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Ah, marching band. Started in 6th grade playing clarinet, moved to bass clarinet in middle school. 3 years marching with it, too. Senior year, I bought a tenor sax (never played a sax before in my life) and wanted to march with it but got picked to be drum major. Being drum major of a 350-piece band rocketed me from general obscurity to rock star status. After marching season (4th place at state finals), I was first chair tenor sax but the band director needed me on bass clarinet because there was a solo in one of the competition pieces for concert. I never did get to play the sax I bought (which cost more than my car) except for a solo & ensemble piece and a Christmas special...  I marched for a year in college but it wasn't the same. I still get it out to play every so often but its been almost 20 years now.
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May 17, 2020 04:43
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 02:02 |
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We were issued these vests to wear for the marching feature one year.
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May 17, 2020 04:56
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It was a requirement to be in marching band and field show if you were going to be in any band from 9th grade on. Just wanted to do concert? Marching band & field show were required. Take the zero hour jazz band elective? Marching band and field show required. The teacher was a complete zealot when it came to band, and considering the only banners in the gym were from the band, he was able to make a lot of demands. I was in marching band for one year before I quit. My instrument was the baritone sax, and the band teacher was heavily pressuring me to play the tuba/sousaphone in 10th grade (both the tuba players graduated the year before). I'd never played a brass instrument, and made it very clear I didn't want to play one. He eventually pressured me into taking a tuba home to practice and "try it out!" Surprise, surprise, I loving hated it. During the first rehearsal at band camp, when a tuba heavy part of the song came up, I was just pressing random valves and blowing whatever the gently caress to the beat. He gave me a cheer and a thumbs up. That's when I decided "This is complete bullshit." I talked to him after rehearsal, reinforcing that I did not want to play the tuba. After some back and forth, I told him that I was going to just drop band if I couldn't play the sax (I owned an alto, and used the school's baritone). He insisted I play the tuba, so I quit. He told me "You're a disappointment, and are letting the entire band down." No one but him and the field show choreographer gave a poo poo if I played the tuba or not. Maybe the brown-nosing drum major. He was convinced he could talk my parents into making me play the tuba, but my dad loving hated this guy, so it was a pretty short conversation. It sucks that I had fewer classes with my friends, but it was also nice to get more sleep in the morning and not have practice after school. Playing Hey Pachuco and Rhapsody in Blue was fun, though. The trip to Victoria, BC was pretty cool, too.
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May 17, 2020 05:35
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Brolander posted:I marched that year (div 3, my only year) and a couple of my HS bandmates marched in that show Oh drat i just remembered we always played Florida in like September when it was still hot there. I remember one of our band members straight up passing out at the game. Granted they probably got drunk the night before like a dummy but still
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May 17, 2020 08:39
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