Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all of you few, lovely people who read this blog! More band stories and random posts to come in 2016!

The Time We Really Annoyed The Sub

Everyone knows that band is the worst class to have a substitute teacher for. Since it's very difficult to find subs for band that actually know something about music, you usually end up having a study hall that day. But sometimes, they'll find a sub that was once a band director or something, and thinks they know what they're talking about, but they usually don't. Either that, or they know something, but they are horrible at conducting and don't have the leadership skills to keep the band under control. (Why do you think they aren't a band director anymore?) These types of band subs are the worst kind.

Now that I'm in high school, we have student conductors (including myself) that can lead rehearsal if our band director is ever gone, so we don't have the problem of dealing with incompetent substitutes. However, when I was in middle school, we had a few that were really bad...

It was probably March or April of my sixth grade year, and we were preparing for our spring concert. One of our pieces was a concert band arrangement of "Do Re Mi," from "The Sound of Music." You know, "Do, a deer, a female deer; Re, a drop of golden sun..." It happened to be my favorite piece in the program for that concert.
Both of our band directors were gone, and we had one of those subs who thinks they know something but they really don't. Or at least this guy was really bad at conveying the fact that he knew things. But anyway, we were about to rehearse the piece I just mentioned when he left to go do something quick. So, like any band does, we started practicing it on our own, individually, while we waited for him.
It started in the trumpet section. We had a couple trumpet players who liked to play together when we had a pause like this during rehearsal, and they started playing through the piece from the beginning. My stand partner and I joined in, because why not, and some of the saxophones followed. Gradually, each section realized where we were in the piece and started playing, until the entire band was playing through the piece with no conductor or anything. We were relying on listening to others around us and our own internal pulse, like a band should do all the time, even with a conductor. It was absolutely glorious.
We finished the piece, and the band room was dead silent for about three seconds before we all burst out laughing. We were amazed by what we had just done, and it was also hilarious because by that time, the sub had returned to the room and was standing on the podium looking quite put out.
After rehearsing that piece for a little bit, he made the mistake of leaving again to get a drink of water. This time, we knew what we were doing and started playing one of our other pieces without a conductor, but we only got a few measures in before the sub ran back into the room, wildly waving his arms and yelling, "Stop! Stop!" The whole thing was priceless.

I know I said that my stories were going to be from this year, 2015, but that one is so funny, or at least I think it is, that I wanted to share it with you. Maybe try this with your band the next time you have a sub;)

WARNING! NEW ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE DISCOVERED!

WARNING!

Recent discoveries have proven that a lifestyle known as BAND can be extremely addictive! Musically inclined, socially awkward teenagers are at the highest risk of addiction! Beware!

Symptoms of addiction include:
-Constant practicing of an instrument
-Insisting on being present at every band-related event
-Post-concert depression
-Heightened enthusiasm for going to school on days when the subject has band
-Maintaining a presence in the band room at every possible minute out of the day
-Arriving to class late with a tardy-excused note from the band director
-Subject never misses a band lesson
-Subject remains in the band room until the last possible second after band-related events
-Subject sings their band music in the shower
-Constantly listening to concert or marching band music
-Subject develops a dislike of weekends because they can't be at school, in the band room
-Subject's confidence and outlook on life may improve due to the ability band has to fulfill the "Love/Belonging" and "Esteem" needs (according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)
-Subject will stay out of trouble because they'll be in the band room or practicing all the time
-Subject will be emotionally healthier because music gives them a way to express their feelings

If you or someone you know shows signs of band addiction, contact your school's band director or someone else you trust to get immediate help. You are not alone:)

A note from Rosetail the Flutist:
I confess that I am also addicted to band, and I'm proud of it. I obviously have many band related stories, and because it's almost the end of 2015, I'll be putting some of those into posts to reflect on the events of this year. Hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas to you all!

