Do you hate marching band?
drumstix379
march corps while they were in high school have issues with returning to
their high school marching band after drum corps? I have major issues with
it. I marched corps last summer, and I remember not liking marching band
when I returned to school in the fall. I was actually counting down days
till the end of the season. But today has to have been the worst case I
have ever had of "ugh-I-hate-band-itis."
After three days of getting my ass kicked at memorial day camp (it was
great!), I returned to school today. We are having rehearsals with the
marching band this week to learn some drill for our annual end-of-the-year
goodbye to the seniors gig. I just came home from this three hour drill
rehearsal, and I am in a horrible mood, because I cannot get over how
incredibly STUPID the majority of high school band kids are. It was three
hour of pure torture for me. They screw around so much I cannot even stand
it. They never shut up and they half-ass everything they do. It isn't even
their playing or marching that bothers me so much....its their attitudes!
I'm not expecting them to be a drum corps or anything, but the least they
could do is stop being idiots for a second to learn the drill halfway
decently. And the drumline....oh my God....I don't care if they're dirty, I
don't care if they don't know their parts perfectly (this is a very casual
show....we rehearse for a week and then perform for a bunch of family and
friends who love it).....all I ask is two things 1) they stop screwing
around and shut up when I ask them to and 2) they keep tempo. That's
all.....it's not difficult. We're not even marching. The drumline and pit
stand on a stage behind the band!
Excuse me for a moment...... AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I hate
band! I want to quit sooooo badly, but I feel like I have some sort of
commitment to them because I will be the only person in the d-line next year
who can really hold a leadership position. I'm not an amazing drummer or
anything, in fact I suck compared to the drum corps lines I've seen (I march
baritone for corps), but I'm older and have a lot more experience than any
of the other kids in OUR line. Please tell me that other people feel as
strongly about this as I do.....or maybe it's just me, I dunno.
Sorry to rant, but that rehearsal drove me insane, and I am really
pissed off right now, so I felt like I had to vent my anger somewhere.
Sorry!
RK :o)
p.s. Thank God for drum corps, or I would probably still be just as stupid
as the people that I am talking about.
JazzKat00
Calm down... Don't hurt anyone. I can tell you this from a first year
teacher...
High School Marching Band and Drum Corps are two different animals; I can feel
your pain. Separate the two! Take your high school band for what it is. Drum
Corps is a community organization with very high expectations and tons of
commitment (in most cases). High School Marching Band, in all probability, has
lower expectations and one doesn't have to put in as much as time and thus it
is open to pretty much anyone that wants to join. Expectations of a hs band
depend on the group of kids too. Typically you're going to have all types of
people in your band program, some being slackers and some that work their butts
off. There is nothing you can do about it. My high school band was never the
way I wanted it to be. I always wished we were better and other people worked
as hard as I did and that was the part I hated. I learned to put it aside and
over I had some good times with my friends, trips and what not.
The high school marching unit that i teach is, in deed, a drum corps. I do
everything in my program the exact same as a DCI corps would do it. We set up
in a horn arc ...warm-up the same...do ripples.. marching
style/drill....running and conditioning. We practice 2 days a week after
school (aug-may) and have rehearsal during 6th period drum corps class. My
expectations are very high with this group. Let me tell you this... I love
these kids to death and they work their butts off...but.. They're are not the
same caliber of kids with the work ethic and commitment you'd see in a DCI
corps. Although it's a corps, but it's still a part of a high school band
program (activity).
The people in your hs band, I'm sure are not "stupid." They're not thinking on
the same page/level as you and nor do they probably want to. Like I said,
take it for what is....and it isn't corps. Try to have fun with your friends
and maybe even motivate and help people, but don't put them down.
If you hate it that much, you probably should get out. Good Luck.
Best Wishes
Vincent Bingham
bill turner
running, kat. A comment:
In article <20020528235513...@mb-mu.aol.com>,
jazz...@aol.com (JazzKat00) wrote:
<snip>
> The high school marching unit that i teach is, in deed, a drum corps. I do
> everything in my program the exact same as a DCI corps would do it. We set
> up
> in a horn arc ...warm-up the same...do ripples.. marching
> style/drill....running and conditioning. We practice 2 days a week after
> school (aug-may) and have rehearsal during 6th period drum corps class. My
> expectations are very high with this group.
