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| I think I'm gonna get a myspace....
"Get a voice!" | | |
| Doing my english essay I began to realize how conformist I am..... and I've decided that I really don't care.
I preordered my DS.... PSP can suck it.
I was asked to audition for Vanguard... the block that topples the tower.
What is with the song Luma Luma Yay? Why am I hearing it everywhere? I sure hope it is not the new Macarena....
Some highlights from the "Official" band dictionary:
ALTO SAXOPHONE A musical instrument that either plays very loud or not at all between squeaks.
ARC A shape with between one and five corners and one open side.
ATTENTION Standing still while sticking out your butt. Can only talk in whispers so that no captains or other leaders hear you.
BELL-FRONT INSTRUMENT Always brass, these are directional instruments designed to play extremely loud.
BONFIRE A device for celebrating the use of a dot book, drill, and music.
BRAIN FART A mistake involving an escape of gaseous substances from the head usually in conjunction with missing a set.
BRASS Metallic looking and sounding devices designed to over-blow and blast.
CARDS 52 rectangular devices of equal size and width which each have respective numbers, symbols, and colors on them which keep band geeks continually entertained.
CIRCLE A closed shape with definite corners and edges.
COLOR-GUARD People who swing flags and toss rifles to distract the audience's attention away from the band. Makes the band seem better. Get extra credit if they hit (accidentally, of course) a band member, yet denied if they hit a field judge.
COMPANY FRONT A zigzag line within a certain area of the field, such as a hash: ~~~~~~
COMPETITION A general gathering of band geeks to show that each ones band is better than the others.
CONCERT Extremely dangerous form of torture for both students and audience. Fatal if used in duration exceeding one hour.
CONDUCTOR The person in the front who waves his arms and dances wildly to the music. Constantly marks time during halts.
DOT BOOK A small notebook to be kept in pocket that has complex drawings and strange numbers that people say are their spots for each picture. Designed to keep people from learning music.
DR. BEAT A form of cruel and unusual punishment (violation of the 8th Amendment) that is bestowed over a loudspeaker when working on already-learned music.
DRILL Pages that show what a form is supposed to look like. Should be burned at year's end.
DRUM CORPS Very similar to marching band, except for a few differences: 1)They are good. 2)No woodwinds. Coincidence?
DRUM-TAP A snare beat loud enough for the judges to hear, and quiet enough so band doesn't hear.
DRUM-LINE The people hitting the drums (or each other) with sticks in time with each other, but either a half beat earlier or later than the band and one beat from the pit.
DRUM Round hollow devices with covering on the top and sometimes the bottom. Loud.
DYNAMICS Either loud or louder (volume).
FLUTE An un-tuned device for people who want to be in the band who have weak arms and don't wish to be heard.
FOOTBALL TEAM The main reason the band can't always use the marching field.
FORTE The lowest dynamic marking a brass instrument can play at.
FRESHMEN Designed to make up half the size of the band.
FULL UNIFORM A form of torture consisting of Urkel pants, a heavy wool jacket, a choking ugly hat (with that strikingly beautiful yet flammable plume), and circulation-stopping suspenders.
FUND-RAISERS Opportunities provided throughout the year for the adult staff to yell at band members while making a few extra bucks on the side. Results of these are used to double standard teacher's salary.
HALT A time when everyone is theoretically stopped.
INSTRUCTOR Person who tells you when you're screwing up.
IQ A constant combined number that does not changes as the size of the band does.
MEMORIZATION An action that is supposed to take place in conjunction with sets and music between band camp and the commencement of the regular year, but does not generally happen, except for the captain, until the year is completed.
MEZZO-FORTE The highest dynamic marking of any woodwind excluding the piccolo.
MUD A substance that the school wishes to grow and therefore waters the field every night in hopes of increasing.
MUSIC 1. Papers which contain little black lines and dots with strange symbols that somehow show what the music is to sound like.
2. The succession of these notes that, in theory, should sound good. Unfortunately, we're not all in Theory - we're in Marching Band.
NOTES 1. Little round dots on lines that show the approximate pitch that the instrument player tries to hit.
PARADE-REST A form of relaxation while standing up. Little talking, but some required to keep band geeks sane.
PERCUSSION The group of instruments hit by sticks or mallets that keeps some beat or other.
PICCOLO A high-pitched instrument similar to that of the flute, only you can actually hear that it's out of tune.
PIT Percussion instruments that have pitches (like a piano) that play either half a beat earlier or later than the band, opposite of the drum line.
PLUME The most dangerous part of the full uniform because of it's flammability: Takes 2 seconds to burn properly.
POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE A painful form of obligation by every band geek during three of their four years in high school. An extremely useful and effective form of torture for underclassmen.
PRACTICE The constant repetition of a sequence of notes in an unsuccessful attempt to become skilled. Usually drives family members either away from home or insane.
RAIN Nature's way of telling the band to go inside and practice music.
RESETTING Definitions vary by sections. Woodwind: Wander aimlessly for 3 minutes and talk quietly. Brass: Run as fast as you can back to your set yelling at the top of your lungs and slipping in the mud then doing pushups. Battery: Wander and swear as you walk slowly back to your set. Colorguard: Prance back to your set and avoid getting hit by stupid, yelling brass players. Pit: Sit there and laugh your @$$ off while you watch this 3 minutes of confusion.