Stuff Band Kids Say

1. "I can't wait for marching season!"
2. "WHY were you not at band practice?!"
3. "Can somebody unzip me?"
4. "What is the football team doing on OUR field?"
5. "I can't come, I have band."
6. "My uniform doesn't fit."
7. "Left. Left! LEFT!"
8. "Do you have valve oil?"
9. "This one time, at band camp..."
10. *clarinet squeaks* "Sorry, it's my reed..."
11. *whispering* "What measure?"
12. "I forgot my music..."
13. "I can't wait for concert season!"
14. (flutes) "What note even is that?"
15. "Seriously, I love this song."
16. "I actually practiced this!"
17. "Great. Twenty-three measures of rests."
18. "When's the concert again?"
19. "This stand sucks."
20. "Ewww, there's spit on the floor..."
21. "What time do we have to be here for pep band?"
22. "Can I borrow your pencil?"
23. (section is complaining about high notes or a hard rhythm) "Come on, guys, it's not that bad!"
24. "Graduation? Noooooooooooooooooooooo..."

You Know You're A Band Nerd When...

(In no particular order of importance.)

1. You describe people by saying things like, "She's an alto sax," or "He plays trumpet."

2. You eat lunch in the band room.

3. You get mad when you're at a basketball game, and the other school's band plays your favorite pep band song.

4. Band practice is the highlight of your summer.

5. You conduct and/or march in step to all music you hear.

6. You're walking with or behind someone and you change your steps to match theirs.

7. The phrase, "Can somebody unzip me?" is a completely normal and non-sexual thing to say after marching band performances.

8. Double tonguing is a musical technique, not anything dirty.

9. You point out key changes and dynamics when listening to the radio.

10. The band room is your second home.

11. One of your philosophies is "Early is on time, on time is late, and late is just sad."

12. Your instrument has a name.

13. You accidentally hit your instrument on something and you yourself say "ow."

14. You sing band songs in the shower.

15. You and your band friends agree that the football team plays the band's pre- and post-show.

16. You get extremely angry when someone disses band.

17. In the devastating situation that the band room is locked, you sit right outside the door and wait for the band director to arrive, no matter how long it takes.

18. You have all of the numbers that correspond to the titles of pep band songs memorized.

19. You know that "one more time" really means "like four or five more times."

20. Your entire life revolves around band or practicing.

21. You have to decline invitations to parties because you have rehearsal.
22. You have a favorite time signature.
23. You're willing to argue with anyone who questions whether marching band is a sport. Which it totally is.
24. You roll step to avoid spilling things (or just 'cause you feel like it).
25. You leave football games after halftime.
26. You can relate to any of these.

There might be a Part 2 to this post, depending on if I think of more "you know you're a band nerd when..." situations. I would be delighted if somebody would leave a comment below telling me if you could relate to any of these, which ones, and if I forgot any.

Section Stereotypes

I don't know about any of you, but I've always felt like there are stereotypes for each section in a band-- i.e., a certain personality they tend to have, common methods of approaching social situations, etc. So here is a breakdown of the different sections and what type of person usually plays that instrument.

Flutes- Flute players can be one of two things. They can either be a bit haughty and think they're better than everyone else, or they can be quiet, sweet, and shy. And then there are the rarities who are a combination of the two-- confident, but not snobbish. Another stereotype is that most flute players are girls. Which is true, but I know of several male flutists who are just as good as the female flutists, maybe even better than some of them.

Clarinets- Clarinetists can, again, be one of two things. They are usually either obnoxious and immature, or quiet and a little shy. Again, there can be a combination of the two, but those are even more rare than the combination-type flute players. Clarinetists are also usually female, although of course, there are many male clarinet players out there.

Oboes- I haven't had much experience with oboe players, but the few that I do know are pretty quiet and reserved most of the time. They are also good musicians, because oboe is one of those instruments that people don't play unless they're willing to work hard to be good at it.

I sound like a wild goose when I play sax, just sayin'.

Saxophones- Ah, saxophones. A very interesting group, indeed. They tend to be a bit loud and obnoxious and sometimes quite strange. They aren't as egotistical as trumpet players, but they have more confidence than clarinetists.

