The 7 Year Itch
Alright, I know that I've talked many times about how the band isn't up to par this year, but I am finally at my wits end. Whether or not its obvious, band is very important to me; never have I followed through with anything like this for 7 years of my life. I played soccer and football, I was in cub scouts and boy scouts, I was in art classes, and I have traversed many friends, but never have these meant much to me.
Now I find myself in my Junior year of high school, and in a band that is a shade of greatness. Those of us who are upper-classmen have suddenly found ourselves thrust into a position of responsible limited authority, but we squander our power and misuse our privilege. The officers have gone to great lengths to bridge the age gap in the band with warm, nurturing friendship which turned out to be far and wide a huge failure in the long run--the respect commanded by the officer continuum has dwindled to an oxidized mockery of the gleaming sword that it once was. The under-classmen feel that if they are not strong members of our band, that they should lye complacently by whilst not actively trying to better their output. Meanwhile, our directors are unjustly forced to constantly re-evaluate their teaching style because of a town that has no respect for true hard work and the value that comes with the righteous discipline of the band (it truly doesn't compare with athletics; I speak with experience). These elements have resulted in a breakdown of command that has bloodied the kneecaps of the Bobcat Marching Band.
In any organization there will be niches. However, what is to blame for the fierce hatred some of these groups feel towards others still baffles me, because at the end of the day we are still part of each other (I am not exempt from feelings of bitterness towards my fellow band-mates). One cannot trust hardly anyone in the band to perform consistently, and it seems that nobody cares. How can we be someone that a younger band member looks up to if we don't "show 'em how we do it."
Pride is a great trait, and it is a certain cockiness that breaths greatness into a listless show. However, individuals must realize when its time to take pride in their ability to accept correction and invite in improvement. Just because one section is the first to routine block doesn't mean that they are absolved from rehearsing as though they were trying to be the best. We must compete with and help each other to reach perfection.
I am seeing something that I have actively molded into what it is today collapse, and I am saddened and angered. I have contemplated quitting because of my disappointment, but this accomplishes nothing. I have thought of different ways to approach issues, but I don't wish to undermine authority. I have successfully watched everything that was queued to go right, go horribly wrong.
JUDGES DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU TRY, HOW YOUNG YOU ARE, HOW OLD YOU ARE, HOW GODLY YOU ARE, HOW GOOD AT CRITICIZING YOU ARE, HOW MUCH YOU HATE YOUR BAND MATES, HOW MUCH YOU HURT, HOW MUCH YOU DON'T WANT TO BE THERE, HOW MUCH YOU'VE WORKED, HOW MASCULINE YOU ARE, HOW FEMININE YOU ARE, WHAT INSTRUMENT YOU PLAY, HOW YOU WERE RIGHT IN REHEARSAL ONE TIME, HOW MUCH YOU HATE THE DIRECTORS, HOW MUCH YOU'D REALLY ENJOY ADVANCING, OR HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN INSTRUCTION.
THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG WHEN THEY SEE YOU PERFORM.
There are only so many ways that people can tell you to do it right, but in the end its up to you. Are you going to be the reason that this band is let down, and every band that was before this one is undermined. Everything that has been given up for excellence rests in our hands to uphold or drop. It's time to stop sitting at the kiddie table! If your not going to eat at the adult table with everyone else who is doing their job, then you will starve!!
Now I find myself in my Junior year of high school, and in a band that is a shade of greatness. Those of us who are upper-classmen have suddenly found ourselves thrust into a position of responsible limited authority, but we squander our power and misuse our privilege. The officers have gone to great lengths to bridge the age gap in the band with warm, nurturing friendship which turned out to be far and wide a huge failure in the long run--the respect commanded by the officer continuum has dwindled to an oxidized mockery of the gleaming sword that it once was. The under-classmen feel that if they are not strong members of our band, that they should lye complacently by whilst not actively trying to better their output. Meanwhile, our directors are unjustly forced to constantly re-evaluate their teaching style because of a town that has no respect for true hard work and the value that comes with the righteous discipline of the band (it truly doesn't compare with athletics; I speak with experience). These elements have resulted in a breakdown of command that has bloodied the kneecaps of the Bobcat Marching Band.
