So, yeah, yesterday was our last five hour rehearsal before band camp.
-One of the sax section leaders asked me how I was liking piccolo. I told her that it seemed easier, since it's lighter and shorter. She said that I looked much better with it.
-I felt like I could almost take over the world. I could actually march and keep up with everyone skill wise. I hope I can play and march the show this season.
-Many new exercises were introduced because we had a different instructor than the one we had worked with. We did body turns with movement. That was hard, since we were marching, breathing in time, and turning out bodies. Our instructor said that kids our age can barely hold a book and walk, and we're expected to do many things at once. We also were introduced with another maneuver to change directions. Instead of a stab halt, we're stepping, rolling, and going. I got it after a few tries. Oh, the joys of working with different people.
-They're being really picky with us about everything. Horns up, articulation, step size, etc. Hopefully, that will make us better marchers.
-I surprised myself yesterday. We're being pushed to memorize the first movement of the show, even though we just got it a couple of days ago. I actually had G to I memorized.
-I'm trying to not hold last season's things against people this year. A few days ago, our band director gave us a pep talk on how marching band is "being a part of something much bigger than yourself." That means putting things aside to work hard and create something excellent.
-According to one flutist who switched to sax, sax is so much easier than flute. She said she picked it up in two days. When I asked her about it, she said she was never really good at flute, and I must have magic fingers.
-Still, when we march backwards, I never take a large enough step. I feel as if I don't have control of my upper body as my step size increases. That's one big thing I have to work on.
Now, I just have to survive band camp.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
"The Best Way Around is Through" - Robert Frost
I thought I heard that quote, and that quote is so extremely true. No one can gain marching band experience without making it through a season. A couple of things to note, and since my posts don't ever transition well, I'm going to do bullet points.
-It was hot today, and we were outside the whole time. Another band was rehearsing in the band room, so we were outside. The heat got to the freshman piccolo. She leaned over, and my section leader took her away. Apparently she threw up and then she went home. I feel bad for her, but heat is one major component of marching band.
-This year is so much easier than last year. Even my marching band mentor noticed and told me. We were doing basics, and she told me so. I can mark time, and for the most part, use the correct foot and the correct time. It's a visual thing for me. When a drum major gives a down beat in 4/4 time, left foot. Also, the piccolo seems to be easier with angles, probably since it's lighter and not as long.
-My music section leader, who was drill section leader last year, started playing piccolo today. She
hadn't really played it before, but all you have to do to adjust is pick it up and play it. The piccolos really need to tune, especially the freshman. We were really out on the high E flats.
-One thing I've noticed is I take way too small step sizes when marching backwards. I feel as if I can't control my upper body as my step size increases. We were working on different step sizes, and I never made the larger ones. Sometimes, I can barely make the standard 8 to 5.
-I don't know why, but I got and wore new sneakers today, and I seem to march better in them, especially when we were marching backwards. My old shoes were running sneakers, and now I have cross trainers. The cross trainers are probably just lighter. Plus, the cross trainers have arch support. Towards the middle of the rehearsal, my feet started to swell. I just took my shoes off. My feet hurt by the end.
-Random things from today. Today was huge on articulations. Our articulations need to match. One annoying part of the opener is the 18x repetition of the same 2 measure melody. Ugh. Also, we have these crazy 16th note runs, and I can get them, and some of the other flautists can't yet. We started memorizing, or at least attempting to. I need a lot of repetition.
So there's my disjointed post. Basically, I'm glad this isn't my first year of marching band.
-It was hot today, and we were outside the whole time. Another band was rehearsing in the band room, so we were outside. The heat got to the freshman piccolo. She leaned over, and my section leader took her away. Apparently she threw up and then she went home. I feel bad for her, but heat is one major component of marching band.
-This year is so much easier than last year. Even my marching band mentor noticed and told me. We were doing basics, and she told me so. I can mark time, and for the most part, use the correct foot and the correct time. It's a visual thing for me. When a drum major gives a down beat in 4/4 time, left foot. Also, the piccolo seems to be easier with angles, probably since it's lighter and not as long.
-My music section leader, who was drill section leader last year, started playing piccolo today. She
hadn't really played it before, but all you have to do to adjust is pick it up and play it. The piccolos really need to tune, especially the freshman. We were really out on the high E flats.
-One thing I've noticed is I take way too small step sizes when marching backwards. I feel as if I can't control my upper body as my step size increases. We were working on different step sizes, and I never made the larger ones. Sometimes, I can barely make the standard 8 to 5.
-I don't know why, but I got and wore new sneakers today, and I seem to march better in them, especially when we were marching backwards. My old shoes were running sneakers, and now I have cross trainers. The cross trainers are probably just lighter. Plus, the cross trainers have arch support. Towards the middle of the rehearsal, my feet started to swell. I just took my shoes off. My feet hurt by the end.
-Random things from today. Today was huge on articulations. Our articulations need to match. One annoying part of the opener is the 18x repetition of the same 2 measure melody. Ugh. Also, we have these crazy 16th note runs, and I can get them, and some of the other flautists can't yet. We started memorizing, or at least attempting to. I need a lot of repetition.