Low Reeds (Bassoon, Bass Clarinet, Tenor and Bari Sax)- These are also instruments that people generally don't play unless they're good at it. People who play these instruments are usually a little different, which could be why they chose their respective instrument. For example, a bass clarinet player might play that instrument because they don't feel like they fit in with the other clarinets, etc.

Trumpets- Trumpet players are generally quite full of themselves. The ones who are good at playing the trumpet tend to have the biggest egos on the planet, while the ones who aren't that good don't seem to care much about band. However, I have found that male trumpet players are more egotistical than females.

French Horns- Horn players are similar to trumpet players in the sense that they think highly of themselves. The difference is that because the French horn is a difficult instrument to master, they are slightly more mature and they put forth more effort.

Trombones- Honestly, I'm not really sure. I know some trombone players who used to play woodwind instruments, so they still carry that attitude, and I know some who are similar to the euphoniums and tubas in being the comic relief, except they're quieter about it. So I guess they're a mix.

Baritones/Euphoniums- Definitely the comic relief of the band. They can be very immature, loud, and obnoxious, though. As far as gender goes, I've only ever known one girl who played the euphonium, and she quit band after a year.

Tubas- Tuba players (tubists?) are pretty much like the euphonium players, except (obviously) they play a bigger, lower, louder instrument. They are also usually male, but I do know a girl who plays the tuba and is freaking amazing at it.

Percussion- Percussionists are definitely their own type of people. Just like their music doesn't look like any other kind of music I've ever seen in my life, they certainly have an interesting personality. They are generally likable, but they like to be in their own little world, doing their own thing. Like trumpet players, they can have a very big ego, and as a drum major, I've found them to be the hardest section to gain the respect of. However, they can be funny and some of them are adorable, which makes them probably one of my favorite sections of the band.

So that's that. Please note that this is just for fun and wasn't meant to be degrading to any section. Even though I mentioned having a soft spot for percussionists, I really do love all of the sections because without them, we wouldn't have a band. Thanks for reading this, everyone who did, and if somebody wants to make my day by putting a comment down below about if I was correct in these section stereotypes and what your favorite section is, that'd be fabulous!

Sorry, Everyone Who's Not Here

After some thought, I have decided to cease continuation of the whole "30 Day Post Challenge" thing. This isn't meant to be a testament to my level of commitment to things; usually if I say I'm going to do something, I do it. However, I was supposed to be done with the thirty days about a month ago, and most of the posts weren't really about what this blog is meant to be about anyway. Perhaps I'll use post topics from that challenge in the future, but for now, let's get back on the bandwagon! Get it? BAND wagon? Ha ha ha, so funny. :)

Day 12: Bullet Your Whole Day

This is my baton. It's mentioned later in this post.

Monday, October 5, 2015

• 5:00 am- Alarm goes off. I hit the snooze.

• 5:20 am- I finally get up and take a shower.

• 5:45 am- I get dressed. The shirt I wanted to wear is dirty, so it takes me forever to decide on a different one.

• 6:00 am- I eat a bowl of Crispix and a pumpkin scone for breakfast.

• 6:15 am- I blow dry my hair, brush my teeth, and get ready to leave.

• 6:26 am- My mom, my brother, and I pull out of the driveway, on our way to school.

• 7:00 am- My mom drops me off at the high school. She'll take my brother to the middle school and then go to work.

• 7:03 am- I go to the choir room for Chamber Choir practice.

• 7:56 am- Practice is over, so I rush to the band room to drop off my flute and see my friend's pictures from Fall Formal.

• 7:58 am- I hurry through the hallways to my history class, which is at the complete opposite end of the school.

• 8:03 am- The bell rings. I am not late.

• 9:35 am- First hour ends. I make my way to my health class.

• 10:57 am- Finally time for band. We run through our marching band show music, and then we play concert band. I am asked to sight read a solo I had never seen before, and for once I don't fail.