In any organization there will be niches. However, what is to blame for the fierce hatred some of these groups feel towards others still baffles me, because at the end of the day we are still part of each other (I am not exempt from feelings of bitterness towards my fellow band-mates). One cannot trust hardly anyone in the band to perform consistently, and it seems that nobody cares. How can we be someone that a younger band member looks up to if we don't "show 'em how we do it."
Pride is a great trait, and it is a certain cockiness that breaths greatness into a listless show. However, individuals must realize when its time to take pride in their ability to accept correction and invite in improvement. Just because one section is the first to routine block doesn't mean that they are absolved from rehearsing as though they were trying to be the best. We must compete with and help each other to reach perfection.
I am seeing something that I have actively molded into what it is today collapse, and I am saddened and angered. I have contemplated quitting because of my disappointment, but this accomplishes nothing. I have thought of different ways to approach issues, but I don't wish to undermine authority. I have successfully watched everything that was queued to go right, go horribly wrong.
JUDGES DON'T CARE HOW MUCH YOU TRY, HOW YOUNG YOU ARE, HOW OLD YOU ARE, HOW GODLY YOU ARE, HOW GOOD AT CRITICIZING YOU ARE, HOW MUCH YOU HATE YOUR BAND MATES, HOW MUCH YOU HURT, HOW MUCH YOU DON'T WANT TO BE THERE, HOW MUCH YOU'VE WORKED, HOW MASCULINE YOU ARE, HOW FEMININE YOU ARE, WHAT INSTRUMENT YOU PLAY, HOW YOU WERE RIGHT IN REHEARSAL ONE TIME, HOW MUCH YOU HATE THE DIRECTORS, HOW MUCH YOU'D REALLY ENJOY ADVANCING, OR HOW MANY TIMES YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN INSTRUCTION.
THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT WHAT IS RIGHT AND WHAT IS WRONG WHEN THEY SEE YOU PERFORM.
There are only so many ways that people can tell you to do it right, but in the end its up to you. Are you going to be the reason that this band is let down, and every band that was before this one is undermined. Everything that has been given up for excellence rests in our hands to uphold or drop. It's time to stop sitting at the kiddie table! If your not going to eat at the adult table with everyone else who is doing their job, then you will starve!!
Let's get back to what the Celina Band is supposed to be.
posted by Andrew at 9:17 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
As a matter of fact, the bitcher was a bitchee, and I do take time to help those who are lacking. I have no great natural talent for playing and marching.
Furthermore, I'm not asking anyone but those who are already in the high school band to care about it. I couldn't care less about how we are perceived in the community. I never express a desire to grow either. Maybe the fact that we don't have backups should inspire more feelings of responsibility.
Since it seems you are unaware, the lesser players/ marchers were coddled and encouraged up until about a week ago, when Mr. Rutherford decided to take a harder edge with his teaching.
I'm not asking the people listed to be star marchers or players, I'm just asking them to fix minor things that plague our show day after day.
I do agree that people should not be put on a pedastle for having an outstanding natural ability, and not be held accountable for anything, and this negates the good example they might've set.
However, not only have we addressed this with Mr. R, but we don't have as wide a gap in playing and marching as we did even a year ago.
I never stated that my goal was to make it to state marching competition. That would be nice, considering this might be the only chance for a few years. My frustration is with people that can do it better and won't; that won't take instruction and enjoy their underacheivements. I am also worried because the band will not listen to orders of officers or Mr. Rutherford/ Weatherman with the same intensity as in years past. If I am drum major next year, how will I deal with people that refuse to support me?
So while the points made in your comment are valid, they do not serve to rebut hardly any points expressed by my post. And, if my information is correct, you quit band your senior year (if it was for an unavoidable reason, I apologize), so maybe I place modicum more of value upon our program.
