Administration

[T i f a]

I think our kids go back next week. I have to move back to my college town on Thursday, but school doesn't actually start for me until the 24th.  

[[Aelfwyn]]

Band camp ended yesterday for me. xp I was super tired yesterday, but every thing's good now. The week was kind eh. I got frustrated a lot due in large to the fact so may of my classmates were "leaders" and I was just...there. The new director treats the leaders like gods now. confused It's all leaders this, leaders that. Like I get some band run better when only the leaders have any say, but our band is so small it's kinda ridiculous. I just need to adjust better...change comes hard for me. I miss even as a freshman at least getting to vote on weather we do something in the drill or music. During the first song's drill I was yelled at for looking at a drill chart! Only the leaders go them...grrr. I don't know where my place in a form is if I don't see the picture of the form! Some people can do that, but I just get lost and confused. Hence why the next drill my director finally pitted me and gave me the drill chart of another trumpet, who come to think of it, isn't a leader either. How did he get one? Where was I? *Sigh*

Beyond that, band camp was fun. To focus on these fun things, we had a bond fire, watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail, had the most epic dance of the year with ICE CREAM!, and slide down a giant slip-and-slide on a epic hill. The whole place is basally hills. Our field is the flattest place there, and even it has a slight slope to it (it doesn't interfere with marching, however). The bug were very low in number this year. It was great. The bug they did have were prehistoric sized, though. And I didn't get sunburnt at all!

 

[Tubariffic]

My highschool band was like that. There were the 13 basically elite seniors who decided most things, then the entire senior class would vote on some other things. It was a band of 80some though. The seniors chose where to go on the spring trip, and what competitions we go to, things like that. But everyone in our band got drill razz

I move back to Boone on Tuesday, and my bandcamp starts the 17th, I do believe.  

[Terra of the Lilies]

Jeez, that sucks. D= The only sort of seniority we have is letting the seniors get on buses first. Equality's a big part of our band, and after the first mini-camp, they treat everyone the same. I really like the way they have it work with our band. And how are you supposed to learn drill without drill charts? O_o

 

[Who is Puffer Fish]

My camp doesn't even start until next week. ;-;
We had a section leader meeting yesterday, though. This year, we're going to do fun things at camp instead of...just work.
Planning on a bonding lock-in, maybe a painting thing on the foyer (on paper because our director won't let us actually paint the walls without art department help >_> ), and spirit week. 8D
Not to mention the Pit's Olympics that I'm going to make a yearly tradition because it's lulz.

The only privileges the seniors get is that they get to leave for lunch first if H says so, and they pick bus seats first. Plane seats too if the Puerto Rico trip happens.

Lol we might be using drill charts again. We had coordinate sheets last year but everyone kept losing them since they were like 2 inches big.  

[Terra of the Lilies]

We actually had some fun at band camp this year. :O It was much more intense last year...the first week this year we had "group-building activites". Basically random games played in groups. There was the water balloon toss thing (my group failed...:[ ), uh...other stuff that I don't remember, and this throwing tennis balls thing. =D My group won, but we didn't get anything.

I don't get how anybody can deal without a drill chart...learning drill would suck without our drill charts. I would die. D=

So, our first practice after band camp wasn't too amazing, as usual. Our runthrough of the music made my brain implode because I kinda skipped part four and went straight into part five...oops. >_>

 

[[Aelfwyn]]

Terra of the Lilies

Jeez, that sucks. D= The only sort of seniority we have is letting the seniors get on buses first. Equality's a big part of our band, and after the first mini-camp, they treat everyone the same. I really like the way they have it work with our band. And how are you supposed to learn drill without drill charts? O_o

I stood there looking confused until someone with a drill chart set me. Or I just got ignored and stood there while everyone moved to their next spots... The leaders usually overlooked me because they were busy with the freshman/ sophomores.

Oh, and whatever is going on with learning drill isn't working. Almost everyday we have had to go set-by-set on both the drills we know. It's all fine until we do a run through with music. Everything falls apart then. People miss step-offs, go to the wrong spot, or just are generally out of place. I don't know what's wrong with us... it's been bothering me lately. Is it the freshman? Or the drill? Or do we just fail this year at drill? It is my new director's first year at leading a marching band. Maybe he just needs to fix his methods?

 

[T i f a]

We always got hard drill (Almost to the point where it was too hard at times). Honestly, the expectations were too high across the board. For example, we didn't place at some competition one year, and the guard instructors took the guard aside and yelled at them, blaming them for what happened. neutral  

[Who is Puffer Fish]

That sucks. D:

My director(s) don't yell at anyone unless we're just not getting work done. When we don't place at festivals we just get an 'And this is why we need to DO WORK during practice, guys!'...at least we're *hopefully* not getting a 'We failed last week, that's why we're cancelling this festival and using the Saturday to practice.'

EDIT: Camp started yesterday, and we're doing awesome for the second day of camp. Nearly everyone's able to play all the music, and my section already has half of the second song completely memorized. Thanks to awesomeness and being in a sectional all day, basically. WOO PIT. >>;  

[Tubariffic]

MHHornfreak: What made you work with video game music? Is there a particular moment/experience that you'd like to share with us that stands out?

Arnie Roth: While I had worked with Marty O'Donnell for many years on the early, original scores for Halo, I suppose that it was really when I began working closely with Nobuo Uematsu on the Dear Friends: music from Final Fantasy concerts that was the most significant moment that made it clear how rewarding these concerts could be.

zomg you're famous!  

[Terra of the Lilies]

I didn't even know about that question thing...I would love to ask Nobuo Uematsu questions about Final Fantasy music. D= Oh well.

Soooo, I'm gonna be overloaded with work soon. Marching band, all of my classes (school starts monday D= ), concert band, jazz band (which is starting in late fall this year), pit orchestra...I wanted to do indoor guard, but my mom's mad enough that I wanna do all of these. xd Ohhhh well.

 

[Who is Puffer Fish]

Ugh.

My mom gets mad if she has to wait more than ten seconds for me to leave when she shows up.

This wouldn't be so bad if she didn't always show up ten minutes before rehearsal ends every day, and then I have officer meetings.

Also, I have a question for you guys.
How would you deal with a section who hates the directors? Our director's wife helps us while the band is out marching, and they think she's not doing anything worthwhile by "helping us with rhythms we already know", even though we always play them wrong.
And this one kid never listens to anyone and blames me because I apparently don't listen to anyone either so that makes it okay for him to ignore everyone else. :l

@Nobou questions, etc: Awesomeness. 8D  

[Tubariffic]

I am in the middle of band camp right now, and the anniversary is tomorrow.
Oops.  

[Terra of the Lilies]

I'm gonna be gone for a couple days, I couldn't find a friend to stay with while my parents are helping my sister move into her dorm, and I'm not allowed to stay home alone. D=

@Puff: Is there anything you can use to motivate the kid?

 

[Who is Puffer Fish]

The only thing that motivates him is not having to do work, and popsicles.

He regularly doesn't do work during sectional, and flat out refuses to play since warm-ups and rehearsing stuff we already know is a waste of time, apparently.
And he just randomly leaves throughout. That wouldn't be such a problem if he didn't disrupt rehearsal and take another person/other people with him.

He's thinking of quitting and honestly, I don't care. If he doesn't want to be here, that's his problem.

Also: We can always celebrate it when we get time? Like...maybe starting Sunday and it could be a week-long event?