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Dear Mr.C,

I know how much you enjoy saxophones, jazz and jazz band but Senior band will not partake in jazz no matter what. There is a reason why there is something called 'Jazz band'. We (sr band) don't care if we're senior band, there is a reason why we have separated into Jazz, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, and Senior. We know how much you like to make us work hard, but there is a line between what sr. band plays and jazz band. You don't see jazz band playing concert band stuff, and vise versa.

Along with that, we (SCT sr concert band) are fed up with you spazzing at us for various simple things. Yes I know that there are only a few that are the only ones playing different instruments, but that does not give you the reason to yell and spazz at us when we're doing our best. As the only piccolo and oboe player, I am very disappointed that you have taken your anger out on the other instruments. You have spazzed at us for things such as dropping our sheet music, not taking our instruments for check up monthly, looking at our shoes, and arriving to class late by atleast 2 seconds. You have blown out our last nerves. We all know that you are a terrible BD because you have not helped us with our dynamics. Along with that, whenever you hold up the class, you always end up making us late for our on-timetable classes. You need to consider time management, if you come to class late, that is not our fault. We should not take the blame. Please. We all know how much you favor Jazz band, but the members in beginner and intermediate band that you have been neglecting need your help!
We, the sr. band, have been taking time out of our busy schedules to help them, yet we get no credit from you. Even you claim that we're wasting their time. BUT. They are apart of the music department, we cannot neglect them because they are part of our music family. You really need to up your game.
AND STOP BLAMING THE INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE ALONE SUCH AS THE ONLY TUBA, PICCOLO/OBOE, FRENCH HORN, BASS CLARINET, ENGLISH HORN, AND CORNET. IT IS NOT OUR FAULT THAT WE TOOK DAMN RISKS TO SWITCH INSTRUMENTS TO MAKE YOUR DARN BAND BETTER.

Much hate,
- Only piccolo player in school
On behalf of the sr. band.

Dear Mr. B,

While of course I appreciate that you chose me to be a squad leader this year, I truly believe that I would have been better suited for the section head position over ____. I know he was a squad leader last year, and he's great at it too, and he's a better player than I am, but his responsibility is questionable. Sure, he really gets the job done during band practice, but what about all of the rest of the time? I'm the one who wrote up scales and wrote in fingerings for the freshmen for their marching and concert band auditions. I'm the one who would always hang around in the band room before or after practice to help them out. I'm the one who was running around for an hour before our first rehearsal testing sousaphones and looking for freshmen. I was there when Mr. R needed help carrying in fixed instruments when I could have been on my way home.

I'm sure you have your reasons, but I am extremely frustrated that I cannot figure out what those reasons may be.

Sincerely,
Ashley

P.S. I also don't understand why the section head of the bass clarinets is also the section head of the tenor saxes. The tenors are perfectly capable with their two squad leaders ...

Dear drumline,

I miss you. So yeah, make it winter again or something.

I could do without vlad though. Just saying.

-Mir.

Dear fellow flute piccolo player in my year,
I'm going to be blunt - no, I don't hate you anymore, like I did in 8th grade and you were stuck-up and preppy (and couldn't spell worth a crap {though you thought you were the best ever}). In fact, sometimes I even like you and think we could be good friends. Of course, those moments of insanity could be because we got thrown into the position of the seniors as the only two sophmore flute players thanks to the new school opening.

While I can handle you sometimes, other times you're just downright .....irritating. You act like you're the best thing since sliced bread, and you act like the leader, telling everyone what to do - and I'M the one that got put into a leadership role. If you really wanted people to listen to you here's something you could do - try teaching the two freshmen flutes how to play, or try to help them out with the music, instead of leaving me to divide my time between them when NEITHER of them even wants to be in band and so will not stay after practice or come in the morning so I can help them. I have to give up my own practicing time during sectionals so that I can run through the music with them. Then, so that I have SOME time to practice I cut short my lunch, eating it rapidly (and not eating much, which is hard to do during band camp when I'm starving) to practice during the lunch break.

Then, when the lunch break is nearly over, you saunter into the other practice room to practice the solo offered to the two of us for marching season that you said you didn't want. You kept saying you didn't want the solo, and that I could have it, because you wanted to play your piccolo, and it was a flute solo. I told you to learn it anyways, just in case, but you kept saying you didn't want it, and I could have it. Then, on the day we auditioned for it you all of a sudden decided there was no way you were going to let me have the solo.

Leading to my next point (connected to the practicing during lunch) - if you want to practice your solo DO IT ON YOUR OWN TIME, not on the time of Mr.B during sectionals. I practice on my own time, getting to the school and HOUR earlier than I have to in order to practice and cutting short my lunch, whilst you just skip sectionals like you're too good for them. Guess what! I can play the music too! Yes, the general flute music bores me to death because it's too easy for me because we're a first year band, but you don't see ME skipping sectional!

~The frustrated flute player you irritate.

Is it sad that i have his much to say to people in my section?
_______________________________________

Dear clarient section,

You need to show me some respect. I'm one of the most relaxed section leaders i the band, but i can be mean if i have to. You don't want to see my mean side. I don't care if I'm your friend or if you hate my guts. I'm still your section leader and you should still listen to me.

You are always getting off focus. When i punish you for doing so, you talk about me ehind my back. For one, if you are going to talk behind my back, do it when i am not standing next to you helping the person to my other side. I can hear you. Secondly, I only made you stand at attention a few seconds dso you would shut up. The other sections stand at attention the entire time. How would you like that?

