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Ok we can all agree that there's always at least one underclassman who thinks that they're the best and should be section leader. I'm embarrassed to say that I was one myself when I was a sophomore, but eventually you have to realize that really you're not as good as you think you are! I know thats a blunt way of saying it, I know it can be frustrating sitting below someone you believe you should be above, but you need to get over it! You have to realize that your chance will come and all you can do is prepare your best for your time. Even if you are tied with an upperclassman in talent level, chances are the teacher will give the upperclassman the solo or the principal part because of seniority (yup its a bummer). Even if you are sliggggghtly better, chances are, the director will still give those parts to the upperclassman if they can cover the part well. If you're like God at your instrument and the upperclassman is horrible, you MIGHT have a chance to move up in your section, but chances are you're just not as good as you think you are.

I know this is a tough thing to hear, but you need to hear it. When you are and upperclassman and have to deal with underclassman that fight you and think they're better (even when they're not), your teacher will be more likely to be on your side. Would you like it if you had some smart mouth freshman playing your solos every day before band started? Even if they were awful at it, its still annoying! Plus pretend that the director gives the freshman the solos over the senior. Chances are that senior will make that freshman's life hell for the rest of that school year.

so underclassman, I applaud your enthusiasm, but please! Chill out! you're time to shine will come and it will be well deserved when it does!

Please comment if you've had experience with people like this, or you are a person like this.

haha yeah I agree. I believe if the talent gap is not large and the upperclassman can perform the part well then the upperclassman should get it, but if the upperclassman is just awful in comparison to an underclassman, then you can mix things up.

My section is...affectionately known as the Section of Section Leaders.

T: Senior, first year in band. Thinks he knows better when he doesnt(he sucks, even though he takes lessons)
Me: The REAL section leader, although nobody believes it
B: The other upperclassmen. I made the mistake of using her as an assistant SL durign the season; now she thins she is fully in charge and deserves first parts over me
S: Sophomore. B's best band friend(other then her bf). I also beat her out for sl, but she and B think they rule over me and both deserve first and second, while i get on third in wind ensemble(just us)
M: Sophomore. He tries, but he is a horrible clari player. He is often found turnign to tell the claris, or event he trumpets, wrong information.
Ching Chong: Not that bad, sophomore
J: Freshman. he needs work with music, but he is the only loyal member i have in my section
G: She knows she sucks. Doesnt really want to be there. tries to act as sl forthe lower band when we split up

I think that was everybody. Like I said, my main problems are S and B.

In this thread, I'm not saying that all underclassman who think (and are) good at their instruments are doing this, but some people definitely do do this. I'm trying to say to those people to sit back, work hard and start enjoying band before its gone.

lol i think i replied to this topic in the complaining-about-our-sections topic haha
but to re-iterate, there are no juniors in our guard, and i don't think sophomores really know how this stuff works...like if we didn't do something last year, but we've done it my freshman and sophomore years, then those traditions are gonna die because the sophomores think they know everything but they don't. plus they all think theyre captains already...i mean, i know we're small, and its pretty obvious who's gonna be captains next year, but really. we're still here. its still april. i know i'm ready do graduate now that all the college stuff is taken care of, but really. get over it. you have all freaking summer to be captain. and next year. wait just a minute....sorry sometimes i need to rant about them...twice haha

I agree with this and think that the upperclassmen should be given priority choice over parts and what they can play, depending on certain circumstances. If they're seniors and don't have any time left, then they're probably much more likely to get something than a freshman.

But I have a kind of contradictory story in which I side with the freshman.

This year, one freshman alto sax player was let into our symphonic band. Freshman are required to be in concert band their first year, and can move up the next, except for extremely special occasions. I think the alto player was brought up because there were so many in concert band and only two at the time in symphonic. Plus, I sit right next to her every day and I hear her play, she is GOOD. Like I can't even describe it.

Unfortunately, the one senior alto player completely hates the fact that this girl is good and is actually a huge challenge to her. When the section had chair placement tests, the freshman girl beat out the senior from sight reading, but they were tied to play first parts. Now normally, the senior girl takes all of the parts and assumes that because she is senior, she gets everything automatically while the freshman is an afterthought.

She only hands down solos when she can't play them properly, or when the BD tells her to share the part. Recently, they have been butting heads so much because of this issue, and the senior thinks that she has more superiority just because of her standing against a ninth grader. But I can assure you that the freshman is better than the senior player, and actually makes the effort to improve and understand what she is playing. She is much more deserving of the first parts and the solos, but the senior gets mad whenever the first parts aren't automatically handed to her.

The third alto player, in the third chair, is also as frustrated as I am. We don't necessarily care about the fact that the "first chair" is a senior and that she should get everything. She doesn't deserve it, and she has a rotten attitude, but the freshman is a lot better about the situation.

Oh, and did I mention that the senior made the freshman cry, and never apologized for it? Yet she still thinks that she is better and doesn't have to say anything because the freshman deserved it.

I just don't believe it.

I don't really agree with the Seniority rule. I feel that the section leader should be the person in that section who has the most maturity and/or can play the best. In my band, one of the Tubas (A sophomore) could play ten times better than the actual senior/section leader. But, I do agree that the younger kids that aren't better than the seniors need to respect them and act like they have some sense.