Band kid goes insane *REAL*
The Journal of a Band Kid
Dates are written [mm/dd/yy]
What Should I Pack in Indoor Perc Rehearsal Bag? [1/31/24]]
Hi! This is a list for all of you who don't know what to pack in a indoor perc/marching rehearsal bag. For the shorter rehearsals I usually bring a few things, but for the 7 hour saturday practices these things will help you so much!!!
- Music Binder & Dot Book
- Water Bottle
- Earplugs!!! (please protect your hearing as much as possible!)
- Lunch or money for lunch
- Deoderant (please dont fit the stinky band kid sterotype)
- Hair ties, chapstick, other hygeine stuff
- Metronome and tuner (esp if you play timpani)
And thats it! All of these things are pretty basic but they are so essential for those long saturaday practices. Now go practice!!!!
College Auditions are Done!!! [1/30/24]
For the past two months my every waking hour has been dedicated to college applications and auditions. Finally I am done with all the interveiws, recorded auditions, and in person auditions. I haven't heard back from any yet, but I am so so so releived that the stress is over.
how to roll???? [12/10/23]
Guys how do you roll really good bc I am struggling so hard and I can't figure it out
Indoor Percussion Starts again!!! [11/15/23]
Im so so so exited for this year!! We are going to be competeing in WGI Scholastic A this year for the first time. I am on Timpani again and the parts are super cool. I'm also pit co-captain with my friend which is super cool. I can not put into words my love for this group. I can't wait for the season to begin
Football Games :)
Our third football game is in just a few days. So is senior night. I always knew that my time in the band would come to a close eventually, but I never thought that It would come this soon. I guess the principal wasn't just reciting cliches, high school does go by in a flash. Close your eyes for one second and you're walking down the stage ready to accept your diploma. I don't think I'll miss the amount of homework I got, or the people that would laugh at me and my friends, or even the hallways that were always fully packed with sweaty students trying to get to their next class, but I will miss all the good times at the lunch table and being able to see my friends every day. The thing that I will miss most of all though, is band.
Its so weird that I'm the senior this year. Im not going to be sitting in the stands watching others in my section line up, one behind the other, as their name echos over the stadium. I'm not going to be cheering for them when they walk down the feild with their parents by their side. I'm going to be the one walking down that feild, the field that I have spent so many hours after school on. The feild where I put my all into a marching show that most of the audience leaves to go and get consessions in the middle of. This year I am the one who is being cheered for by the underclassmen. I am now going to be the one that is leaving the band behind, not the one who is being left behind. I no longer have many years ahead of being a part of this band. This is my last one, and I can't beleive it. I guess its just another aspect of growing up, along with college applications and getting my license, but this part feels the most strange. I knew that I could never stay here forever, but I never knew how painful it would be to say goodbye. To my friends that I've known since the first day of band camp, to the freshman that I just met in august, to the juniors and sophmores that have been the most awesome bandmates ever, and to the past seniors who have truely helped shape me into who I am today, I'm going to miss you guys so much. This is your funky fresh bass clari player, signing out.
Band Camp [8/23/23]
Just finished day 3 or band camp and I am soooo tired. Every single day I have less energy than the day before idk what I'm going to do by friday lol. We made lots of progress on our show though!
Training to March DCI!!! [6/5/23]
I'm going to try to audition to march for the summer of '24! I got a baritone a few weeks ago and progress has been slow. Building a range on brass insturments is so much harder than I thought lol. But im super exited to practice a lot so that I can march for (hopefully) an open class corp next summer. I can't wait for auditions to start!
My Practice Routine [4/16/23]
hey there! Over the past few years, ive been trying differant practice teqniques and routines, and here is the routine that I have found the most effective for me. I hope it helps :). If you have a cool practice routine please send them to me! I love trying new practice methods. Practice Routine
- Warmups (10-20 minutes): I start with scales & arpeggios and then move onto long tones! Long tones are super boring so sometimes I also work with dynamics while doing the long tones. I also try to do new warmups that I find online, or sight reading exercizes.
