TRUE CONFESSION: I was a teenage band geek.

[Heidi]

And here's the photo to prove it. That's me, fourth from the left with the clarinet in my hand. Dear lord, I was a dork. Does nothing EVER change? :yoiks:

[Bunny]

1. I love teenage band geeks!

My guy was a teenage band geek. :loveya:

:hi: Heidi!! :D

[Heidi]

3. Just for the record,

I don't have a cameltoe in that photo. It's the angle and the light. :rofl:

Hi, gf! :hug:

:loveya:

[Bunny]

:spray:

:rofl:

[Heidi]

5. It's REALLY NOT!

I just said to CMW on the patio, "It's really NOT a cameltoe."

He goes, "But it could be. I've got Photoshop CS3."

:eyes:

[Bunny]

11. Oh god. Your husband is a wiz at Photoshop!

You should probably be extra nice to him for awhile. :D

[Heidi]

13. Yeah, but ya gotta draw the line SOMEWHERE!

For example, despite his Photoshop wizardry, it's NOT my night to cook! :P

[Richardo]

16. CMW is quite the visionary, no?

:rofl:

[Heidi]

19. That's a nice word for it, I suppose.

I sometimes refer to him as, "Helpy Helperton." :eyes:

[InternalDialogue]

2. Fast-forward just a couple of years, and I'd have been in that picture, too.

I'd have been holding a trumpet.

[Heidi]

4. More than a couple of years, I suspect!

:rofl:

Hey, ID! Supah to see you in a band geeks thread. I just KNEW you were one of us! :ug:

[InternalDialogue]

6. :ug: right back atcha!

I wish that were really a smiley so I could see what it was!

:P









Edit to get my own smiley right, d'oh!

[Heidi]

7. Oh!

Further evidence of my dorkishness. :rofl:

:hug: <-- A more accurate and typo-free reflection of my opinion of you!

[Broken_Hero]

8. I was a band geek as well,

played clarinet from 6th grade through my senior year of HS.

[Heidi]

9. So, how many times did the band director try to drag you over to the dark (oboe) side?

:rofl:

You're SUPAH-man! :hug:

[Broken_Hero]

10. actually, my band teacher tried pushing me into bass clarinet

but I liked being wedged in between my fellow clarinet players and the first chair alto sax...

:hide:

[Heidi]

12. See, now? A band director can spot a versatile embouchure a mile away!

:rofl:

[Broken_Hero]

15. I guess,

:), band was fun times, because of band I got to go on quite a few trips(on a ferry for multiple days, with almost no supervision!!), it was loads of fun.

[Heidi]

18. BAND BUS!!!!

More fun by the mile! :rofl:

[Broken_Hero]

20. No bus, SE Alaska is a series of

islands, so we would take 18-32hr ferry rides. The ferries were good size, so it was easy peasy to sneak off and create some Mayhem. :evilgrin:

[Heidi]

22. That sounds DANGEROUS

in all the RIGHT ways! :rofl:

[revolution breeze]

88. We had the cutest bari sax player

That may have been why I played bass clarinet.

[cyberswede]

91. I played bari sax!

I started on the alto in 5th grade and switched to bari for 7th - 12th grade. I even played it in marching band in 10th grade (switched to sousaphone for marching bad for 11th-12th).

My whole family were band geeks!

[MineralMan]

30. I lost that battle, and became an oboist.

I ended up being the drum major, too, since oboes don't march and I fit into the uniform. An oboe-playing drum major...the ultimate band geek!

[Heidi]

31. You're edgin' up to "PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF REQUIRED" territory, my friend!

You best get to scannin'! :hug:

[MineralMan]

35. You Want Proof? You can't handle the proof, but here it is...

I was the meta-bandgeek

[Heidi]

36. I'd like to say, "Which one are you?" but the truth is,

I already find you wonderful as a DUer and can't imagine I would have found you unwonderful as a teenage band geek. I lovelovelove these photos! :hug:

:* <-- Not exactly a band bus kiss, but still...

