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coolpolarbear123 · 7 years

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BAND CAMP DAY 7

September 1st, 2017

Albus’ first year of Hogwarts--and my last Speaking of lasts, this is it, guys. The last band camp of my high school career.

10th GRADE BC POSTS (2015) | 11th GRADE BC POSTS (2016) 12th GRADE BC POSTS (2017) | COLLEGE: FIRST YEAR BC POSTS (2018) | COLLEGE: SECOND YEAR BC POSTS (2019) | ALL

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6

My 9th grade year, back in 2014, I did not have a tumblr. That’s one of the reasons those days weren’t recorded. The second was that there was no reason for me to. Why would I? I made new friends, I kept my old--just like that Girl Scout song about gold and silver circles (I should know--I’m still in Girl Scouts) And that band was the best thing of my freshman year. We had games every Friday night, we went to three competitions that year, all 60 people were the most family-like group I can remember. Practice Tuesday and Thursday until 4:30. Band was every day from 1:00-2:15. This was all in EST, of course. I have a lot of good memories from that time.

Of course, I moved, as you guys know. August 21st and 22nd of 2015. And because I moved here, I had to attend band camp here, naturally. So the July before we moved, I went to the band camp here. And it wasn’t the same. It was less strict, twice the size, not as family-like as I was told in an e-mail, and they only went to three or four games. No competitions. We didn’t march for the first days of band camp, and when we did, I was appalled. It was all Not Okay. I absolutely hated it. I went through that year pretty disgusted.

I needed a challenge--I told myself freshman year that being a drum major wasn’t for me. So there I was, as a drum major. 2016 band camp was year one of being a drum major, along with two very fun other guys (HDM and ODM). I was a nervous wreck, but it was better than 2015. Of course, marching and fundamentals were still not there.

Being a drum major was better than being on the field, so now it’s 2017, and I’m the “head” drum major. It was definitely different. The first year that I’ve known what I was doing, and it’s a very strange feeling. As long as I don’t pay attention to any of the marching--everything’s fine, right? Nah. This band will never live up to my old band for a multitude of reasons. I had so much more fun my freshman year, and it was so ordered because of how serious it was. This band will never be that serious--it wasn’t meant to be. No competitions, no away games. Not as many trips on the band bus, either, because of all of that. So, look. I will always and forever have my old band in the limelight. I was angry from moving, and I’m still angry at times. I was disappointed my 10th grade year, and it carried to 12th. Maybe not as heavily since I’ve gotten more and more used to it, but I’m kind of stubborn sometimes. And annoying. But it’s the last day of my high school band camp, and let’s get into it.

This Morning:

I started the first BC post with the word “tonight,” so it’s only right that this one is “this morning.”

I mean, I could have put “tonight”

But I doubt 9AM is counted as “night.”

I get there early, as always, hang out at the front, look at the board, see that the order for our first marching game has changed, and question reality

I don’t even remember much of the beginning

X gets there, and I talk to FHF and probably my brother

And then we start

Y isn’t there, and we’re running through all of pregame, so X and I try dividing up Y’s songs. I’ll do Seven Nation Army, and he can do Illinois Loyalty, and then I’ll do Land of 1000

Of course, while we conduct our actual songs as well

Y comes in during that, though, so they got to conduct two of their songs while I did SNA

That’s a relief, though, because all three drum majors are good to have

We finish that up, and I, of course, have to conduct the SSB at the end. Not as good as that other time, that’s for sure.

Apparently a lot of fish don’t know what SSB stands for

My brother’s doing well, by the way

Honestly the first hour and a half wasn’t anything special

A little bit of sass and sarcasm here and there, but nothing remember-worthy, apparently

There was one song that we played and the band director tossed his drum stick (I think), fell off the drum set, caused the band to completely falter, and then HDM (yes, HDM) had to clap to the beat to get everyone back on track

It was interesting. And funny

I think it was Land of 1000--Y was conducting. I think.

I think the only person who really caught what happened was FHF because she had the biggest reaction

Though she’s loud so all of her reactions are fairly big

When X conducts, HDM makes faces at him, and it’s really fun to watch

But he doesn’t make faces at me so I think that’s Rude

But ODM will occasionally nod so it’s okay

Now we’re on break

Come back, more playing. Halftime show stuff

The drum line comes in and we do a tiny bit of pregame

SSB pt 2 wasn’t good

I blame everyone who wasn’t paying attention to me. No one was.

But that’s fun because then the entire band freaks out when I start counting off. And the band director did say “start whenever.”

I did that twice--by the way. Why call them to attention when you can watch everyone freak out instead?

OH, MY GODS

I FORGOT

So there’s this fish trumpet player, and he was wearing a blue shirt today

And I swear to the gods I can’t stand the dude

The band director said we’d be running through the entirety of pregame, so get all of the music you need beforehand.

This. Kid. Did. Not. He got up to get his music every time we switched songs. Excuse me? No. No. No.

