Yesterday in band class we had a playing test. We have one every monday usually, but our band director was off doing something. Anyways, the tests are really easy. Just play one scale (different one every week), in a certain rhythm, in a certain style. Easy. But for some reason, I am terrible at them. It comes and goes. One week I do the scale perfectly, but another, I can't get the fricken notes out!
Well that happened yesterday. It was probably the easiest scale we could ever do. And even to make sure I didnt fail, I quietly fingered the notes to myself on my french horn about 85 times before it was my turn. I had this in the bag.
Then, as soon as I play my first note, I completely forget how the scale goes. I tried it over and over like 5 times before I just gave up. How does that happen?! And then right after I give up and take my nice 79% grade, I did it again perfectly. I dont know if I just got nervous and flustered or what, but I hate it. It sucks.
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You know what else sucks? Cheerleaders. Now, no offense to those of you who may be a cheerleader, but in our school the cheerleaders are all, of course, very pretty and popular, but then just stink at the whole 'Cheer' part. They come to every football game, just like us, the marching band, but they deliver all of their little cheers in the same monotone, lack of enthusiasm, "I dont want to be here but Go Team Go", voice. And what is with their strange hand movements?! Flailing their arms up and down after every stupid cheer, and for what? What do those hand movements accomplish?
Now the Marching Band, we are cheerleaders. We are 10000009897x louder and 'peppy-er' than our cheerleaders anyday. Hell, we even START the cheers! And we always get the crowd going with our renditions of "My Girl", "Smooth", and "The Final Countdown".
I love band. :D
Here's a story that really boils my nerves. About a month ago, there was a home football game against our school's rival team. Something bad always happens at one of these games. In the past there are have been tons of fights and lots of flying garbage.
For our band's halftime show, we march around to the other side of the field to line up. As we were marching over, the ENTIRE rival team's stands BOOs us. Like, hardcore. You could barely hear the announcer speak anymore.
The halftime show went fine. It wasnt until after that the trouble started. We were marching back up to our stands when we haulted in order to re-group. We must have been stopped for less than 2 minutes. I didnt see anything happen.
When we were back up in the stands, half the band starts just talking and yelling in outrage! I learned then that while we were haulted, some kid from the rival school came up to the band, spit on a colorguard member, ripped off another's plume, and THEN. He grabbed a girls clarinette, broke it in half over his knee, and then TACKLED her to the ground, where he proceeded to try and punch more bands members before running off.
Is that how our society is these days? Where you go to school determines whether or not people want to kill you? And the worst part of all was that this football game was packed. There must have been over 1000 people at this game and there were tons of people standing around the band when we were stopped. They were right next to us. Parents. But, they were from the rival school, so they let this kid run off. We werent worth helping. They didn't do a thing. These parents. They stood there while this 6 foot kid beat up a sophomore girl right in front of them. Bastards.