• 12:24 pm- Lunchtime. My friends and I eat in the band room because we're nerds.

• 1:00 pm- Homeroom.

• 1:15 pm- Travel time. I go back down to the band room to help the band director get things organized for parent-teacher conferences.

• 1:44 pm- I go to my fourth hour English class, in which we study the Declaration of Independence.

• 3:08 pm- The final bell rings and I race back to the band room.

• 3:45 pm- My mom arrives for parent-teacher conferences. We wait outside my English classroom, but my teacher isn't there.

• 4:00 pm- We go back to the band room, where the band director tells us how amazing I am.

• 4:15 pm- We wait outside my English classroom for a little while longer, but eventually we get tired of waiting and decide to head home.

• 4:26 pm- We leave the school.

• 4:30 pm- We drop my friend off at her house, and then we finally make our way home.

• 5:07 pm- We arrive at home.

• 5:15 pm- I change clothes and take the trash can to the end of the driveway.

• 5:27 pm- I start my homework.

• 6:00 pm- I finish reading the Declaration of Independence and emerge from my room to eat dinner.

• 6:22 pm- My family and I finish eating. My brother and I start the dishes.

• 6:52 pm- The dishes are done, so I eat a small bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a cookie.

• 7:00 pm- I practice the flute. Scales first, then etudes, "Concertino," and the concert band music I have to master for my chair audition.

• 8:00 pm- I'm done practicing, so I finish my History homework that isn't due until Wednesday.

• 8:54 pm- I watch YouTube videos for awhile.

• 10:17 pm- I decide I should probably get ready for bed, so I change into my pajamas, wash my face, brush my teeth, etc.

• 10:34 pm- I set up my computer, my iPod, and a full-length mirror for conducting practice. (The computer is for playing the music I conduct, the mirror is so I can watch myself, and the iPod is for taking videos of myself conducting so I can evaluate my progress. The song I'm working on right now is a wonderful concert band piece called "Rest." And no, it's not seven minutes of only rests.

• 11:18 pm- I stop conducting. It's finally time for bed.

• 11:38 or so- I fall asleep.

Day 11: The First 15 Songs That Pop Up When My iPod Is On Shuffle

1. "Where Has Sally Gone?" from Backyard Tent Set by Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps
This is one of the few songs that my dad put on my iPod that I actually like. Very nice piano accompaniment.

2. "I Will Always" from Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? by The Cranberries
I had never listened to this before now. I definitely don't hate it, but it isn't exactly my favorite.

3. "The Land of Going to Be" by Irene Bordoni
This is what I was afraid of. My dad put a ton of this old, moldy music on my iPod, and I don't really like any of it. This one is okay I guess, but again, not my favorite. She sounds like an Italian Disney princess, and I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

4. "Thy Word" from Cruzando- 2006 ELCA Youth Gathering by Peter Mayer & The House Band
This album was my absolute favorite when I was little-- I used to listen to it on my moms MP3 player over and over again. I especially love the violin and trumpet parts in it, as well as the resolve at the end.

5. "Show Me the Way to Go Home" by Wendell Hall
Heheheh... This song is sort of a tradition in my family. I used to sing it at the top of my lungs every night, and apparently my grandma or great grandma made up a very interesting verse that isn't featured in any recorded version I've ever heard.

6. "Alabare" from Cruzando- 2006 ELCA Youth Gathering by Peter Mayer & The House Band
This song contains the first Spanish words I ever spoke/sang. I'm still not entirely sure what they translate to, but the song has a religious message, I know that much.

7. "Give Up Let Go" from What I Was Made For by Big Daddy Weave
Another religious song. It's pretty good, has a nice saxophone solo towards the beginning, but seriously, this list had better include some Michael Buble at some point.

8. "Fields Of Grace" from 2006 Youth Gathering Cruzando: Journey With Jesus by R Scott Bryan
And another religious song. This one is also pretty okay, but it's not my favorite from this album.