So there's my disjointed post. Basically, I'm glad this isn't my first year of marching band.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Five Hours Rehearsal
We're done with the two hour rehearsals. Dang it. Five hours felt like an eternity. I am so extremely glad that this isn't my first year of marching band again. We were doing move E. That's eight steps forward, eight left, eight back, eight right. We didn't do that move last year, so it was new. I got an upperclassman sax to watch me, one who was kind of mean/bossy to me last year. She said that I looked good.
I'm officially playing piccolo. I asked my band director on Thursday if I could, and he agreed. Their was already a freshman on it, but he wants 3. The freshman had to audition, but I played piccolo in concert band, so I didn't.
The weather was kind of iffy today. Thunderstorms and rain. It rained during rehearsal. Last year on the first day of these five hour rehearsals it poured. It's a theme. Pouring rain on the first day of camp.
We also got part one and two. We already had part three. Part one is a separate piccolo part, and the rest are just the flute part. At the end of the ballad, there's a high A, which is already high on flute. It says piccolo over it. My marching band mentor told me that it was written, so play it. I blasted everyone out to produce the note. The freshman piccolo doesn't play well in tune, but she probably plays better dynamics. My marching band mentor has perfect pitch, so she tuned us. The freshman piccolo was really flat, and I was good. My director said he may cut the last note of the ballad down to one piccolo. He'll pick me if he wants in tune, but her if he wants it to die away. Tuning only applies if there are more than one piccolo player.
I'm officially playing piccolo. I asked my band director on Thursday if I could, and he agreed. Their was already a freshman on it, but he wants 3. The freshman had to audition, but I played piccolo in concert band, so I didn't.
The weather was kind of iffy today. Thunderstorms and rain. It rained during rehearsal. Last year on the first day of these five hour rehearsals it poured. It's a theme. Pouring rain on the first day of camp.
We also got part one and two. We already had part three. Part one is a separate piccolo part, and the rest are just the flute part. At the end of the ballad, there's a high A, which is already high on flute. It says piccolo over it. My marching band mentor told me that it was written, so play it. I blasted everyone out to produce the note. The freshman piccolo doesn't play well in tune, but she probably plays better dynamics. My marching band mentor has perfect pitch, so she tuned us. The freshman piccolo was really flat, and I was good. My director said he may cut the last note of the ballad down to one piccolo. He'll pick me if he wants in tune, but her if he wants it to die away. Tuning only applies if there are more than one piccolo player.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
If I Can Survive Band Camp, I Can Survive Anything
"Being out in that heat for two weeks definitely drains your energy."
~ Cobi Jones
This is definitely a good band camp quote. It made me smile when I saw it.
Today was another one of the two hour practices. Nine to eleven. We again went over warm ups and the basics of marching. We also started to rehearse and play the stand music. I seriously don't remember having any marching band anything until half way into July. My band director must have changed the schedule.
It was smoking hot out. I checked the temperature when I got home, and it was 100 degrees (obviously Fahrenheit.) I felt like a wilting flower. The heat was really getting to me, and we didn't get any drink breaks. I'm not looking forward to band camp. Band camp is like ten times these little rehearsals. I would have complained, but band camp is only going to be worse. :(
Today, since it's summer, we had some freshman that came for the first time today. Two of them were pulled aside by one of the drum majors and were worked with more individually. I really wish they would have done that for me last year.
In basics block, one of the drum majors commented and said that my marching / basics block skills looked good.
In some ways, I regret signing up for marching band again. The schedule's crazy between that, work, and the other things I have going on during the summer. I already committed, and plus it would be awkward explaining to people why I quit since I already signed up. Also, I have three core classes first semester, (my school has block scheduling) and that's going to be kind of difficult. Classes with a lot of work and managing a crazy marching band schedule. My dad thinks I should drop marching band after this year. He asked me, jokingly, why I wanted to subject myself to the torture of band camp. I think he thinks that I'll have more time to figure out what I want to do after high school, like take classes based on the career pathway which I'll take. So I'm not even thinking about if I'm doing marching band again next year.
~ Cobi Jones
This is definitely a good band camp quote. It made me smile when I saw it.
Today was another one of the two hour practices. Nine to eleven. We again went over warm ups and the basics of marching. We also started to rehearse and play the stand music. I seriously don't remember having any marching band anything until half way into July. My band director must have changed the schedule.
It was smoking hot out. I checked the temperature when I got home, and it was 100 degrees (obviously Fahrenheit.) I felt like a wilting flower. The heat was really getting to me, and we didn't get any drink breaks. I'm not looking forward to band camp. Band camp is like ten times these little rehearsals. I would have complained, but band camp is only going to be worse. :(
Today, since it's summer, we had some freshman that came for the first time today. Two of them were pulled aside by one of the drum majors and were worked with more individually. I really wish they would have done that for me last year.
In basics block, one of the drum majors commented and said that my marching / basics block skills looked good.
In some ways, I regret signing up for marching band again. The schedule's crazy between that, work, and the other things I have going on during the summer. I already committed, and plus it would be awkward explaining to people why I quit since I already signed up. Also, I have three core classes first semester, (my school has block scheduling) and that's going to be kind of difficult. Classes with a lot of work and managing a crazy marching band schedule. My dad thinks I should drop marching band after this year. He asked me, jokingly, why I wanted to subject myself to the torture of band camp. I think he thinks that I'll have more time to figure out what I want to do after high school, like take classes based on the career pathway which I'll take. So I'm not even thinking about if I'm doing marching band again next year.
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