Going to register for my freshman year in high school....

[AlFrankenFan]

...which is promptly followed by eight hours of band camp. Fun day, isn't it?

Well, all we have to do is turn a bunch of forms, get our schedules, get our ID and yearbook photos taken (:wtf:), and be pushed by some booster club to support our school by buying their stuff. I'm still nervous, I don't know why. Anyways, I'm leaving...now, so wish me luck!

[Parche]

1. good luck

!!!!!!

[mstrsplinter326]

2. Band is the most under appriciated thing in HS

I hope you guys do well this marching season.

What do you play?

[AlFrankenFan]

6. tenor sax

and I know what you mean by underappreciated. I don't think anyone who thinks it's stupid or whatever would ever survive the marching part - holding your arms up and walking on your toes and waking up after four hours of that the next day only to do it again in addition to playing your heart out.

[mstrsplinter326]

28. yeah, it's not easy, thats for sure

I played the mellophone (marching french horn).

On the other hand, the band types typically embrace the kind of loner culture associated with band, so it is a two way street - but everyone will survive it, so no harm no foul.

Band is an awesome experience. I am now a guitar player and owe a lot of musical knowledge to my days in band.

highschool is one hell of a ride - unless you plan on going ivy leauge DON'T take it seriously. Go to school high or skip class - you'll realize you should have been doing all those kind of things for years when you are a senior, because in highschool it doesn't matter! (trust me, I'm only a soph. in college). But always be accountable for what you've done. Alright, I'm off my soapbox.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

9. Fellow bandgeek checking in .

Clarinetist ( going on 14 years of playing ) right here .

[kariatari]

17. former band geek here. tenor sax oy!

[LastKnight]

12. band = local gods at my HS. was the orchestra that got shafted here.

bigger than the footballers and cheerleaders around here. the orchestra (which i was a prominent member of, btw. lol) was the underaprecieated ones in my city.

-LK

[pagerbear]

16. No, chorus is way less appreciated

[curse10]

18. I respectfully disagree

although wish it were true. Vocalists can kiss my booty! :P

[kariatari]

20. all musicians and choir members please report to the auditorium...

ha!

j/k

[curse10]

21. in college, where I was a music major, we hated the throats

all classes would end up being split down the middle, on one side the vocalists, the other side, instrumentalists. In my experience alot of voc people are repug, holier than thou assholes who think they are god's gift to the world of music. They are cliquy. They can't read music or tap out a beat for shit. They don't think its important to learn about instruments (even though I was required to be able to sing). And they are the worst prima donnas in all the music world.

[pagerbear]

23. I apologize on behalf of voice majors as a species

We have wronged you, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us.

[LynzM]

3. Have fun and good luck!

Hope things go well for you... What do you play in band?

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

4. Aww

good luck. high school sucks.



:D Don't you love my positive attitude?

[AlFrankenFan]

7. i already think it sucks and it hasn't started heheheh

it's not just positive, it's realistic :D

[bowens43]

5. Good luck and enjoy Band.

My kids loved it!

[Chovexani]

8. Good luck fellow band geek!

And may the Force be with you...always. :silly:

[northstar]

10. Good luck!

It's gonna be some of the most terrific years of your life (which some of 'us' didn't appreciate till later. Learn to appreciate EVERYTHING, the good and the bad....words to live by, imho).

Again, good luck and have fun! :-)

[AlFrankenFan]

11. thanks and welcome to DU :)

[curse10]

13. Former Drum Major!

Band camp was the best- 8-10 hour days on hot astroturf- pigging out on woody's wings and things at lunch (this was before I was a veggie)- then puking it all up... ah... the memories...

is this your first band camp? we started in June when I was in highschool

[Archae]

14. I haven't had to register as a Freshman in High School...

In 30 years! :evilgrin:

Seriously, good luck, and be careful, many other High Schoolers major in cruelty to other students.
(Believe me, I KNOW!)

[LastKnight]

15. our little alfrankenfan... growin up.

enjoy it as much as is humanly possible, its gonna suck so make the best of it, at least it did for me, im gettin to the thread a little late for a good luck as far as registration goes seeing you posted more than 12 hours ago...

dont waste time on the assholes and pricks, cause there will be plenty of them. dont spend time chasing the crowd, just be yourself and youll have a great time. afterall, highschool is just a bunch of bs politics. lol.


if ya ever get down about it, just think, its only 4 years and then you get out... and if you like it, enjoy it while it lasts, its only 4 years, and then you get out.

-LK

[kariatari]

19. I had a great high school experience, hope you do too!

I had a blast in jazz band and jazz choir and I'm sure you'll have fun too. Don't let anyone tell ya different.

[medeak]

22. forensics

forget band...what a waste...do something your kids can use when out of school.

Am saying this as father is well known conductor and brother on Broadway. Band is useless....everything is taped...there are no jobs for musicians.

[LastKnight]

24. its just highschool, and only one class.

i did orchestra all 4 years and still graduated with more than a year's worth of extra credits than i needed. its not like shes picking a major, go easy on her. besides, most High schools dont even have forensics courses, and if they do they usuially arent available for freshmen

-LK

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

25. You are very very very wrong.

For a lot of people it is ESSENTIAL to have a creative outlet during the day when they are surrounded by books and numbers the rest of it. I don't see the problem with one course in the arts. Courses in the arts enrich our mind and enable us to think more abstractly and out of the box. People who do not participate in the arts are definitely missing a component of thinking that they would only understand if they knew even the slightest thing about art... Many colleges even have a fine arts/music requirement. Where do you get off saying her choice to participate in band is a waste? Obviously somebody colored inside the lines when they were younger. Look, kids need to have fun too. School isn't boot camp, and high school certainly isn't college. I can't let you sit here and criticize an arts course when I have taken chorus every year since 7th grade, I have taken graphics, studio, photography, advanced photography, and metalsmithing and have more than enough academic credits to graduate in New York State with an advanced diploma. Don't tell me I won't be able to use those classes when I'm out of school, because it's actually what my major in college is focused on: Photojournalism, combining writing and what I learned in school to cover events and subjects, etc.

Another point- my brother is a jazz saxophonist going to college for Jazz Studies. He had to audition to get in, he is an amazing saxophonist. He gets gigs all the time. So step off your high horse, please, and realize that some people ARE creative and that some people do want to absorb everything around them, not just academic subjects.

[medeak]

29. indeed

you are correct.

Had a bad experience with band teacher and should have kept mouth shut. My kids were raised to love music as feel it's so important and sometimes the only way one can keep their sanity...something one can enjoy until the day they die. And just to have an appreciation is important.

Band teacher (wanna be professional musician) was so horrible both my children quit playing instruments they had been playing for 10 years. Was a heartbreaker for our family. In two weeks he ruined everything we had built inside of them for all those years.

So...from my personal experience don't have much faith in high school band teachers?

[onebigbadwulf]

26. HAHA band camp...

...at least keep in extremely good shape so people dont pick on you.

[Rhiannon12866]

27. Good Luck to you. I remember it well, since I had to go to,

yet another, new school, my freshman year. Hold your head up and show up with confidence, especially when they take your photo! You will do fine. You have all of DU behind you.
:grouphug:

[shanti]

30. good luck, bandgeek!

my son is starting the 9th grade too this week:-)