9. "I'm Lonely Without You" by B.F. Goodrich Silvertown Cord Orchestra
Another old, moldy song. This one is also sort of okay, but I don't know if I'll ever listen to it on purpose (as opposed to on Shuffle).

10. "La Cucaracha" by Shep Fields and his New Rippling Rhythm
Another old, moldy song. I'm officially changing the title of this post to "The First 15 Songs That Pop Up When My iPod Is On Shuffle," so that maybe, just maybe, this list will be more than just religious songs and old songs.

11. "He Won't Go" from 21 by Adele
Told you changing the title would work. I love this song. I love this whole album, actually.

12. "Clench My Teeth" from Backyard Tent Set by Caroline Smith and The Good Night Sleeps
I don't really know what to say about this song. I like it, but I can't relate to the lyrics too well.

13. "Scan Me" from Advent by Tangled Blue (or maybe it's the other way around, I'm not really sure)
The first one that I didn't like at all. Like half of the songs on this list, I had never heard it before now, and now I know why.

14. "Overture" from Phantom of the Opera
This is my absolute favorite musical, and I have the whole original Broadway soundtrack. The upperclassmen band at my school played a Phantom of the Opera medley for the pops concert last year, and it was awesome.

15. "Like It, Love It, Need It" from Jesus Freak by dc Talk
Yet another religious song. And also the last one on the list. It's okay, but I really wish my iPod would've let me listen to just one Michael Buble song. Oh well. I guess that's the point of Shuffle, so you don't listen to what you always listen to.

Day 10: My Guilty Pleasure

What exactly is a guilty pleasure? Google says it's something a person likes despite the fact that not very many other people hold it in high regard. In that case, wouldn't it change depending on what group of people you're with? For example, I love practicing all of my instruments, but I've found that not very many other high school students agree with me on this. However, professional musicians, music teachers, college students majoring in music, or other adults who appreciate music either enjoy practicing or at least respect the fact that it is necessary for improvement. So practicing could be considered a guilty pleasure among my peers, but probably not among adults.
Another thing I could consider a guilty pleasure is instrumental/band music. I vastly prefer it over generic popular music, and if I could find any on iTunes, I would put it on my iPod. Most of my family definitely does not share my love of totally epic concert or marching band songs, but my band friends understand completely. I especially love conducting these epic songs, pretending that my room is a stage or a football field, and letting my imagination run wild. Neither my family nor my peers understand this, but again, my band friends get it.
So really, the definition of guilty pleasure is not necessarily correct. "Guilty pleasures," by definition, can change depending on the group of people you're with, unless your guilty pleasure is something that is generally considered morally incorrect. In that case, the majority of people wouldn't hold it in high regard, and Google's definition would be right.
Anyway, so ends this incredibly late post that is, as usual, saturated with band obsession.

Day 9: If I Could Have Any Job in the World...

I'm not even going to try to apologize for the extreme and inexcusable lateness of this post because nobody reads this blog and I know sorry doesn't transport me back in time.
So without further adieu, if I could have any job in the world, I would want to be a professional flutist or a Broadway performer. As I think has been made clear in my posts since I started writing this blog, I love music very, very much. I can't imagine myself doing anything else for a living. And since I'm not very good at teaching or stuff like that, being a band or choir director wouldn't necessarily be my first choice.
I realize, of course, that trying to make a living off of performing is difficult and that this is a competitive field. However, the question did say to describe the job I'd want if I could have any job in the whole world, so... yeah. I've always thought that I should dream big, but always have a Plan B. So right now, my job of choice is to be a professional flutist or singer, and Plan B (the far more realistic plan) is to be a high school band director. The band director at my school always says that if you say something will happen, then it'll happen. So I try really hard to not say I'm going to fail at stuff, because then it will probably happen. I believe that if I work hard, practice a lot, and never give up, I can achieve anything I want to.

Day 8: A Moment When I Felt Most Satisfied With My Life

The first moment that comes to mind when I think of this topic is the moment my band and I marched into Disney World...