Given that rehearsal schedule, I'd expect quite a fine product come May.
But then you say:
> Let me tell you this... I love
> these kids to death and they work their butts off...but.. They're are not the
> same caliber of kids with the work ethic and commitment you'd see in a DCI
> corps. Although it's a corps, but it's still a part of a high school band
> program (activity).
<snip>
But why? Until just this last decade, championship-caliber corps were
usually kids that lived within a few miles of each other, typically all
going to the same school or perhaps a handful of schools in close
proximity. Now, I haven't otherwise heard of a public-school drum corps;
but your corps should have a demographic similar to what *all* drum
corps until the last few years have been, including the champions. And
then you've got the advantage of fiduciary stability (sorta).
Why, or how, are the kids different?
-- bill
Nikk Pilato
> great!), I returned to school today. We are having rehearsals with the
> marching band this week to learn some drill for our annual end-of-the-year
> goodbye to the seniors gig. I just came home from this three hour drill
> rehearsal, and I am in a horrible mood, because I cannot get over how
> incredibly STUPID the majority of high school band kids are. It was three
> hour of pure torture for me. They screw around so much I cannot even stand
> it. They never shut up and they half-ass everything they do. It isn't even
> their playing or marching that bothers me so much....its their attitudes!
Leadership qualities are shown by those who lead by example. If
you feel you are above them, lead by example.
> I'm not expecting them to be a drum corps or anything,
Actually, I think you are. This is what high school bands are
like, at least the great majority of them. If you want a great high
school program, the student leadership has to rise a notch above everyone
else. What have you done to help? Have you pulled together all the
leadership and formed a plan to bring your band back from the brink?
> p.s. Thank God for drum corps, or I would probably still be just as stupid
> as the people that I am talking about.
No comment.
++
np
nikk@nikk#nospam#nakks.net
"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper"
-T.S. Eliot
Shadow_7
> and shut up when I ask them to and 2) they keep
> tempo.
That's actually three things.
Calm down, leave the automatic whatevers at home. Think of high school band
as an ice cream social. While the ice cream may or may not be good the goal
of the event isn't always to gain weight. Forgot my point here. Must be
getting old.
Perhaps if you get some others in your group to do Drum Corps with you it
will be better. I know when I was introduced to corps many of the other
members had done the activity. This has many bonuses since you now have
someone else who can relate. And you can catch a ride with the others when
things don't seem to work out. I remember always having a plan B and plan C
when it came to transportation to drum corps camps. Kind of had to since I
didn't even have a drivers license at the time.
Shadow_7
Dave Adams
I also marched in a HS MB drumline where people spent a lot of time
screwing around. [Interesting factoid is that one of those screw-offs
starred in his own network television program a few years back. So I
guess he showed me... ;-) ] The worst thing about it from my
perspective is that if the guys had put even half the effort into
working on the show that they put into messing around, we would have
have a really decent line. Looking back, the reason it was like that
is probably that the Band Director put such emphasis on having bodies
in the line that he was never willing to cut any "bad apples". Lots of
blustering and threatening, but no action.
The most encouraging thing I can tell you is that if you care stick
with this beyond HS, college band is a lot more fun.
That said, a few words of advice to get you through HS:
1) It will be 10X better for you if you leave the rant here. The other
guys most likely _are_ trying to annoy you. It isn't clear from your
post that you are showing this publicly, although guess is that you're
doing your best not to.
If so, thats good! The other guys will get a better sense of what
self-discipline is all about from you if you actually practice it.
2) DO NOT compare the MB experience to drum corps (at least when they
can hear you). They didn't sign up for that. They will really resent
it if you go on and on about it. OTOH if they ask, thats another
matter. In that case _still_ refrain from going on and on about it.
3) Its good that you can prioritize and be realistic about what you
would like to see out of them. If you are put in the leadership
position, remember to compliment them when they actually perform.
4) Your Band Director will set the tone. If its really important to
him/her not to have a lot of screwing around, it will go away. If its
more important to have warm bodies, then it won't go away. Most likely
if one or two individuals clean up their act(s) the rest will follow.
If it were me, I would make a point of this during auditions. And I
would also make a point of cutting or "benching" the first violator.
5) HS Band ought to be fun. Does the drum line get together outside of
band? There might be some things you guys could do to build
comaraderie.
Good Luck!
-Dave Adams-