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 Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 3:11 pm
The vast majority of band members hate playing tests. I think thats a fact. Well today I had my playing test, we go up from Concert Bb up to Concert Bb, it works like this:
(this is in the Key of Bb, aka trumpet/clarinet/tenor sax)
C scale, on the D of the C scale, go to the D scale. Play the D scale, then on the E of the D scale play the E scale, play F scale, then G........etc... until you get to B scale and then on the Csharp you play C natural and play the C scale to finish off.
Before I played, my band director ran into the drama classroom, and grabbed sound proof headphones and put them on because im too loud XD
In the end I got all the HARD scales right, and I ran out of breathe on the F scale (concert Eb) coming down, and I messed up the G (concert F) scale. AKA the two EASIEST scales on a trumpet. period. And in two weeks I have to do a C chromatic scale in the same fashion. FMYLIFE.
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Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 6:30 pm
I wouldn't mind playing tests if they made sense. The way my BD runs them is rather ridiculous and kind-of wastes the other directors' time.
There's a particular story that still pisses some of us off today...
Last year, we played Whittacre's "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas" for our awards concert, just before the seniors' last day of school. After the seniors were done with school and practicing for graduation, our director decided to have a playing test on Godzilla. He also forced the seniors, who didn't need their instruments at school anymore, to test or else their grades would be dropped about a letter grade. And this was AFTER we played the concert! Bah! It made NO sense!
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 9:30 am
290Pika I wouldn't mind playing tests if they made sense. The way my BD runs them is rather ridiculous and kind-of wastes the other directors' time. There's a particular story that still pisses some of us off today... Last year, we played Whittacre's "Godzilla Eats Las Vegas" for our awards concert, just before the seniors' last day of school. After the seniors were done with school and practicing for graduation, our director decided to have a playing test on Godzilla. He also forced the seniors, who didn't need their instruments at school anymore, to test or else their grades would be dropped about a letter grade. And this was AFTER we played the concert! Bah! It made NO sense! That is ridiculous. Funny, we are playing Godzilla right now. Our director is pretty much teaching us every major scale, and he said this is a college level music test. But we all get As for weekly grades so you still get an A (he gives me and a couple seniors A+s, idk why). I can't believe your director would actually drop his SENIORS grades a WHOLE letter grade after the concert. Thats ridiculous.
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 9:59 am
I like our playing tests, personally. Our seating test is all of the major scales (memorized- it helps woodwind players with runs in our music a lot), and then we play a small piece. As for playing tests for our music, they actually get people to start practicing (well, the people who care, at least).
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 10:06 am
we have those once or twice a year, and our teachers call them our "band exam". I hate it because I get all nervous and play super crappy, or my reed suddenly decides it wants to dry up fom fear and I squeak like crazy!! gonk
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 10:44 am
With my band director, I always get freaked out since I guess he just seems kind of intimidating, even though he's not trying to. They're not all that bad, but my fingers get sweaty from nervousness and in the end I slip up on a few, which I absolutely detest.
I'm going to have to do one at the end of the school year because our concert band isn't trying hard enough. My only problem is whether I do the playing test on flute or on piccolo, since the majority of my pieces are piccolo parts, and for scales I obviously can't to crazy high octaves or else I'll sound really bad. sweatdrop
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 11:50 am
I hate those so much. I can do them just fine, but they just annoy me so much especially because we do them in front of everyone.
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