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[[Aelfwyn]]

I wish our band competed...we're kinda small though (only 45ish).

Anyone, I haven't been on Gaia lately. School sucks like that. confused

I'm getting so ticked off at my section. The trumpets were chastised at rehearsal today for being lazy at sections. Mr-great-section-leader-trumpet-player-who-can-do-no-wrong is so bad at running sections. Through his actions he encourages the two other guys to goof off like crazy. One of them actually tries to get us to practice, but the other one! He just flat out never does what he should. He blars random songs we play last year (with Mr-great-section-leader joining right in half the time), is late for sections everyday, and late for band half the time. He went to the director a couple weeks ago saying that that Mr-great-section-leader was bias against him and wouldn't check off his music, causing us to now be required to check of music to the director (we used to play off music to our section leaders to show we had it memorized). The rumored story is that goof-off boy claimed he checked something off, but Mr-great-section-leader said he didn't. (Goof-off boy still had enough time to check it off before the game, but didn't and had to stay in for third quarter, hence why he was ticked off.)

Anyway, I wish the director actaully acknowledged that I have some worth and that Mr-great-section-leader isn't as great as the director thinks..

Anywho...on to happier things. My lips are slowly adjusting to my lack of braces. I only hope I'll be up to par in time for concert band so I can beat our Mr-great-section-leader for first chair. I also am dying to finally play first part for jazz band. Goof-off boy is in jazz band this year, though. I really need my high range back to stop him from getting first part. I hate trumpet...the only way to get any respect on it is to play high notes. I need to find a new trumpet teacher...

 

[Tubariffic]

We shrank, we are at 275 this year.
I am on fall break! But I have to go back to school early for an exhibition for our competition. Boo.  

[Who is Puffer Fish]

So, today was just terrible.

Band class was missing all the seniors due to a senior field trip; so all our good players were gone and how little we all practice finally came to light.

My director brought up something he's been considering all week:

If we don't get our act together by the concert (28th), he's cancelling the trip to Puerto Rico in the spring.

...the only reason I haven't practiced much of the band music yet is because I have governor's school tryouts on the 3rd and I need to learn all my rudiments, perfect my scales, and learn two prepared pieces. In about...two weeks.

Ugh I am SO angry at my fellow band members right now. It's not that hard to pick up your horn and practice for twenty minutes, is it? mad

Also: We're about the same size we have been for a few years; 110 people give or take. And...this Saturday may or may not be a festival depending on rain and whether the BD thinks we should go. -_-  

[Terra of the Lilies]

I know what you mean with the practicing issue...I don't practice on saxophone because our marching band music is easy enough to get away with it, but the people who can't play it are the ones that don't practice. Our trumpet section...we have three really good seniors, a couple average seniors, an amazing freshman, and then...ugh. The rest of them can hardly play their music. The only reason I haven't gone crazy on one of the freshmen in my section is because I feel bad for him. His mom is making him do band, and she makes him practice for hours each day- it's no wonder he hates it.

Our band is slowly getting smaller. We're trying to recruit as many people as we can for next year, since we have around 20 graduating seniors...most of our brassline. As far as competitions go, we're alone in our group until USSBA Nationals, so we'll be getting first place for a couple weeks. xd

On a happy note, my mom had a conference with my band director today...yaaay, parent-teacher conferences week! Apparently my director thinks that I'm amazing, and that my oboe tone is crazy for the amount of time I've been playing it. That made me happy. :]

 

[Who is Puffer Fish]

Nice!

At our parent-teacher meeting night, my director said I'm probably better at concert rudiments than our marching snare players since I did better than both of them for our placement test XD

Omg last night's festival was crazy.

The bus was freezing, we get there and it's EVEN COLDER OUTSIDE, then I stepped in a puddle with my socks so my feet froze (no seriously, couldn't feel two of my toes on each foot until like...an hour or so later lol), and on the field apparently a flute lost a shoe and a mellophone tripped over it. Then we left before band parents could pass out snacks so we had to go back after going to the bus to get them...and then we all beat up on my section's freshman (except not really >> ).
We get to the stands and I get stuck next to one of my best friends lol

I don't know our exact score for the night but our awards for our class are as follows:

First place drum major.
First place colorguard.
Second place marching.
Second place overall.

...apparently percussion sucked a lot. Which is wtf. But...oh well. Next week is our (last) chance >_>  

[Terra of the Lilies]

Our competition yesterday was crazy, too! xd We found out it was a standstill on friday during practice, so we voted on whether to even go or not...about 2/3 of us voted to go, which made our director happy. =D It was a lot better than our first standstill. We were really prepared, and they even staged some fake drill for our color guard to make it look better. xd We were the only band in our group, so we got first...yay, MD State Champions. xd We performed really well, though, apparently a lot of the band moms were brought to tears. xd Our drum majors conducted up in the seats, though, so our director and the rest of the staff were sitting basically right behind them. Watching our music tech was hilarious...he got way into it. We were told that people were talking about our show for a long time, too. :]

Now I have band every day this week! Our county festival is tomorrow after school, tuesday is pit orchestra practice, then marching band, same on wednesday, more pit orchestra on thursday, then a football game on friday and a competition at Towson on saturday.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention about our competition...all the chaperones and other parents got out three pieces of tarp for us to hide under while getting our instruments, and then we got to run under it to the school. It was awesome. xd

 

[Who is Puffer Fish]

That does sound crazy!