It was a swelteringly hot Florida afternoon, and we were lining up in our parade block behind the secret gate into the park, wearing polyester uniforms. I was nervous and excited and terrified at the same time, but I also remember, underneath all that, having a feeling of calm. Somehow I knew we were going to be awesome.

Our drum line did a roll off, and we launched straight into the song, "It Had Better Be Tonight," as we marched into the Magic Kingdom. At that moment, all of my doubts and insecurities fell away and I led my band as I never had before. I realized then that despite the doubts I'd had about my ability to be a good leader, I do, in fact, have what it takes. Our band director wouldn't have chosen me to be one of her drum majors if she didn't think I could do it, and in that moment, I knew she was right to choose me. And I am immensely grateful that she did, because being drum major is one of the most awesome things in the whole world, in my opinion. I love the exhilaration of conducting, listening to the gorgeous music the band makes under my direction, I love helping people get better at marching so that the band can improve as a whole, and I love being seen as important, being needed. There is no role I'd rather have in a marching ensemble.

Sorry this got a little random, but I felt it necessary to explain exactly why marching into Disney World made me feel most satisfied with my life.

Day 7: My Favorite Childhood Toys

Well, I guess I'm kind of terrible at keeping promises, at least when it comes to blog posts, but nobody reads this anyway, so whatever.

Favorite childhood toys is an interesting topic to discuss with me, because while most people will say they had a teddy bear or whatever (which I did) my childhood toys were basically anything my brother and I could find around the house. I mean, we had Legos, Star Wars figures, stuffed animals, blocks, and matchbox cars, but we also used napkins, cardboard boxes, laundry baskets, and wooden spools quite creatively. A laundry basket became a boat, paper napkins were cut up and taped together for stuffed animal clothes, cardboard boxes were used for little houses, and spools became little people, divided into "families" by the brand of thread they had once held. We would spend hours playing, sending our toys on epic quests and making up several novels' worth of stories in a day. Of course, we never wrote any of our games down, which is something I regret now. So many wonderful memories were made while playing those games, letting our imaginations run wild. Now... I don't take much interest in playing anymore, and I reel like my imagination has lost some of its former potency. That's just one of the things I don't like about getting older.

Day 6: My Zodiac Sign and Does it Fit My Personality

I'm a Gemini, and I have had differing opinions on whether or not it fits my personality (this only serves to prove that it does.) I used to think that Geminis were shallow, talkative extroverts, which isn't really me. The more research I did, though, the more I realized that my zodiac sign does, in fact, fit my personality.

Geminis are said to have somewhat of a dual personality and be indecisive about their feelings, which is generally me. I can be very indecisive and flip-floppy, and sometimes it really annoys me. Geminis are also supposed to need people, which is why I thought I didn't fit the criteria at first, because I am an extreme introvert most of the time. However, I have discovered that Geminis don't just need people for social interaction, they need people for support and affirmation. This is also true for me. In addition, Geminis are creative and good at adapting to new things, which is also me, for the most part. As for being shallow, I can be that too sometimes, which is something I strongly dislike about myself. So, in the end, I guess I do fit the description of my zodiac sign, for better or for worse.

Day 5: My Favorite Comfort Foods and Why They're My Favorites

My favorite comfort foods would probably have to be homemade macaroni and cheese with ham in it, homemade soup of any kind, homemade bread, potatoes of the either mashed or roadside variety, and chocolate cake. As for why these are my favorites:

Homemade macaroni is something my mom just started making frequently again, and I absolutely love it. The sauce has like three or four different kinds of cheese in it, and some flour to make it nice and thick and creamy. And the little chunks of ham in it just make it more awesome.

Mashed potatoes are a favorite of mine because my mom makes really good mashed potatoes. Roadside potatoes are hash browns with cheese, buttermilk, and butter mixed in with them that have been cooked in a crockpot. The recipe came from one of my grandma's friends, and they are the most delicious kind of potato, in my opinion.

