwinds :] 

As for now though I must get ready for bed because tomorrow is a B day and that means I have to wake up early! This time around I am finally not drowning in homework so I can literally just brush my teeth, use the bathroom and HIT THE HAY! So excited!!!

Oki :D

Buenas noches blawg <3 Eu te amo muito!

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this message is definitely not here for a special reason:

woodwinds typically don't have sectionals due to being SO many people but as captain I will have the authority to get other woodwind leaders to lock in and have sectionals with their own people! Oli did the same to me along with the clarinet leader last year and that's an approach I wanna take too :D Actually now that I'm saying this I should definitely either keep this sentence here or plug it into my yappening up there

naw im just gonna keep it here :D Yay!