[MineralMan]

38. Now I'm blushing. Don't tell my wife, OK?

:blush: :hug:

[Heidi]

39. I don't have to tell your wife.

She KNOWS.:D

[Richardo]

14. The only way that photo could be any geekier is if there were a french horn player in it

And I could supply that picture!

:hi: Heidi! You rockin woodwind player you! :hug: :loveya: :pals:

[Heidi]

17. Well, gosh, Richardo. That COULD be taken as a compliment.

:rofl:

Yeah, I was rockin' some big ol' late 1970s/early 1980s glasses, too! :spray:

Please DO supply that French Horn geek photo! I'll just wait here with my gnawed-up reed.

[Richardo]

25. I'll check the old yearbook tonight - I know there's a trumpet picture in there.

It's pretty geeky too - I have the ubiquitous Dave Barry/Young Homer Simpson-style hair.

If I can find it I'll share - I'm not afraid! :scared:

[Heidi]

28. Oh, don't worry. You're among FRIENDS here.

Mostly...

[Richardo]

90. OK here's a trumpet pic:

1974, a desert town in SoCal, HS stage band:



4th chair. Not a huge amount of chops.

But I did do some arranging - the band played two of my arrangements in concert: "(I Wanna Take You) Higher" (Sly & The Family Stone) and "Living in the Past" (Jethro Tull)

[Heidi]

92. Biting my tongue.

"Hot, hot, hot" is not a phrase that slides easily off of a middle-aged woman's tongue, dontcha know. :blush:

[Richardo]

98. How would *you* know what a middle-aged woman says?

;) :loveya:





...and: :blush: + :hug: + :hi:

[Heidi]

99. Since you're so cute and geeky, I'll give you my number,

smarty pants. It's 47. :rofl:

[Richardo]

100. ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-XgvHPt1cg

[MineralMan]

21. Band Geeks Rule!

[Heidi]

23. In retrospect,

I'd say you're correct. :rofl:

[MissMillie]

24. I absolutely was a band geek

spent almost all my study-halls in the band room doing ensemble work.

[Heidi]

26. And a redhead, too!

I have a theory that most modern goddesses have band geek histories. Thank you for adding to my data! :hug:

[MineralMan]

27. High School Band Trip Rules...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/MineralMan/11

[Heidi]

29. I _love_ that, MineralMan!!!

I got my first real kiss on a band bus trip. And the guy is in that photo in the OP. :blush:

[MineralMan]

32. Ha! Of course you got your first real kiss on the band bus.

Didn't everyone? We needn't discuss any further activities, though...

[Richardo]

33. My money's on the trombone player.

Those guys were always getting the cute chicks. :grr:

[Heidi]

34. I won't confirm or deny,

but I will say that the young man in question was no less than masterful. :har:

[Aristus]

37. Band geeks don't get any geekier than tuba players!

Here's me on the left, trying to wrestle with a tuba that was as big as me!...:

[MineralMan]

40. My wife was a tuba player in High School

I knew there was a reason we fell in love...

[Heidi]

44. Well, weren't YOU the cutie-patootie!

:loveya:

[Aristus]

63. Now, how come the ladies didn't think I was cute back then?

It's hard to be sexy when you're carrying a tuba. I just got NO action from the girls in high school...

[av8rdave]

41. So was I

Geeky as it (and I) was, it was a lot of fun.

[Heidi]

45. This bolsters my confidence in flying, for sure.

And I'm not surprised you were a band geek, Dave. You're a smart guy! :hug:

[av8rdave]

46. But a lousy trumpet player!

Thanks. :hi:

[Heidi]

50. How could you have possibly forgotten that

skills don't really matter in band geekdom! It's personality that counts! :pals:

[kentauros]

42. That trombone player looks like one of ours!

Tall, long hair, glasses, even the denim shirt. Was his name Doug Yantzee by any chance? :P

Euphonium player, here, 75-79 :D

[Heidi]

47. Nope, no Doug Yantzee in the Marching Tigers!

Not surprised that you, though, were a band geek. You're smart, funny and an enormously good person, kentauros. :hug:

:loveya:

[kentauros]

51. Thanks, Heidi!

:hug:

I was in the absolute craziest bunch though. We were weird even to the other band members :evilgrin:

[1gobluedem]

43. Flute and piccolo!

Flute in concert band, piccolo in marching band. At my high school, if you were in the marching band for four years you didn't have to take gym.