I love homemade soup and bread because there's nothing like coming in from outside on a chilly fall or winter evening and eating a bowl of wonderfully hot and delectable soup and a piece of homemade bread. And as for the cake, I simply think chocolate cake is one of the best things about life.

The one thing all of these comfort foods have in common, though, is that they all remind me of my childhood in some way. I remember eating homemade macaroni when I was just a toddler, and the rest of them have been present all my life. Maybe that's why they're called comfort foods, because they fill you both literally and figuratively, bringing back memories, and reminding you of happier times.

Day 4: My Views on Religion

This'll be kinda short, because it's really late, but I'll write more tomorrow.

My view son religion are simple: I don't much care what denomination people are, who they worship, or how they worship, as long as they respect other people of other religions. I always try to respect others and their beliefs, and I try to understand other religions the best I can. Because really, why argue about who's religion is the "true religion," when nobody knows for sure because nobody has ever come back from Heaven, or wherever people go when they die? It doesn't make much sense. I mean, I understand that people are passionate about their beliefs, but I at least try to not be judgemental towards those who believe different things than me.

Day 3: My Top 5 Pet Peeves

I'm off to a good start at keeping my promise (see last post). Yay!

Let's see... Five pet peeves. What are five things that just annoy me to no end. Well, first of all, when people leave a huge mess in the kitchen after cooking, and then tell me to clean it up. I'm just like, seriously? I make messes when I cook, too, but I clean them up myself. Without being asked to. Because of two reasons: one, no one will agree to help me, and two, I understand the frustration of having so many dishes that you don't know what to do with yourself.

Secondly, eating store bought frosting directly out of the can is one of those things that just make my stomach turn over with disgust. I mean, frosting is good, don't get me wrong, but I had a bad experience with eating it out of the can once, and now it just doesn't appeal to me. I can't watch other people do that, either. So from now on, all of the frosting I use for cookies, cake, or whatever, will be homemade, because homemade frosting not only agrees with my stomach, it tastes better too.

Thirdly, it really, really, really annoys me when people who don't know how to play the piano start banging out random notes on my piano. I just can't stand it. The sound of all those discombobulated notes makes me want to run as far away from my house as I can get, just to get away from it.

Fourthly, people who think they know everything and think they're better than you but they're really not also annoy me. Especially in band. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my band, but there are some people that just... Do not work well with everyone else for the good of the whole. In any ensemble, the goal is for everyone to work hard and accept constructive criticism so that the whole ensemble can be the best it can be. When you have people in said ensemble who get all mad because you tell them they missed a flat (even though they missed just about every flat in the piece) or someone who doesn't really know the piece starts telling people how to play it... Wrong, there's a problem.

And finally, my biggest pet peeve, the thing that annoys me the very most, is people who just don't try. They never practice, never come to their lesson, they're always saying they want to quit band, and they simply have a bad attitude about everything. All they really seem to care about is what's going on in that phone on their music stand during rehearsal. These people annoy me the most because while it isn't vital that everyone care about band as much as I do, they should at least try to have a positive attitude, or quit. And these people aren't only present in band, they're in all of my other classes too. Never making an effort to do really well at things, never really contributing, just skating through life, assuming they'll pass the class. And if they don't, they don't care about that, either. They just want to fit in with their friends and not do anything too extraordinary. Their attitude towards life just makes me sad.

Now, I understand that not everyone is a slacker. I know many people who are dedicated, hardworking people in band and in academics. Someone I greatly admire said once that "Those are the people who matter most, and many care more than they'll admit due to reputation with dumb teenagers." Which is true. Many people my age want to be accepted by the general public at school more than they want to find and pursue their true passions. Personally, though, I love band, and I'm not going to change that to be accepted by people when I am already accepted by some really awesome people in the band room.