- technique (10-20): Some days I don't do specific technique exercises, but on the days that I do, I usually work on stuff in rubank method books
- The hard Stuff (20-as much as needed): What the title said. New pieces, stuff I need to learn, stuff that it super hard to play, etc, etc
- Fun stuff (as much time as I got): Peices I adore, jazz stuff, easier stuff/stuff I already know. My favorite part
Indoor is over :( [4/4/23]
We had our finals last weekend and we got second! It was a little dissapointing at the time, but we put our all into the show. We gave everything we got, and I'm so proud at how hard we all worked to make this show as cool as it was. I can't wait until next year!
i love the timpani???? [3/1/23]
This is just turning into a timpani fanpage at this point. I love the timpani. If the timpani asked for my social security number and credit card information, I would hand it over in a heartbeat. If the timpani popped up as a hot single woman in my area on a pirating site, I would click on the ad. If the timpani told me that it wanted me to leave my loving partner and my 17 kids for it, i would drop kick those mother fuckers and follow the timpani. If the timpani I had to be dead to play it, I would find the nearest 10 story building. And yes, if the timpani jumped off a bridge, I would too.
First Competition!! [2/11/23]
WOOOOOOOO FIRST COMP DAY!!!!! It went by so fast. I can't even beleive it. One minute we were warming up for morning practice at 7:30 the next we were performing and the next we were unloading all of our equipment from the truck into our band room. It was crazy. We only performed the first two movements of our show and I think we did pretty well. Definitly a lot to improve on. But still a solid first performance. I was less nervous than I thought I would be. The crowd and the judges in the stands were not as intimidating as I thought they would be. There were a bunch of other cool percussion groups there as well. Most marched, but one was a concert group. It was differant but pretty interesting. I can't wait until the next comp!!
Timpani Teqnique [2/6/23]
In middle school we asked our bd what the hardest instrument to learn was. He said percussion. I thought he was crazy. Because percussion was just hitting a drum right? I was wrong. I've only been playing the timpani for a few months but the technique is so difficult to get a hang of. The rolls, tuning, hiting the drum, etc, is wayyy more than just pressing a peddle and hitting the drum as hard as possible. And on top of all that the percussion section is usually responsible for keeping time! Now I understand why my middle school bd said that percussion was the hardest instrunent to learn in the room. Its a little insane :0
First Competition is So Soon!! [1/31/23]
Im so nervous rn. I have my first competition 2 weeks from now for indoor percussion! We have mvt 1 & 2 done so that's good. We have to stay in tempo better though. We usually stay together when the tempo gets fucked though so thats better than not staying together. If we crash and burn then i guess we crash and burn together. I can't wait to go. I haven't seen the show costumes yet but I think that they are going to be large cloaks. We are supposed to be dark/evil spirits in the show. I'm so exited!!!! I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep well until the competition but thats okay!! The adreniline and exitement will keep me awake. This post is really all over the place but it represents the state my brain is in so yay.
Music Apps {1/11/23}
Over the years I've used a/ variety of differant apps. Here are some of my favorites and some I would just skip. Andante: My favorite practice tracker!! Its free to download, but you can pay a slight fee for some additional features like multiple intrument profiles and more detailed notes. Its a pretty simple app, but it contains a timer, practice streak, and a metronome. I use it a lot when practicing because it doesnt distract me at all. My all time favorite music app. Pocket Pitch: I usually use a physical tuner for this sort of stuff, but if you ever want an app to help you hear tones to tune, this app works pretty well. Not my favorite but definitly gets the job done. InsTuner: A tuner and pitch producer all in one. It works pretty well and I like to use if for tuning on the clarinet/bass clarinet. Tonal Energy: I feel like every musician has used this app or at least seen the iconic smiley face, but this is my favorite practice app and the only pratice app that I spent money on. It has everything that you could ever need. A tuner, a pitch producer that sounds like a whole range of differant instruments, a metronome that subdivides and has multiple cool modes, and even a small smily face guy that tells you how in tune you are. If you ever want to spend money on a music app, spend it on this one. These are all the apps I have installed on my phone right now, and I use most of them at least once every week. I think that they are super worth having and can help you so much with staying in time, in tune, and motivated.
Concert Band is not the same [12/26/2022]
I don't think that non-band people realize why band kids get so emotional about the seniors graduating when marching band season is over. They always say "Oh, well you have until May before they leave" but its never the same as during marching band. Sure, you see the seniors sometimes, but you dont see them every week after school for practice. You don't get to fool around at games with them, and you don't get to do as much stupid band kid shit with them anymore. The vibe is just totally differant. I miss the practices under the falling autumn leaves. I miss taking the field with them with the friday night lights above. I miss walking back to the band room after a long practice under the stars. I miss the pretty practice sunsets. I miss everything about marching band season. I get that this sounds corny and dramatic, but it's how I feel right now. I don't know what I'll do after my last marching band season is over. I don't know what I'm going to do without the seniors next year. I will miss them so much. Marching band just doesn't seem like marching band without them.
