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Yeah, it is. what is even more fun is seeing the faces of the 7 freshman when you can actually play that note, adn they can't. I hate being the only person in a section that isn't a freshman, but it kind of makes me feel powerful and superiorXD In the higher band, I feel low and useless(because the bd has decided that only our sl gets 1st parts.)

Speaking of the sl problem>.>

So, at the beginning of concert season, my bd said he would switch around all the clarient parts. I like the idea, since thatmeans that everyoe gets a chance to have first and there will always be stong players on the lower parts since they won't be placed automatically on first. well, he started giving our sl alll first parts, and nobody else got them. Is it fair to switch around second and third parts and not first? And before you say "well she is probably a better palayer." Uh, no. Yeah, she is an okay plaer, but so are all fo us. It is advanced band for a reason. It is people who can play well. And going by stuff like auditions for honor/regionals/allstate bands, I am in fact better then her. A whole 10 chairs worth of better then her. Maybe my bd will finally realize his stupidity after regioanls this year. But anyway, don't you just ahte it when one person is constantly getting the better parts, jsut because they think they deserve it, when they really don't?

Lucky>.>It seems lie everytime I reach the skill level of my classmates, my bd decides to be stupid somehow...

8th grade: All the annoying older students left, and I was the best clarinet player at the school. What happens? A pest plays during my chair test, making the bd think it is me, and the bd doesn't believe me! so, i get a lower chair and part bcause of him. Just my lcuk, the bd decides he won't do anymore chair challenges after that, and won't raise my chair.

Now: Well, you knwo the story for this one>.> Next year though. Next year, I will be the top player. The sl is leaving, and the bd says I am right below her.

In 6th and 7th grade, that is what oru bd did sort of, and he did it in symphonic band in 8th, but i was on alto sax in that class.

In 6/7, you could challenge whenever you wanted, but there was a maximum oftwo chairs higher. Once you got higher, you had to wait until the next day to challenge up another two chairs. Usually, our bd would pick a scale for us to do.

In symphonic band in 8th, our chair challenges were optional. On only specified days, you could challenge up still a maximum of two chairs. That is how i got first. I was 3rd, but i challenged my friend who was first out of pure luck(the 2nd chair was a 6th grader who was still learing , and It was the beginnign of the year and I had taught myself sax over the summer, so i was still in learning process.) Just my luck, when I challenged my friend, the bd chose a song in oru method book that I found really fun. It didn't have a tempo marking, so whoever could play it the fastest with the elast missed notes(if you did it faster but missed more notes, the slower person would get it)you would get the chair. Well, I had been playing this particular song so much, i could pretty much fly through it, and that is what I did. i didn't miss a note. The whole secition was surprised, because it was a harder song, and I got the chair. i was challenged once or twice afterwards, but I always won.

Just a tip for all of you clarinet players, because I know all too well the kinds of runs we have to do, take it slow.
If you slow down a difficult part int he music, you can get into the habit of hitting the notes. Repeat bilions of times, speeding up every once and a while ever so slightly. The quickest I have managed this was 10 minutes. Within that time, you will eventually get u to or even past the actual speed, and you won't even notice it. if you make a mistake, slow it down again and repeat it a few times at a slower tempo before picking it back up again.

I've found that really helpful. That is what I did for that sax xhair challenge I was talking about above. Slwed it down so it was easy, then sped it p until it was easy at a fast speed.

When we get subs its either our assiant/lesson teacher who preforms or its a sub. When we get a sub its just another study hall for all of us..

from what i've found using google, it seems like Normandy was Leblanc's student model. if you want a second opinion, go check around google. it's not that hard.

Have any of you guys ever played Fughetta, the fifth movement from Finzi's Five Bagatelles? I'm playing it as my solo for the solo & ensemble contest. It's a bit hard, but it's fun.

Clarientier (can i even say that?) since last year (sixth grade) i know i'm young. we only have 4 clarients in our section and the last two chair play so softly its annoying. i ALMOST went to this mid-state thing (that is HUGE for a seventh grader) but i wasn't quite ready for it. I'm trying again next year and hopefully it will be easier. (well not really but you know what i mean) has anyone here had to play "star wars"? that was a song we had to play in a concert. it was a lot of fun and really easy too. hee hee. for the second year i am going to this thing called solo and ensemble. this year my solo music is "the theme from swan lake" and i'm so happy it looks like fun!!! (if you don't know what solo and ensemble is just say so!!)

I feel indifferent about my instrument.
I love bass clarinet , but I just dont like playing Bb during marching band
..contradiction >>