Before the advent of Stand Down, Week Four of Tour was the week I was surprised to find I’d been on the road nearly a month and disappointed to find I had nearly a month left. Once Stand Down became a part of the schedule, Week Four became the Week Where Time Stands Still for some, or the Week Over in a Flash. For some, when we don’t make any physical progress in the Atlas, we aren’t getting closer to home. For others, a week in one spot is a mini vacation in the midst of tour; a welcome respite.I fall somewhere in the middle; after three days of a change of pace, I am anxious to get on the road, as though miles on the bus put me closer to home. It’s all a moot point, though, since this is the last Stand Down. Thursday after rehearsal we hit the mid point of Tour. This time next year, we will be on the home stretch.
Tuesday was a day off, with no obligation other than to recharge one’s batteries. Some headed for the golf links, some headed in to Boston, and others stayed near the hotel and reorganized or practiced the new music to be rehearsed.
Wednesday we were back on the buses to head for our first Stand Down rehearsal at Brockton High School. First on the agenda was collecting the uniforms for dry cleaning. Band members scattered around the auditorium, warming up or reading the paper, others on stage putting music in order. Uniform of the day seemed to be jeans; the first rehearsal is relaxed dress code. Announcements were made and some housekeeping items sorted through, and then we tuned. First rehearsals on Stand Down are always a little painful; practice hours in the hotels are between 10:00 am and 8:00 pm, so warming up before 9:00 feels a little foreign. 
Tour Chops have set in for most Band members, so the new music doesn’t feel as comfortable as it did during rehearsals before Tour.The skies were threatening rain when we emerged form the high school, but Karen and I decided to brave the big city and take the T into Boston. While I have made countless trips to Boston, during my Year of Elbow Surgeries, Karen had never been there. We rode the T with Chris Grant and his fiancé, and Liz, little Robert, and Liz’s mother, going our separate ways downtown. Karen and I puttered around, hitting Starbucks for tea and molasses cookies, the Prudential Center, Newbury Street, and finally Shaw’s grocery store before making our way back to the T. It was a funny coincidence to find ourselves on the same train as Chris and his fiancé.
Thursday’s rehearsal was our first Educational Outreach as well. W
e were expecting nearly 500 band and music students to attend. It was nice to see Rachel there to greet us as we entered the auditorium. Those of us who volunteered to speak to the students were given our assigned areas for the break. I had a great group of kids that traveled an hour to attend the rehearsal. They had some very insightful questions, the topics ranging from juggling the performance schedule with raising a 
family to joining marching band in college for making instant friends to what it feels like to travel by bus for seven weeks and do we all still get along. In general, Thursday’s student audience was more attentive and better behaved than in past years.
Following rehearsal, Les drove Betsy and me to Shirley, where
Burkart-Phelan, Inc. is located. On the way there, we stopped at Walden Pond; Betsy has been reading Thoreau on tour and had hoped to visit. The pond was larger than I thought it would be, and the trees framed it beautifully, the colors reflecting in the still waters. After a quick visit to the gift shop, we resumed our trek to Burkart. The Band has purchased a number of Burkart flutes and piccolos over the years, so we were looking forward to 
visiting the shop to try flutes and piccolos and see behind the scenes. Les has been a part of the Burkart flute team for some time now. I have visited the shop several times, but they moved to a new, larger facility I had not yet seen.
We spent a good deal of time in the studio; Betsy played a wide range of instruments, trying sterling silver, a blend of silver and platinum, and a wide range of gold flutes.
I noodled on a few piccolos, but spent a fair amount of time looking over the different stages of flute manufacture. I was able to meet Karen, the woman who built the body of my flute; she attended Monday night’s concert and told me what a thrill it was to see a flute she helped 
build played in concert. Les performed a little emergency surgery on Ellen’s flute and had it in working order in record time.
Morning brought our final Stand Down rehearsal and clean uniforms. The students were wowed by Chris Rose and his percussion concerto, and the students eagerly asked questions and sought autographs during the break. Band members seemed tired at the end of rehearsal; Stand Down is a change of pace and a chance to be in one place for a few days, but the sudden shift of hours takes a toll. Tomorrow night we will begin to shift gears and try to get back in the Tour Groove.
Thursday’s rehearsal was our first Educational Outreach as well. W
e were expecting nearly 500 band and music students to attend. It was nice to see Rachel there to greet us as we entered the auditorium. Those of us who volunteered to speak to the students were given our assigned areas for the break. I had a great group of kids that traveled an hour to attend the rehearsal. They had some very insightful questions, the topics ranging from juggling the performance schedule with raising a 
family to joining marching band in college for making instant friends to what it feels like to travel by bus for seven weeks and do we all still get along. In general, Thursday’s student audience was more attentive and better behaved than in past years.Following rehearsal, Les drove Betsy and me to Shirley, where
Burkart-Phelan, Inc. is located. On the way there, we stopped at Walden Pond; Betsy has been reading Thoreau on tour and had hoped to visit. The pond was larger than I thought it would be, and the trees framed it beautifully, the colors reflecting in the still waters. After a quick visit to the gift shop, we resumed our trek to Burkart. The Band has purchased a number of Burkart flutes and piccolos over the years, so we were looking forward to 
visiting the shop to try flutes and piccolos and see behind the scenes. Les has been a part of the Burkart flute team for some time now. I have visited the shop several times, but they moved to a new, larger facility I had not yet seen.We spent a good deal of time in the studio; Betsy played a wide range of instruments, trying sterling silver, a blend of silver and platinum, and a wide range of gold flutes.
I noodled on a few piccolos, but spent a fair amount of time looking over the different stages of flute manufacture. I was able to meet Karen, the woman who built the body of my flute; she attended Monday night’s concert and told me what a thrill it was to see a flute she helped 
build played in concert. Les performed a little emergency surgery on Ellen’s flute and had it in working order in record time.Morning brought our final Stand Down rehearsal and clean uniforms. The students were wowed by Chris Rose and his percussion concerto, and the students eagerly asked questions and sought autographs during the break. Band members seemed tired at the end of rehearsal; Stand Down is a change of pace and a chance to be in one place for a few days, but the sudden shift of hours takes a toll. Tomorrow night we will begin to shift gears and try to get back in the Tour Groove.
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