SFZ-PIANO-CRESCENDO The act of blatting, stopping, then blasting.
SHOW COORDINATOR Person who creates and draws all of the inanimate useless objects that the band attempts to form.
SOUSAPHONE An instrument that adds bass to the band. Can play any note as long as it's a low G.
STANDING What the brass-line does at band camp. Woodwinds do not accomplish this feat due to their weak legs (in most cases). There are a few exceptions to this weakness, but they don't stand anyway.
STRETCH OUT A term geeks frequently misunderstand as "time to talk".
SUSPENDERS The most effective way to strangle a band geek while still keeping their pants up.
TEMPO The correct beat, usually (but not always) carried by the conductor.
TRUMPET An instrument that is designed to make a band sound better. The idea is that if the trumpets play loud enough, you can't hear the rest of the band, so only the trumpets' mistakes are heard, not everyone else's.
TROMBONE A device with the same pitch as a baritone, except that it uses a slide instead of valves, so it's easier to forget the position(s).
TUNE What the condition when all instruments are within half a step of each other is called.
VALVE A key object on most brass instruments that sticks only during important performances and solos.
VALVE OIL Exquisitely tasteful with a twist of lemon. A form of currency for brass players. Most important ingredient to a beverage known as "Valve Oil Daiquiri."
VIBE, The A frequent occurrence after long exposure to fellow Band Geeks during intense competitions or rehearsals, usually resulting in obsessive compulsive behavior directed towards the band. Know effects are few and are rarely, if ever, reversible. Believed by some to be a sign of mental illness. Scientists are stumped, and frankly, don't care why it occurs.
WATER BREAK An excuse for doing headstands on the field or playing hacky-sack.
WOODWINDS 1. A true sign that God has a sense of humor.
2. A biological mistake.
YELLING An expressive way of trying to prove that one is more committed than the next person. This is a self-destructive way of spending any rehearsal, yet we seem to continue in this practice more and more. This is often connected with "the vibe" and being intense. | | |
| Finally I'm updating...ok....
THURSDAY
Well first there was school....then sectional....then lesson....then A Capella Ensemble...Then Dance.....Got back at 10 and did not do HW- went to bed.
FRIDAY
Stayed all day getting ready for open mike night- which turned out to be loads of fun. Me, Bennett, Steve, Adam, and Mike sang "King of New York" from the Disney musical "Newsies". Bennett choreographed it and it turned out to be great. Our performance on stage was one of the only times we did it perfectly. I mean we nailed it. NAILED IT! It was great. Then all of the Entertainer guys sang and danced to "I feel pretty" as a comedy thing and some of the guys wore dresses. Christian and Max also stuffed their dresses. I still can't get over Max... I think he looked like a lesbian... anyway, we did that and it went great. I'm still not sure about the scat solo I have at the end of Flat Foot Floogie (An Entertainers song that is king of swingy). I still am not sure how I got stuck with it, but I have to improve on it, especially since I go after Lyn, who is just awesome at it. And no, I wasn't one of the guys who wore a dress, much to the dissapointment of certain people....
by the way any girls out there, never tell a guy "Oh I know who likes you" and then don't say who it is. Just dont say anything. It really is very frustrating....
SATURDAY
Because my dad was at a conference in Las Vegas, I ended up riding my bike to go take the PSAT at 8:30. I thought that I was late, but they wouldn't even let us in until 9. My room's proctor was Mr. Smay. Never having him as a teacher, i could just tell that he was horrible just by looking at him. Well after that unofficial saturday school, It was right off back home to get my trombone and brother and come back for Marching Band. This is where I envy the flute players-- Taking a trombone on a bike as about as easy as...well...cleanly playing "Tank" on trombone. I almost got it by the way, I had to sacrifice some tone for the notes, but I thought it was fine. Now there is no edge allowed at all. Now If I am having difficulty with this, I can only wonder how the rest of the section is doing. Anyway, after the activity from previous days and the lack of sleep, this rehearsal was painful torture, but I went through it. I had the role model responsibility, and that kept me awake. Chris talked to all of the brass afterwards about drum cores. I stayed after and talked to him, and he wants me to join Vanguard. I may consider it but first I need:
1. To learn Baritone
2. The time
3. The money
4. The transportation
he told me to check out dci.org and click on vanguard and the autition material was there online. So at this point I am really confused, woth everything.
SUNDAY
I was supposed go Paintballing with Anton and a bunch of other people, but I was feeling sick from the past few days and My dad let me sleep in. I had (and still have) a throbbing headache. ouch.
There is one thing that I can look forward to: The release of the Nintendo DS.
Look at that. Man. Coming out November 21st.
(For a much bigger image go here)
Look at that. Man. Coming out November 21st.
HEY EVERYONE! go to http://www.hip-e.com and check out the computer. It's a great deal for all of the things that you get! If you decide to buy one, where it says referral code put this: HISL10200
Well i need to go to sleep....haha sleep. What is sleep anymore?
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| I'm completely exausted.....doing too much.
I'm going paintballing next Sunday. Its funny...the closest thing to a gun I have shot was a super soaker.
I have a scat solo so I can't swing dance?!?!?!
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is fun.....too bad I don't know how to save. | | |
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