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.