I LOVE being a low wind player [12/20/22]
Basically what the title said. I love it. So much. A lot of people say that the parts are very boring and dry, and yeah, for the most part they are. But when the low wind/brass parts get good, they are SO good. That low brass line in Arabesque by Samuel R. Hazo is one of my favorite concert band pieces. It's probably the most fun low wind line I've ever played. Not getting these cool parts all the time makes the cool parts we do get really special. I also like being the backing voice of the ensamble. In Tocatta for band this year, I'm playing the bass clarinet, so for most of the peice, the parts are really boring, especially when we get into the sections were its just the clarinets playing. Its super boring to practice on my own but when I am playing it with the other clarinets, it feels magical. I feel like the mother bird watching her kids fly. Its a strange feeling but I love being in the backround and supporting the clarinet's from the side. Being a low wind is so fun!
Audition results! [11/23/22]
I made it in!! I'm really surprised but also super happy. I'm glad that all those hours practicing led to something lol. New entries of all-state and indoor percussion are to come in the next few months.
Audition week :0 [11/19/22]
I just got home from my last audition of the week and I am so tired. The indoor percussion audition was first on thursday. It was not very good. I just started on the timpani and my rolls are... lacking to say the least. I was the only one who auditioned for timpani though to hopefully I'll make it. If not then thats a real skill issue on my part. The other two were both today, on saturday. I had my All-State bass clarinet audition first and then the clarinet audition after it. The bass clarinet one went pretty well :). Some parts of the main peice were a little choppy but I think it turned out ok. I messed up on the 3 octave E scale for the clarinet audtion. I am very nervous for the results of that one. Hopefully I make it in! I've been practicing for 3 hours every day this week lol.
Rehearsal Journal
These notes are honestly just to keep me somewhat organized.
Band Class 3/1/23
Hours Practiced: 7:30am - 9:00am
What we worked on: Legato and Millitary escort (boooo hate that one)
What needs to be worked on: Dynamics and shaping
Other stuff: We unpack all of the drums from febuary break, found a blue angry bird plushie and threw that around, watched a video on how to practice more effectivly
Indoor Percussion 2/27/23
Haven't added anything in two months holy hell
Hours practiced: 6pm-9pm What we worked on: First Movment of the show review and some visual stuff. We ran through the entire show at the end in the gym
What needs to be worked on: DYNAMICS ALWAYS, more performing during the show with our faces, and tempo/staying together all the time
Other stuff- We got the shirts for this year and the last part of our uniform (a giant cloak)
Indoor Percussion 12/19/22
Hours practiced: 6pm-9pm What we worked on: Check patterns, movement two, and crouse & cromatics What neeeds to be worked on: Dynamics in movement 2 and feeling the slow downs/speed ups all throughout movement 2
Indoor Percussion 12/17/22
Havent done this in a while lol Hours practiced: 10am-4:15pm What we worked on: Warmups, the first movement of our show and the begining of the second movement of our show What needs to be worked on: Dynamics and quick pitch changes Other stuff we did: Some maitenance stuff in the front ensamble, and we ran up and across all four floors of the school for a warmup. The pit was not prepared for running lol.
Band Class 12/9/22
Hours Practiced: 7:30-9am What we worked on: Warmups, Let the spirit soar, and Stevie Wonder in Concert What needs to be worked on: The bass line in Stevie Wonder, and getting the articulations right.
Indoor Percussion 12/3/22
Hours Practiced: 10am-4:15pm What was worked on: Summertime, Skillet Beans, Crouse and Chromatics, and the begining of our show to C. What needs to be prepared for next rehearsal: The begining of the first movement to C, possibly further. Other stuff we did: sectionals :)
Band Class 12/2/22
Hours practiced: 7:30am-9am What was worked on: Let the Spirits Soar, and Stevie Wonder in Concert (specificallly the I wish section) What needs to be worked on: bass line in stevie wonder medly Other stuff we did: Took a music terms test.
Indoor Percussion 12/1/22
Hours practiced: 3pm-9pm What was worked on: Summertime, skillet beans, and the begining of our show to B. What needs to be prepared for next rehearsal: The begining to B as well as exersise 10. Other stuff we did: sectionals
Indoor Percussion 11/28/22
Hours practiced: 3pm-9pm What was worked on: Summertime, skillet beans, and the first 27 measures of our show What needs to be prepared for next rehearsal: The begining of the first movement to B. Other stuff we did: Set up intruments in where they are going to be in the pit.