Sunday, May 21, 2006

Practice with Hodogaya Marching Band


On May 21st, we practiced at Yokohama Shiritsu Hodogaya elementary school, and we had practice together with Hodogaya’s marching band club. We demonstrated our methods of warming-ups and exercises, and enjoyed practicing with the youngsters.

At first, we were all nervous. Although some of our members were teachers, the rest of us don’t usually have any opportunities to interact with such young students in their daily lives. As we practiced together under the beautiful spring weather, our worries faded away. Through this rehearsal, we learned how to communicate through music and leadership.

We are still realizing the potential of these joint practice sessions; we want to expand our variation of music activities. See you again soon, Hodogaya elementary school kids!

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Parade in the 29th Yamato Simin festival


On May 14th, SMB and CG Unit Sirius took part in the 29th Yamato Simin festival for the first time. It had been raining since the morning; but fortunately, it stopped when the parade began. We sought to push ourselves to the fullest.



Because of the audience’s hearty cheers, we were able to perform joyfully and would like to thank them for their support. At Hikichidai park, there were a lot of food stands, stores, and events, including a standstill by the US Navy marching band, also known as the Orient Express. The parade started at 10 am from the Yamato station with 16 marching bands, approximately 600 people. Later on, the Japanese portable shrine, mikoshi, joined in the parade.

Participants: Kanagawa police marching band and color guard, Sagami girls high school wind ensemble band, Yokohama Inspires Drum & Bugle Corps, Kugenuma high school marching band, Midori form baton, Yamato scouts conference, etc…

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Performed with eMOTION BRASS!


On May 13th, eMOTION BRASS and two players from Sirius participated in the Kobe festival. In the “Omatsuri parade,” there were many performing groups such as samba dancers, baton twirlers, and marching bands. We were the last performing group of the parade. However, it was raining and very windy in Kobe. Because of the bad weather, some groups decided not to participate. Despite the bad conditions, we waited until our turn. When we finally got out there, the audience along the street gave us a lot of support for which we are grateful.


eMOTION ←Cool !! T-shirt's logo

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Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Performed at the Hojo Godai festival



On May 3rd, OMB took part in the Odawara Hojo Godai festival. This annual parade is the biggest event in Odawara because of the number of people involved; approximately 2000 people participate in this parade including junior high school marching bands, cho-chin dancers, mikoshi carriers, and samurai reenactors. We performed with So-Yo high school cheer leading club as the first group of the parade, and we were grateful to the audiences who clapped and cheered for us. Even though the training period was relatively short, our efforts paid off and we closed the first season of our 2006 activity with satisfaction and relief. We would like to thank to those who supported and cheered for us from the bottom of our heart.