The biggest problem I found over my four years of high school marching band was the fact that people are there who don't really want to be there. When people are in band because their friends are in it or because their parents make them, the quality of the band suffers because, let's face it, you don't necessarily have to be super talented to march to the right spot and play your music correctly. But you do have to work hard. In '99, the last time tha Celina went to state, we didn't have a super-talented bunch. (My class was good, but we were still freshmen.) The difference is that we worked. And we worked our asses off. I remember marching the show in the street in front of my house and knowing that everyone else was doing the same thing that night. I remember no one caring that we had to come on a sunday or stay later on Tuesday night. If someone would call an after-school practice, half of us would be there--not necessarily because we needed help but because we wanted to be better. I remember Rutherford being hard on us. If there was a mistake, we were doing it again. Every time. Late for class? So? Do it right. The officers weren't afraid to lay down the law. When we had silent bus ride on the way to competition, nobody questioned it, wondered why, or talked to their friends. Also, we didn't have anyone there who didn't want to be there. Who wants to do all that work and get yelled at by Rutherford if they didn't get such a thrill from performing and from hearing "Celina" announced after Howe at Area.
2000 was the last year we stopped getting better. In 2000, the work ethic was still there, but the cohesiveness was gone. And Rutherford almost lost half the band because of the Prosper-game-bus-ride-home-incident. We finally beat Howe that year. We won best in class at a pre-UIL competition. That was awesome.
2001 was probably our best year. We had a great freshmen class. The class of 2004 was no longer freshmen. And we all were juniors. The biggest problem with 2001 (besides phil anthony...grr) was that we spent half our time on that damn singing, which the judges hated. They were like, "we aren't you marching?" That was the year that Rutherfuck wouldn't even play the judges tapes from Mabank because they were loving on us so much. In 2001, the talent was there, but the work ethic wasn't. We didn't pass the work ethic on to the class of 2005. They didn't have to work at it; they were just good. 2001 was when I first noticed a change in Ruthefuck. Suddenly, he didn't need to bitch at us as much cause we were good. Tuesday nights ended at 800pm on the dot whether or not we got everything done. If someone was out of step, meh. They'll fix it. The problem with relying on talent over hard work is that the talent isn't always going to be there. Man, we got so screwed that year. Take a look at the tape of the 2001 area performance if you want to see how a marching band is supposed to look.
In 2002, we had the worst freshman class since I've been there. They fucked up and they didn't care. We couldn't make them care. The season felt like it was going to turn around at Birdville Marching Contest. Out of 5 3A marching bands (good ones), we got 2nd. Only when we looked at the scores did our spirit break. We were awarded 0 of 15 points for colorguard. First place was .9 points ahead of us. Despite losing an automatic 15 points for not having colorguard, we lost that competition by .9 points. We were heartbroken. The judges were talking about how we need to come to a complete stop when we get to a set. They were saying how we needed to march in step. Wait a damn second. These are things that we do! And then we watched the video. And it was a great performance, but people were out of step. The crowd loved it, but we weren't doing west texas halts. Ruthefuck was nearly in tears when he was saying that this competition wouldn't have been close if we would've just done what we know to do. The team that won 3A went home, so we got to play the exhibition that night. When we were in the warmup area, it felt like my freshman year again. We had to undo that performance. We had to get it right. Rutherford was in the form when we were marching, yelling at people to get in step. We were west texas halting so hard that the judges were sure to see it. We cared if we did it right. We went out, and gave an amazing performance.
Unfortunately, it was back to normal on Monday.
In order to make your band better, you have to make them care. Not just the ones who suck. You have to make everyone care. People need to want to do well as a band so badly that they are going to stay after school and work with the people who suck until they get it right. Encourage them to practice the drill at home in the yard or in the street. Tell them to think through all their sets before they go to sleep. Share with them the tradition of excellence started in 1999. Make them settle for no less than their best, and you will be successful.
Good luck. You've got more than a couple of people rooting for you.
duely noted. I was uncertain of the reason for your quitting, which is why I put in that provisional apologetic statement. However, I was grasping at straws for something with which to attack you because you clearly like the band or else you wouldn't help out every week. For this I'd like to thank you, and apologize if I offended you.