Day Two: Where I'd Like To Be In Ten Years

Sorry this is really late, I just had an unexpected turn of events which caused me to not have a computer for a week. I promise I'll do my best to stick with my post-a-day schedule from now until I finish the thirty (now twenty-nine) day challenge.
So, day two. Where I'd like to be in ten years. I'll be done with college, or at least the first stage of it, and although I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do after college, I know I want to do something with music. My fantasy of ten years from now...

It's about 8:30 pm on a Monday evening in my New York apartment. I got home from rehearsal about two hours ago-- I play flute, piccolo, clarinet, and saxophone in a Broadway pit orchestra. I also give private lessons to aspiring flutists, clarinetists, and saxophonists. Now, I'm standing at the sink, doing dishes. The smell of spaghetti and garlic bread lingers in the kitchen as I scrub away the remnants of dinner and think about my schedule for the next week. I'll have to practice on my own and teach lessons every day, and then I'll go to the theater, change into my long black dress, black tights, and black shoes, and warm up for that night's show. Opening night is tomorrow, and I'm so excited! Even though I'll be playing the same music for eight shows every week for weeks on end, I'll be doing what I love-- making music.
I finish the dishes, reach down to pet the tortoiseshell cat that is sitting by my feet, and then I go into the living room, get out my flute, and start warming up for the minimum two hours I'll practice before going to bed. Outside, night is falling, but the streets are brightly lit and still bustling with people. As my music fills the apartment, my cat curls up on the couch, and in this moment, I am content.

So yeah. That's where I'd like to be ten years from now, although it probably won't happen that way. Note: I have included links to more information about Broadway pit orchestras and pit orchestras in general, in case anyone is curious. (See the words "Broadway" and "orchestra").

Day One: Current Relationship or Views on Singlehood

Replace "food" with "band" and you basically get the story of my life right now.

I am currently single, which is pretty awesome. I can flirt (or attempt to flirt) with whoever I want, I can like whoever I want, without feeling guilty or unfaithful. I haven't had hardly any luck with guys at all since I became old enough to date, so I have decided that I'm not going to date again unless somebody asks me out and I like them enough to say yes.
For me, being single means I am free to do what I want and be myself. I mean, it's nice to have companionship, somebody to talk to, etc, but I don't feel like I need all of the mushy-gushy stuff that also is supposed to come with a relationship at this point in my life, so why not just be friends with people? Right now, my main concern is being the best flute player, drum major, singer, actress, and student that I can be, and I've learned from past experience that being in a relationship can get in the way of that. In addition, I have recently realized something I didn't realize before, which is that I am awesome and I don't need some guy to tell me that. I have my music and my friends for acceptance, support, and companionship, and that's all I need at this point.
As far as romantic attraction goes, I am by no means against it. Of course I like someone (I'm not going to say who), but I just don't see the point in telling them about it or asking them out, because the last three times I did that, it turned out badly. My philosophy when it comes to this is: Admire from afar, because if they don't know you like them, they can't break your heart by refusing your affections. And if you keep your feelings about them strictly to yourself, then no one will judge you for still liking them even if they're already in a relationship.
So even though I don't have a significant other, I am happy with my life right now. I think it's good for me to be more independent and work on my confidence that way, rather than depending on some guy for words of affirmation. Not that there's anything wrong with relationships; they're great, just... Maybe not for me at this point. Like I said, I have my music and friends for companionship, and my philosophy on admiring from afar to explain my views on romantic attraction. And I am perfectly fine with this.

'Sup.

What's up, peeps? It's Rosetail the Flutist again, with more advice, opinions, and random observations from the front of the band room. This is my permanent blog address, so there won't be any more confusion over where to find my current blog. If you would like to visit my old blog, which looks just like this one but has a different URL, you can do that at www.flute36.blogspot.com.
Anyway, I'm going to start off this blog by doing a 30 day posting challenge. Each day, I'll post on a different topic, and the posts may or may not have to do with band. I suspect that most of them will, because band is such a huge part of my life, but if they don't, just bear with me. This is indeed a band/music blog, and after I get done with the 30 day challenge, I promise I'll be back to posting stuff about band and music.