Does this pass the sniff test?

[Toby]

My real name is Michael "Mikey" Schmidt, not Howdy. Please, call me Mikey. I have over 30 years experience teaching marching bands including Brookwood HS where I was an instructor, soloist , and the first member of the band. My father was the co-founder of the Brookwood Band Association. My mother made all of Brookwoods first uniforms by hand. I am a marching band adjudicator. I have experience in two corps as a brass tech, and in one as a corps director. I hold multiple fully SACS accredited college degrees , including three advanced graduate degrees from Liberty University. I come well qualified to be a drum corps brass tech.

I can only speak from my personal experience with Chris Nagy. As a marcher in a world class drum and bugle corps Chris worked very hard to excel in his on field both as a marcher and as a musician. Chris memorized his music, and he played very well. As an instructor Chris Nagy was a pleasure to teach.

As a corps director, Chris Nagy contacted me and offered me a position to teach as a contra music tech for his drum corps. I gladly accepted his offer.

But, how would your disability affect your abilities to teach effectively? Wouldn't touring put unneeded stresses on you?

[Howdy]

Then why did you make Howdy your screen name?

Dave.

Where can I go to change my DCP screen name?

How can I do that?

Thanks

[Dave]

Dude, I don't care what your screen name is, but it doesn't make sense for you to get touchy about it after choosing that name. If you really want to change it, send a PM to MikeN with what you'd like your display name to be.

[Kamarag]

I wonder if he's ever going to answer the Top 10 question that's been asked several times in this thread...

Edited May 20, 2010 by Kamarag

[Howdy]

But, how would your disability affect your abilities to teach effectively? Wouldn't touring put unneeded stresses on you?

Toby you have on your mind what I have on mine. Perhaps you can help me with this issue.

In my opinion my biggest drum corps disability issue is that muscular dystrophy effects my ability to ambulate , or to walk. I am not able to walk long distances. The more that I walk or stand, the worse that my disability gets. I am in a lot of pain, chronic pain, along with chronic fatigue.

The pain management and muscular dystrophy medicine that I takes makes me anxious. Some people would say that my disability leads me to talk to much (in person). I would agree with them. Others would not. I am learning how to listen , and to listen and observe more, and talk less. I need to focus on the cap heads lesson plans, and balance that with my desire to see the kids improve on the field in competition. I could improve as a brass tech to value the priority of the box first. (most field techs could) Often brass techs focus on what they need to get accomplished to get a better score, which can lead to tunnel vision. I know what to say, and I know how to play those horns extremely well, but I could improve by getting better at learning when and how to say what I know to be true.

Does touring put stress on me and my disability?

Yes.

Dealing with my disability, being in extreme pain, having trouble sleeping, dealing with some staff members inflated egos , and improper evaluations of my ability to know how to march and play well, buses breaking down, logistics, all of these things and many more add a lot of stress on any staff member, and these things are most difficult to manage for the disabled staff member.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Howdy

[Howdy]

Dude, I don't care what your screen name is, but it doesn't make sense for you to get touchy about it after choosing that name. If you really want to change it, send a PM to MikeN with what you'd like your display name to be.

I have been listed in the top ten on a few websites by a few different sources (not in any publications that I am aware of).

I am not meaning to ignore you or to be rude to you in any way John, I tried to post a link to that info, but for some reason my message board is down.

Thanks for understanding.

Mikey

Edited May 20, 2010 by Howdy

[Stu]

I can only speak from my personal experience with Chris Nagy. As a marcher in a world class drum and bugle corps Chris worked very hard to excel in his on field both as a marcher and as a musician. Chris memorized his music, and he played very well. As an instructor Chris Nagy was a pleasure to teach.

As a corps director, Chris Nagy contacted me and offered me a position to teach as a contra music tech for his drum corps. I gladly accepted his offer.

A older university baseball batting coach helps a rising university student star batter; the team does well, and the batter has the ninth best batting average in the nation. The university player, while still in university, decides that he is now well versed in baseball and goes off to become the Head Coach and Administrator of a brand new professional baseball team which is going to compete in the MLB. He asks his university batting coach to come work for him on the professional team under his leadership. The older coach a) councils the young lad by guiding him into understanding that there is way more for him to learn before jumping into being a Head Coach and Administrator for a MLB organization; that without more experience on the administrative level, it will more than likely fail; or b) the older gentleman says, yep, I will be your batting coach. Which of these two demonstrates wiser council and discernment from the sage?

[Kamarag]

I have been listed in the top ten on a few websites by a few different sources (not in any publications that I am aware of).