"Meanwhile, our directors are unjustly forced to constantly re-evaluate their teaching style because of a town that has no respect for true hard work and the value that comes with the righteous discipline of the band (it truly doesn't compare with athletics; I speak with experience)."
When I say unjustly forced, I am alluding to the grievances brought against Mr. R last year. The clencher of the next sentence is the phrase of the band. Anybody values hard work and discipline that comes with things like athletics and drill team and band(look at what respect the military gets). I am saying in this sentence that our town doesn't really respect or care about the band(in this way I am agree with your statements about the feelings of'an athletic town'). Of course, in athletics, I was never forced to be as excellent as in band.
I was arguing my position, and I agree with most of what you said. I don't wish to make an enemy. As you see I have omitted the last paragraph because I knew even while I typed that it was foolish to include.
Let me try to stay in a good mood typing this and not get carried away with the urge to correct people.
First off, I would also like to thank people for their concern, but I too must say that, based on your comments, you do not know all of the facts.
We have now been working on the show for over 2 months. All through those first 2 months, no words of real criticism came out of the mouth of any person in authority. Everything was quite carefully phrased; everything was positive, constructive, and encouraging. Crias, we did all of those things you suggested, but that can't make them want it. Nothing I can do can make someone want it the way they need to. That has to come from inside them, and it cannot be coaxed out with external stimuli. We have tried.
In repsect to the size of the band program, it's reputation, and it's place in the community, I personally do not care. I would rather have a band of 10 people who want it the way that I do than a band of 100 people like we've got now. True, the overall lack of good work ethic and discipline on behalf of the upperclassmen is doing nothing but harm to the entire program by not instilling the proper qualities in the underclassmen, but we have shown all of the underclassmen on innumerable occasions what it is supposed to look like, whether in old film, in person, with diagrams, or with their own bodies. Nothing seems to make an impact. On more than one occasion, after addressing an issue twenty plus times in a single rehearsal, the only time something was done about it was when tempers flared, people were criticized and embarrassed, and negativity was in the air. If that is what they are going to require of us in order to improve the band, then they are going to have to live with the atmosphere they have forced us to create.
Concerning the list of names, I do feel that a small number of them might have been left off because of their work ethic despite lack of talent, but the list itself is not something that is wrong. It would be better and more effective if the people on it actually read the post and saw their names on the list. Maybe then they would actually realize that, no, we aren't joking with them when we tell them they're doing it wrong. That's the problem right now. They don't try. They don't implement instruction. They don't realize they're doing it wrong. And when you try to tell them they are doing it wrong and offer help on how to do it right, they don't take you seriously and assume that they know how to do it, then they turn around and correct you on something you are doing properly because they are doing it differently and think that their way is right.
It is a natural thing to stand in a line. Especially on a football field. Escpecially when you're standing on a big white yard line. But that idea seems to elude these people.
You would also think that, after 2 or 3 (or even 1) year of marching, you would be able to at least eyeball 2 off, 4 off, and 8 off and be within a step. But we have not only feshmen (understandable still) and sophomores, but juniors and seniors who will say their line is 8 off, yet will stand proudly and resolutely at 5 off, telling the people who are exactly 8 off that they are too far forward. And no, this is not a case where there was a line moving and the form is more important than your spot. I am talking about "Go to set __", and the band runs off to that set, only to find that half the band doesn't even deserve to be on the field.
I agree whole-heartedly with what Mr. Rutherford said this morning during rehearsal. Those who were there should know what I'm talking about. I do not feel it was out of line, just as I do not feel that Andrew's list was out of line.
Maybe all you other upperclassmen haven't been doing what you're suggesting (encouraging, etc.), but the officers have been doing it since before freshmen orientation. It hasn't worked yet. Maybe you'll be more effective.
sounds like ruthefuck should have alternates. if you know two clarinet players are going to suck, make two alternate clarinet positions. have them all audition. an alternate can challenge at any point. then if ruthefuck call out set 5 and a clarinet player is just standing there, put in the alternate.
might not make parents too happy, but then again, not much that ruthefuck does does.
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