[Heidi]

48. Well, that's just a JUMP TO THE LEFT,

isn't it? A pelvis thru-u-u-u-ust can't be far behind! :hug:

:loveya:

[kentauros]

49. We had the same rule. Marching Band = no P.E.! YAY!!!

:D

Marching band was tough, though. Practice "field" was the school parking lot, and we'd be out there three weeks before classes started, in the Texas August heat and humidity

We marched 8 to 5 (that's eight steps to five yards for the non-geeks lurking :P)

[lizziegrace]

52. Bassoon (and flute and piccolo)

[Heidi]

64. You're a beauty, gf!

And I'm very happy to see you! :hug:

:loveya:

[AllenVanAllen]

53. Some of my high school "band geek" friends

were some of the coolest and smartest friends I had. :hi:

[Heidi]

65. And some of my coolest, smartest friends

were art geeks! :D

:hug:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

54. Yo! Orchestra nerd here(First Fiddle section) and PROUD OF IT!!

The highlight was five weeks at Midwestern Music Camp at KU in Lawrence, Home of the Jayhawks.

Was in the back of the first fiddle section of the top orchestra, sang in a choir.
Rehearsed all week and put on a full concert every saturday (overture, one concerto or a couple of symphony movements).
Also put on a choir concert every Saturday. That was ten concerts in five weeks.

Most famous conductor I played under was Carmen Dragon. He arranged America the Beautiful in the arrangement they used to play when TV stations signed off at night. It's a gorgeous arrangement. Also father of Daryl Dragon of The Captain and Tennille (this was before they got famous).

Also Col. Arnold Gabriel who conducted the Air Force Band.

The very last day of camp, on Sunday, I had to participate in two cnocerts in a row.

First, we sang the Mozart Requiem, all of it.

Then we played an overture, and a bit of Strauss called Also Sprach Zarathustra. A big hairy bitch of a piece to play. Strauss had no fixed key signature and wandered a lot.

I thought it was fun, I had no idea it was slave camp.

[Heidi]

66. Our school was too small to support both marching band and orchestra.

:(

Plus, it was northeastern Oklahoma. :rofl:

[Silver Swan]

55. I'm so old that I was in band before geekiness was invented.

And our school was so small that even cool kids were in band.

I played French horn in concert band and alto horn in marching band, 1957-1964.

[Heidi]

67. Now, THAT'S cool!

:thumbsup:

[Ptah]

56. Tuba!!!

[Heidi]

68. Oompa!

:hi: Ptah!

:hug:

:woohoo:

[supernova]

57. Flute player all around

:D

I got so good I got a silver open-holed flute with an extra B-Flat key. :P :D

I played in symphonic band, pep band and in the orchestra for our spring musicals. I missed out on marching band due to a health condition, though. I was miffed about that because they went to the Azalea festival in Wilmington, NC every spring (read: overnight trip to the beach!!)

Going to band competitions was really fun and tense. One year we made a record and I still have it.

Playing in the orchestra for musicals was the most fun for me. We used the same books the professionals used and I got expert at sight reading.

[Heidi]

69. Y'all made a record???

Very, very cool! No one would have wanted to commit the sounds of our Marching Tiger Band to vinyl! :rofl:

[backwoodsbob]

58. Here in Bluefield..home of the graham g-men

We LOVE our band.They are usually 100 strong..not easy in a school of 500..and regularly make regionals.we have football players who run out at halftime to join the band...cheerleaders..you name it..our band ROCKS and we are proud of them.

[Heidi]

70. I love that you support your band!

We were one of the first schools in our area to have a strong Band Booster Club. Our band director was a marketing _genius_! :rofl:

[Iggo]

59. Alto Sax...'75-'79. (n/t)

[Heidi]

71. Woo-hoo!

:honk: <-- My little brother playing the alto sax. :rofl:

[revolution breeze]

60. Started on the viola (not the violin)

then played th clarinet from fifth grade through high school, bass clarinet in the symphony, then flute and piccolo in college. Daughters were band geeks, one playing trumpet and the other clarinet. Looks like my youngest is going to be a percussionist.