That was disruptive--waiting for him every time

AND THEN HE WOULDN’T EVEN PLAY

He would sit there and maybe dab back and forth

I swear to the gods

Like, you--

--idiot

I asked my brother later on about the kid. Apparently the dude is incredibly smart, in all of the advanced classes, a fantastic trumpet player, etc

Are

You

Kidding

I can’t stand whatever this Prodigy Kid™ is

That was pregame (the first 45 mins)

In the story, we’re in halftime (the second 45 mins)

This might end up being really out of order

We play I Just Can’t Wait to be King first, which, if you remember, is my song

For now

That was a bit of a surprise, but okay

I wasn’t on the podium for it. I was standing next to it with the band director on the podium

All of the drum majors had to do that

But I was the only one who didn’t have to start the band

Anyway, after we finish playing and the drum line is with us, we decide to teach the fish The Kick

This is a kick that we do in parades and the cue is a drum cadence called 1979 or something like that

So we teach the fish

I was on the podium while we taught them that (this was right after SSB pt 2 (after halftime rehearsal, before the halfway point of one and a half hours)

It was interesting watching them learn

I mean, I remember learning

I didn’t get it until our first parade

When someone in my grade was like, “It’s alright--you’ll know it after the parade.”

Yeah, I knew it after that parade

So, we teach them that, and then we head outside!

We decide not to do pregame drill today (yessss)

Drum Majors grab the sound system and the podium, we set up, and we stand on the sideline to figure out the salute

WE FIGURED IT OUT

I mean, a lot of messing around

And we literally high-five during it

But WE GOT IT X isn’t really the guy to have fun with Y and me, as I’m seeing

Then we watch the band because doing stuff isn’t fun

Watching people do stuff is

JUST KIDDING

Watching them wasn’t fun because their fundamentals aren’t anywhere near good, and I want to die

Oh, by the way, ODM and I nod at each other a lot. It’s fun

Eventually, we do “practice pregame” stuff. Nothing official, but it’s to get people kinda used to it. We do some of the moving and some of the run-on

The

Run-on

I ALMOST DIED

OKAY

I ALMOST DID

Basically, I have to run through the tubas and drum line, and the gaps weren’t big and Y and I had to switch places while running because of Things, and it’s going to be like that for the game

But I am not a runner

And running is not my forte

(get it)

and yeah

The band wasn’t that fast, though? We made it just fine. Nothing like last year.

We’ll see what happens when the year starts.

Anyway, we do that stuff, and we do that stuff more than once

ouch

And then the band director with the mic (the other two don’t have mics and were judging from the sidelines. It’s funny) says to gather by the podium

Logically, he’s going to climb the podium

So I do

And then after a few minutes I’m told to get down

Of course

Y climbed with me

I got down, sat in the grass

There’s a “take a knee” campaign while the band director was talking

A handful of the band took a knee and no one else did

They tried, though

And then the band director wants us to learn a cheer

And the band votes for one of the percussionists to do it, and then for ODM to do it, so they do it together.

ONE BAND

ONE SOUND

It’s not my favourite, but it works

I don’t even remember if my old band had a chant (That’s not good--that I don’t remember)

I think I just don’t like this one because it’s like “Hey this isn’t your old band.”

And then we went in

And got popsicles

Apparently “popsicle” is supposed to be capitalized?

I’m not going to

Before I forget: shouting is a thing

Anyway, those popsicles were really good

OH MAN

There was one point when the band was marching in a block, and us drum majors were sitting on the sidelines. During this block, the band would face us and march towards us until there were only feet away.

They also stopped facing us

Anyway, FHF messed up once, and she landed on her spot, but did a weird spin-thing in frustration and landed off her mark

To which I corrected her

I also made her get some of the sound stuff

Which made her lose her music

And then we “argued” about who was bossy

And she got her music back

And ODM was holding the band room door open, and when I walked in, HDM was like, “QUICK CLOSE IT ON THE DRUM MAJOR” Me: “RUDE” HDM, imitating me: “rOOd”

I have friends who spell that as “r00d”

that’s off track

Anyway, when we get to the band room, ODM and HDM have lockers really close together, so I went to them, put my arms on my shoulders and was like, “I miss you guys” “We miss you too--but you’re doing well” “Thanks! The run-on is really confusing, though” “So it’s when [this] happens, but don’t run right away. Wait a beat.” “You’re the leader. The band will follow the drum majors. Run whenever.” We then joked about running before the whistle

It was really nice conversation

Anyway, I think that’s it. I think that’s all.

I really hope I’m not forgetting anything

I’ll update if I think of anything--or if Y or FHF says something like “What about [this]?”

I usually do update it

But, yeah

It’s been fun, guys

Thank you for letting me rant

And thank you for reading

It’s been one heck of a ride

HERE’S THE DEAL GUYS. I am going into my senior (12th grade) year. This is my last year of grade school, and my last year of becoming disappointed by band camp. I do plan on continuing marching band in college, but as I am a flute player, I don’t know if I’ll be able to. It depends on where I go. I also play clarinet, but there’s no way of knowing if I’ll be good enough. I have this year to practice. I’m not one to get my hopes up, so this might be my last band camp post ever. Thank you guys so much for reading and experiencing this with me. I get absolutely no feedback whatsoever (well, now I get FHF, but besides her), so I don’t actually know what you guys think of this. It helps me and gives me something to look forward to. Thank you guys, so, so much. And if I am in marching band next year, I’ll tell you when I know. I love you guys. I miss my old band, my old friends. Just to say it one last time. Just know it’s true. I miss you guys.

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