I love when I have band every day. It's going to happen this week 8D
Monday, Wed, and Friday are marching band, Tuesday is concert band, Thursday is both.
No festival this weekend D:

We have our homecoming game this Friday, then Homecoming on Saturday. Next week is the Marching Band Week From Hell. Band basically every day, football game on Friday, states on Saturday.


On another note:
...I wish people in my band weren't so mean/rude.

They were playing this game on the bus where they had to pick people they have a crush on, think are hot, and hate...to marry, screw, and kill, respectively.
Somehow they ended up making fun of the drum major by picking gross people for her. (that part was hilarious, but that died quick for me)

They picked for her 'marriage/screw/stuff like that': the freshman trumpet that nobody likes because he's clueless 24/7, the clarinet that nobody likes cause he's creepy and gross, and one of my best friends (who is apparently a social black sheep and creepy. I don't know where they get that from, personally...).
I didn't mind about the other two 'cause I don't like them either, but I was pissed because 1: he's one of my best friends, and 2: he was ON OUR BUS.
If I dislike someone, I don't talk about it when they're right there...at least, not on purpose. At least the other idiots were either on another bus or aren't in marching band.

/rant -_-  

[Tubariffic]

Exhibition yesterday went not so great, but the high schoolers still went crazy for us. It started to snow when we took the field, and stopped when we left, I lol'd.  

[T i f a]

Haha, that happened to us one year at State semi-finals, except it was really windy and snowing. Ironically enough, we moved up a few places from that performance, even though portions were pretty chaotic. Pit instruments were falling over, and our back-field drum major was knocked off her step-stool/ladder thing because a back-drop started falling apart and the material wrapped around her and pulled her down. Luckily, she wasn't hurt.  

[Tubariffic]

Apparently a group from Myrtle Beach SC asked their band director if it was a blizzard. I lol'd.  

[Who is Puffer Fish]

Lol Tifa and Tuba.

...to add to the epic fail of my band program recently, I've gotten all the band volunteer moms and my director mad at me and/or my mom.

I forgot to write our concert on the calender at home and we scheduled an orthodontist appointment over the practice. Which pissed my mom off because we were supposed to know about it (which I did, I just...assumed I had already told them, I guess) but didn't and she yelled at our head band parent, and then started yelling at me because she was mad, and then my director decided to respond and tell us that he does announce stuff in class, I just never listen.

So now my mom is mad at me for not paying attention to important things, for forgetting ONE thing (albeit it is important) AND not owning up to it. -_-
/short version, the long version is too stupid for me to explain lol  

[Terra of the Lilies]

Ugh, my mom's done that before, too. It's horrible...

We had our county festival on monday. It was a mediocre performance for us...but I saw one of my friends from elementary school! =D I also lost my phone and some money, probably while changing in the dark on the bus or switching buses...my a*****e of a bus driver didn't want to stay, so we all had to move our stuff to our two other buses, just for the guy to come back right after we've changed out of our uniforms. And a lot of people in my band have been pissing me off...we're always silent at our competitions, starting ten minutes before we get to the competition, and usually ending (unofficially) when we start basics block. The last two competitions, most of the people on my bus have hardly been doing it...and it all starts with the pit kids in the back. They can't stop talking at all. D= Then it makes the freshmen think it's okay to talk, so then everyone just starts talking, and I'm the only one who's still silent. The section leader for the pit even mocks anyone who tries to tell her to shut up. I swear...I love our pit, but the majority of them have no discipline whatsoever.

 

[Tubariffic]

We had similar problems with talking in highschool too.
I hand stamped at our competition and it is so much easier to deal with a silent bus than a rowdy one.  

[Who is Puffer Fish]

Our buses are only quiet when our director is on and talking...they're not even quiet during roll call! Someone's always playing an iPod on speakers or something. And people think it's okay to talk once their name has been called, I guess. Which is unfortunate for me because due to score order and due to the bus I always get on, I'm always very last and never hear my name!

And yes, it's always the pit. Even my pit...we never shut up. The only time we actually don't talk is during the performance at festivals. And by god if we don't get a superior this Saturday at VBODA States I'm going to die. x_x  

[Tubariffic]

Have I ever told you guys that I love you all.
Because I do.
yay.
I just learned the entire thriller dance. woot.