[Heidi]

72. What grave sin did you commit to deserve

a percussionist in your home? :rofl:

:hi:

[revolution breeze]

81. Married a drummer! n/t

[Heidi]

82. Whoo boy!

That'll do it every time! :rofl:

[revolution breeze]

85. Nine years old

And currently trying to emulate Phil Collins.

[Heidi]

86. Sounds like he has a cool mom!

If my brother, sister or I had taken an interest in drums, our music careers would have ended before they began. :rofl:

(Not to suggest that my mom was not cool. She was and is. But she was a first grade teacher, so I can understand her not wanting to grade papers at night while one of us practiced drums. :D )

[revolution breeze]

87. SHE has been playing for about a year

And as long as the drums are in the garage, I am okay with it. She also is learning the guitar and dabbles with the keyboard (though not interested enough to ask for lessons yet) in addition to singing in her school choir and theater, and makes almost straight As. My oldest is currently a theatre major, with a minor in business and music and has a 3.84 GPA. My parents taught me music is integral to learning and all my children have shown an interest.

[Heidi]

89. Our goddaughter is a drummer!

So I should not have assumed that your drummer is male. Sorry about that!

She sounds like a great kid! Congrats to both her AND you! :hi:

[Sky Masterson]

61. Band geeks are Hawt!

;)

[Heidi]

73. Especially HAWT

in mid-August, during 100° afternoon marching practice! SWEATY, too! :rofl:

Hiya, sweets! :hug:

:loveya:

[Kat45]

62. Do you have any band camp stories? n/t

[Heidi]

74. Alas, I was raised Southern Baptist, and went to church camp instead of band camp.

:(

:hi: Kat45!

[nuxvomica]

75. I played the clarinet, or at least that was the plan

Some fellow blew into town and convinced the priests and nuns that ran my little parochial school that we should have our own band. We had meetings and bought instruments and started taking lessons but for some reason nothing ever came of it. My cousin, a one-armed, trumpet-playing music-store owner sold me a used clarinet cheap and started teaching me how to play but it wasn't long before the band idea fizzled and I never became the next Benny Goodman.

[Heidi]

77. :- (

I'm sorry you didn't get to enjoy the fun of band, my friend. :hug:

:loveya:

[nuxvomica]

79. Yeah, I was not a band-geek, just a band-geek wannabe

I wonder where that places me in the social pecking order. :rofl:
Great bell-bottoms in the picture, BTW. They all look like people I went to HS with.

[Heidi]

80. I'll have you know that my mother did not allow me to wear jeans in high school.

Those bell bottoms were faux denim (double knit). :yoiks:

[msu2ba]

76. I never grew out of it.

I was a teenage band geek, and now I'm a band director geek. Celebrating(?) 34 years of it and counting.

[Heidi]

78. Well, right on!

Mornin', msu2ba! :hi:

[Bossy Monkey]

83. Oh yeah? Marching band, concert band, pep band, debate team, speech team & news quiz team.

Out-geek that!:P

[Heidi]

84. We may be tied.

:rofl:

Marching band
Concert band
Pep band
Math Club
Economics Club
Newspaper editor

ETA: :hug: :loveya:

[petronius]

93. For future reference, any post titled "TRUE CONFESSION"

needs to be a lot hotter than this... ;)

I like how everybody is waiting for green-overalls-showoff-girl to fall down and hurt herself.

[Heidi]

96. I think the subject line, "I was a teenage band geek" was disclosure enough.

There probably are pay sites for folks who wanna see showoff girls in green overalls engaging in self-injury. :rofl:

[SPKrazy]

94. Clarinet here...

bass clarinet too

played bass in jazz ensemble and clarinet in stage band.

Quit when I had to march, didn't want to march. :P

[Heidi]

97. YOU!!!!!

Marriage stole you away from us, I guess. :yoiks:

:hug:

:loveya:

[Tikki]

95. ....