I am not meaning to ignore you or to be rude to you in any way John, I tried to post a link to that info, but for some reason my message board is down.

Thanks for understanding.

Mikey

That's cool if your board is down. Go ahead and post direct links to the web sites though, as that would be far more informative.

[Elmo Blatch]

A older university baseball batting coach helps a rising university student star batter; the team does well, and the batter has the ninth best batting average in the nation. The university player, while still in university, decides that he is now well versed in baseball and goes off to become the Head Coach and Administrator of a brand new professional baseball team which is going to compete in the MLB. He asks his university batting coach to come work for him on the professional team under his leadership. The older coach a) councils the young lad by guiding him into understanding that there is way more for him to learn before jumping into being a Head Coach and Administrator for a MLB organization; that without more experience on the administrative level, it will more than likely fail; or b) the older gentleman says, yep, I will be your batting coach. Which of these two demonstrates wiser council and discernment from the sage?

Best comment in the thread and very well written.

When it comes to the trumpet of the swan here, I prefer the old adage: don't argue with a fool, an outsider doesn't know the difference.

[Howdy]

"I apologize to Chris and anyone else if my RAMD antics harmed them in their pursuit to minister to young people. "

You should make this a part of your signature, and you should read it every single time you're getting ready to post anything anywhere.

Your "RAMD antics," as you call them, have created baggage for you that I don't think you're ever going to be able to live down. That was your own doing. When you've got an entire FAQ page dedicated to your trolling, you know you've wasted some serious time. Think of all the good you could have been doing instead of trolling newsgroups for endless hours at a time.

No one would care about your claims to be a world-class trumpet player (we're used to boastfulness from trumpet players, although I am surprised that with all those degrees in theology you never learned about Pride going before the Fall). We'd be doubtful about your claims, but all in all, it wouldn't really be a blip on the collective radar of RAMD or DCP...except for the fact that for a good 3-4 years, you were the epitome of the worst kind of human being and everything that was wrong with Usenet at the turn of the decade.

You lied. You boasted. You harassed. You instigated. You threatened. You blustered. And in the end, you made a name for yourself, just not the one I think you wanted to create.

I have no dog in this particular fight, but I do remember all too well your back and forths with Sorrell, Pilato, Lamb, and the rest of RAMD (and I just giggled a little, thinking about the "Howdy Bots.") May I make a suggestion?

Leave.

At long last, set your baggage down, and walk away.

Enjoy life. Continue to play, or minister, or teach, or whatever it is that you like to do. But stay away from message boards...they do not reflect you in a good light, in fact, one could say they bring out the worst in you.

I'm not interested in your resume or your rejoinders, and I'll pretty much ignore you after this, because frankly, I don't spend much time on DCP.

However, as a fellow theologian, I'd like to point out that you've displayed envy, wrath, and most of all, pride in many of your online interactions over the years. You may claim that you are only kidding and fooling around, but your "boss" and mine may not see it that way.

Rededicate yourself to a life of service and humility, Michael.

Set your baggage down, and walk away.

My DCP signature does need to be updated. Until lately I have not posted in the DCP Forum very often.

Yes, I have wasted some serious time. I have also accomplished quite a bit with my TULSA and REDEMPTION Cd's to which I am most pleased. I am very close to being finished with everything that I need to complete my own home recording studio. As a musician, my main focus is upon writing and recording original music, and also on my live performances (which due to my health issues are becoming more rare). My volunteer work in Dc/Band comes second.

Outside of my drum corps and band world I do have a real life , and at this point in my life my family really needs me.

My family priorities come before my volunteer work. In the real world my sister in law almost died, had a liver transplant, kidney dialysis , with a million and a half + in hospital bills. Another sister in laws husband died. My father in law has had to be put in a secured nursing home in the last month , he has dementia. My brothers wife left him. My step father has had two bypasses. My mother in law is 78, and soon she will not be able to care for her 52 year old mentally ######## son, who will in the next five years become my wife and my responsibility(he will move in with us). My mother just had serious back surgery and is in great pain, and my brother was injured in a car accident today. So, welcome to my real world, I am sure why you can all see that pleasing others so that they will have great opinions of me is not even close to being my not my top priority. On top of all that I myself am disabled.

I am not perfect. I had a lot of fun on usenet, and some people got it. Others hated it.

Humility is not my strength, call it the corrections officer in me.

Anyone who seriously believes everything that I ever posted in my bits on usenet is completely nuts.

Message boards are just a puny part of my life, but it is fun to inflict such Vadar like qualities.

I wish you well.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Howdy