If i stop to work with someone one on one, it will not hurt to look over your music. Yes, I know it is easy for all but 3 of you, and i know you know it, but i kow you don't have it completely memorized yet. Try that. It makes it very difficult to teach someone when you are all talking around me and playing as well. Yes, i make them play, but i cannot hear them and they cannot hear me if everyone else is playing too. Fingering your parts would be a good idea, not playing them. When everyone starts playing while im helping, it gets chaotic, loud and difficult.

Keep in mind i got permission from the teacher to be band nazi if i need to. i dont want to go this fr, because personally i find being nice much more fun then being mean. But if you are all going to take advantage of my kindness i am not going to stand for it. I mean hat literally. I'll make you do planks =P

Also, we are the worst section in terms of verbals. I should not be louder thn all of you. And two people should not overpower the whole ssection.

Your section leader,
Rini
_____________________________
Dear Brittany,

Thank you for helping me keep the section in line. I really appreciate your ideas and such.

However, like i said on friday while we were getting our uniforms fitted, while i appreciate your offer to take over section discipline, it will be impossible to gain respect if i let you do so. If i have someone else discipline them, that discipliner will get all the respect. The punishment is to make them pay attention,. If you punsih them, i still wont get the attention i need to run sectionals properly.

Thanks anyway,
Rini
____________________________________________

Dear Manny,

There is so much i need to say...I dont know how to say it.

I'll start with that your too loud.
I appreciate you trying to play loudly, but if you cannot play the music in the first place, we really do notneed you to play loud. You need to at least try to blen in. you currently have 2 dynamics and nothing in between: blasting or off. At least add blened into that list. POlease.

Secondly, learn to read.
At least a page. Youve been playing for over 4 years. hn a page. Youve been playing for over 4 years. how do you not know how to read music? I'm tired of constantly having to show you fingerings. and then repeat the fingerings a few minutes later. If you are playing a different rythym then everyone else, you are wrong not us. How you keep ending up playing alto sax and tua parts on stands tunes is beyond me, seeing as both are at the frot of the stands and we are in the back.

Thirdly, play the part i tell you.
If i tell you to play the lower parts, play them. You cannot play the higher parts. "But im good at the higher parts". No you are not. You aren't even playng your part. You are playing the trumpet aprt, which is competely different. When i found second part for the fight song and told you to play it, you fought me abotu it. You cannot play those super high notes. You cannot tune them when you do play them. Therefore, you should not play the part. I do not want you to have a copy of first part because i know you will not practice second or play second if you have the part for 1st, god forbid you practice a day in your life.

LFourth, I am your section leader.
You do not yell at me. You do not fight me. You do not disrespect me. these things are, while not recomended or liked, fine outside of band. But in rehearsal, i am not your friend, although that should not matter. I can be your friend. i can be nice. But in rehearsal you have to show respect, and you have to lsiten to me. i can be your friend in rehearsal as well, but only if you show some amount of respect and actually listen to what i tell you, instead of doing the exact opposite. If i tell you to come stand by me, do not question me, do not argue with me about it. I called you over to stand by me because you were not playing the rigth part at all, and were talking with Tim, Molly and Richy. When we were supposed to be playing. Its also easier to help you when i do not have to conquer the usual stand maze to get to you.

Lastly, you are not student staff.
You do not tell people what to do. You do not count off our section. You do not tell other sections where to be or what to do. You do not run any part of the band. You do not tell the section where to start playing. you tell me where you need help on, and i will count them off. You tell me if someone needs help. you do not help them yourself, because you help them wrong. The things i listed above that you have done are in no way helping the band. They are making the band worse. Just because you auditioned for drum major does not make you a mini-drummajor. You did not make it for a reason. If you are not student staff, do not act like you are.

Mayb e i should bring a baseball bat to sectionals,
Rini

like this is cool and all but it gets old after awhile i guess

Dear Upperclassmen:

I'm sorry I'm a little freshman, and have a tendancy to say Yes/no ma'am/sir to you, give me some tiime and I'll get better.
I can't help but be sensitive... There were total asses in my middle school band that picked on me.. I expect the same from you all, but I guess it hasn't happened...
I'm not social because I have a low self-esteem. It'll probably get better, but for now, I'm as sensitive as an eye at poke point. I'm not used to saying more than 5 words in 5 hours, so when you talk to me, please don't look at me weirdly...
You've already raised my self esteem so it isn't as bad.. I can talk to people now, thanks to you... I don't know what to say. It was as if I gained a family throughout band camp, which is good, since I have as many friends at this school as the 'Let's put the psycho killers in the nursing home' petition's signature list (You know, like... 2.) But, thanks. I was labeled a goth in my last school, and I expected four more years of hell, but you're making high school easier. I love most of you.
If I don't, it's either that I don't know you, or you scare the crap out of me.

Dear ________ and ______ ,
You came up to me on the first day and talked to me in sectionals. I was the quietist and the weirdest, and now we're friends. Thank you... But I have this feeling you get annoyed when I randomly laugh. But if you look at that video of Fear Garden and Higurashi no naku_________ ni something, You'll understand my fascination with the red paint blotch on the wall.

Dear _ _ _ _ _,

You don't seem to get along with anyone! You can sing nicely, almost amazingly at times but you choose to scream and shout! Especially when everyone is getting on each other's nerves you don 't decide to help out but mess about as much as you can! Especially during last minute rehearsals. And Lorna, why do you choose to follow her?! You used to be my bestest buddy but now I really don't know who you are! You went from class to trashy. You now join _ _ _ _ _ without a care in the world and your grades have shown this. What the frick?

Disappointed,

Jen-jen