Band - Anybody in It?

[Lord Carlisle]

Is anybody on here in band?

God, it's both a dream come true and a nightmare. This summer I had to spend two weeks at band camp. 8 hours a day... 4 hours marching in the blistering heat, 4 just playing music. It was ridiculously challenging... some people even passed out! I made it through, but it was really tedious and dragged out.

But now that we're starting to play at my school's football games, it's awesome. Something about marching in front of thousands of people with music blaring all around you... it's amazing. Not only that, in the stands, we often get competitive. We play one song, they throw it back at us better, we play another, they rival that, etc...

I play the Alto Sax by the way.

 

[Johnny Sooshi]

Wait, are we talking like band, like any kind of band?

 

[Lord Carlisle]

Specifically a school band. More specifically a high school band.

 

[Johnny Sooshi]

Oh......nvm

 

[EternityTheory]

I've never been in band myself, though my sister was Color Guard captain and I had a number of friends who were "band geeks." It seems like a ton of fun and work, I just never played any instruments...

 

[Lord Carlisle]

Well, so far it's a ton of fun. And yes, it's a ton of work. But it's completely worth it. If you could have played an instrument, what would you choose?

 

[EternityTheory]

As far as marching band instruments go, I think I would've done well with one of the Brass instruments like the trumpet. Or maybe a member of the Drumline since I have pretty good rhythm.

 

[Yoda's LSD Dealer]

Yessir. I'm in band.

I play the clarinet in Concert Band, and I play the Alto Sax in the Jazz Band. I've really enjoyed it, and playing these instruments is a skill I'd like to keep for the rest of my life.

 

[Lord Carlisle]

Have you ever tried marching?

Also, Clarinets and Saxes have similarities... half of the saxes play clarinet, and vice versa.

 

[EeveeChan]

Is anybody on here in band?

God, it's both a dream come true and a nightmare. This summer I had to spend two weeks at band camp. 8 hours a day... 4 hours marching in the blistering heat, 4 just playing music. It was ridiculously challenging... some people even passed out! I made it through, but it was really tedious and dragged out.

My band camp wasn't as nearly as tedious as your sounds like. We stayed there from 8 am to 4pm, for 2 weeks in August, like you did, but we had a lot of rainy & cloudy days during my band camp, so I just got lucky not to have a lot of 90 degree weather. Our theme was the movie Mama Mia, So we had 3 songs to do. (Although my dream theme for marching band would be old fashion & modern video games like Pac-Man, Pong, Pokemon red & blue, Mario bros, Megaman, Final Fantasy, Ice Climbers, Teris, Donkey Kong etc)

But anyway, I've been in band since the 5th grade, but in my high school, there're 2 bands: concert band & marching band. I'm in both playing the alto sax & flute, but since they don't need a flute or alto sax this time for marching band, I'm in the band front/ color guard/ flag girl.

 

[sailormars109]

I am. I play flute and piccolo. I've been in band for 6 years, Marching Band 4 years.

 

[Lord Carlisle]

Well, we weren't so lucky. Although it rained ONCE, right when I needed it. I had forgotten to print out my drill coordinates and would've gotten "think position" if it hadn't been rained out. Think position is basically a push-up where you stay suspended up(It's the beginning of a push-up, you don't have to stay in the down position).

Funny story, though. I actually THOUGHT it was down position we had to stay in. So I was struggling and shaking while everyone else was somehow staying up flawlessly. It wasn't until after band camp that I realized I was doing it the hard way. WHY?!

 

[Burden]

I played in the front ensemble on drumset for about 3 years and then moved to snare on the drumline for one year. Then I quit because, as you know marching band is way to time consuming, + I hated everyone there.

 

[SpiritGerudo]

So this one time at band camp . . . LOL if that means anything to anyone, you're awesome. Our band camp goes for 5 days, on the field at 7:30 (with smiles, water, and sunscreen) and done at about 9:30 at night, but band camp for me isn't annoying or something I dread, I LOVE IT. I honestly feel BAD for anyone not in marching band, it is so amazing. We have the Band Olympics every year that makes it ten times more fun, and the sections get really competitive over it because the low brass wins EVERY FREAKING YEAR. And the Senior Prank every year . . . LOL. They had to ban pranks and band camp 3 years ago when it became a problem, you know, kids duct-taped to mattresses and put in elevators going down and such, but the seniors get one big prank at band camp each year. And marching band is marching band. Anyone who's in it might know what I mean, but it really is like one big family, age completely disregarded, and I am so sad that after Thanksgiving the marching season is going to be over. I seems so weird, though, I'm never going to march with those seniors again . . . I can't imagine what it must be like to be a senior. I feel so bad for them. I play flute (oh God) in marching band, and I play bassoon in symphonic band.

 

[Moonstone]

I used to be in marching/concert band. Trumpeter. My section liked to poke fun at the saxes- you guys aren't brass! Get outta here! >=p (Just kidding! We love you.)

...our brass section was kinda brutal, but to be fair- the flutes were a crew of prissy brats.