Fact 00: Only read what I'm gonna say if you want a super low opinion of me.
Fact 01: My school's concert band is going to a trip in Europe (let's see, bit of Italy, Romania, Slovenia and other countries around that area).
Fact 02: I am in the concert band as a...pianist and percussion player.
Fact 03: I don't really want to be in it. I like piano more than cello (which I play in orchestra and chamber orchestra) but........I really hate concert band. Another reason why I don't like playing piano for any group is because I'm always so far apart - although the percussion is usually pretty far as well, but there are usually more than one person there. It's not like I crave attention or people, it's just a bit...too detached for a music "group".
Fact 04: The concert band is the WORST music group in the entire school and it's so embarrassing for me to even be in it. What's more, it's a super new music group in the school. It has no prodigies nor achievements. I seriously think the head of music is bloody crazy for getting the concert band to go on the tour, not the senior orchestra or the choir. Heck, I bet the JUNIOR orchestra would even be better.
Fact 05: The average age of the orchestra is probably lower than 13 years old. Now that's a pretty damn young age for a music group representing a school of 10-18 years old people. There's only like, two people in the year below me ("high school" first year), two people in my year (including me) and two "third years". Plus two graduates. Yes, they've ALREADY graduated and are in uni.
Fact 06: I'm probably the person with the highest musical qualification (even out of the graduated ones) - grade 8 piano with no merit, no distinction. Okay, I know I'm not good at music, in fact I've failed grade 8 before. That probably tells you how bad I am, but at least when I was 13 I was already attempting (and passed) grade 7. What are these people? Grade 2 with merit? No grades at all? I mean, quit bragging that you've been learning for five years already. I got grade 5 theory as well (distinction) but nah, I know that I still suck at actually playing music so there's no chance I'd tell the people in concert band what grade I'm actually at.
Fact 07: All of them are really snobby. Real snotty. I mean, they point their noses so high up into the air. I know I have a rotten personality for criticising them in this way, but that's only because I hate socialising in the first place. Now, if they try to capture my attention among others by playing a super dissonant or simple song with just their right hand, it's hard not to throw them a dirty look and stomp off. I guess this is part of fact six, because it really just annoys me because they don't know how low their grades are and...they don't realise the huge difference between "distinction" and "just passed". Seriously, my school is semi-private so you'd think there aren't as many rich girls who have been cherished throughout their entire lives but that's not the case, people who have "just passed" are probably celebrated like QUEENS back at home. They're so competitive too...it really just makes me think that the music industry (as small as it may be in New Zealand) is doomed.
Fact 08: The teachers who lead concert band...suck. Okay, there's this teacher who I'll call Miss M. She's real nice in classes and stuff but real sassy when it comes to concert band. Sassy as in the annoying way. I don't know really how to explain her...I guess a bossy but doesn't command enough attention? I don't really like how all the other girls (I go to a girls' school), particularly the ones in concert band, coo over her so much. Her voice is real quiet and like I said, she's nice, but...I don't see the fuss over her.
Fact 09: The other teacher, let's call him Mr A. He's the head of the music department (?) at another school, who used to be close to the school where Miss M used to teach at. Okay, first things first, he has an accent. I'm not picky of his accent but it can be hard to understand at times. I hate it when he comes to rehearsals - he's SO picky. If you pick about music, fine, do whatever you like. Just do note that everyone here probably don't understand half of the notes they have to read, so how can you expect them to make super clipped, short staccato notes? It's much easier and practical at their level to do slightly rounded, but at least detached staccato notes. He expects the people to heed his teachings after one time, so I don't think he realises that snobby girls tend to not accept corrections (particularly from annoying people) and that there are lots of people who can't change in five minutes, without constant practice for a week. Not to mention that they don't even get five minutes and that most people are too lazy to practise in general.
Fact 10: Mr A often makes us go over time. He's picky about posture too. Of course it's good for the musician's health and audience when correct posture is observed. Of course it's not fine to slump in your chair or slightly cross your legs during practices. But, is there any need to stop several times during a play through because of such a reason? No. He could perfectly pick on it after the play through. Everyone would be much more appreciative of him then. Another problem is that in the last final moments of the practice he says something like "one more time". You'd think "hooray!" but no, not yet. We get "one more time", "no, I told you, it's not like that" and "again" after the first "one more time" for about 30-50 minutes OVERTIME. To makes things worse he often likes to finish with a "full play through", which unfortunately, still gets broken up into a few more "one more time"s.
Fact 11: Mr A has another problem, but this is more of my pet peeve really. He sits like a girl, legs crossed. Okay, a lot of men are like this, but...then he also picks up the conductors baton with his index finger and thumb, the other fingers high up in the air. Fine, quite a few men are like this but...then he leans forward and taps the music stand in a super slow tempo - how should I put it? In a "sexily" way I guess. Except that he really pulls it off in a disgusting way that makes me puke. Okay fine, there are some men like that but...he's a teacher...
Fact 12: The parents of the girls in concert band are just as annoying as their daughters. I swear they're always thinking... "Isn't my daughter wonderful? She can play the XXX and play XXXadvanced_songsXXX. I ought to show her off to the world!" Like I said, they over-cherish their children.
Fact 13: We have ugly as music UNIFORMS. Okay, I know that New Zealand is a super uniform-loving country. Almost every school has a uniform - whether it's a poor state school or a elite, rich, boarding school. The type of school you're at just depends on how many uniforms you get. I could write another piece of rubbish about uniforms here, but not today. Anyway, they got the music uniform specifically for this trip. It's a black three-quarter sleeved shirt with a bit of gold around the sleeves and a golden badge at the chest. Then a super long black skirt (that goes up right to the floor). There's a really ugly SASH (school logo and motto pretty much) that gets velcroed on to the skirt on the side and trails down along the skirt. It looks good on a model, but it looks bad when walking because...the long skirt can look like long pants and the sash looks weird against the black skirt. I might take a picture later.
Fact 14: The lady who does the uniform is annoying. Whoever her daughter is, I can already think that she's going to be annoying like her mother. You'd think this person's meant to do her job properly, I mean, she's getting paid. So she scowls at me when I tell her that my ribbon got stolen then lighter news, such as that I've already hung up my uniform like a good kid and is waiting for her to give me the sash (been waiting for ages and I'm like what, first in line?). Then she pointedly ignores me and smiles to the person next in line and asks, "What do you need?", while smiling. It's only until everyone's done that I get to finally ask her. Then she's like, "oh no, who cares about your ribbon, I got some spares. Oh, I ran out. Sorry, but you'll have to deal with it yourself". There! Damage done! I'd totally bet that she's racist.
Fact 15: So after the people and their skills, the teachers and their habits, it comes down to the how much time we're practising. Just get real teachers. We aren't going to improve with practice no matter how much you force it on us. We have to practise for about, let's see...2.5-3.5 hours per week? Okay, that's not too long, I can bear with it most of the time, but don't stop me from having a little "entertainment" (i.e books). Being percussion/piano means that I don't have to practise often and that I'm not asked to go over parts with sectionals often. That gives me lots of time. Besides, I'm not really friends with anyone in the concert band. It's really torture. Actually, I've changed my mind, I really just don't want to go to concert band practices anymore. There's no point.
I'm surprised I came up with so many reasons as to why I hate concert band. I think there's enough material up there to write a short (3 paragraph) essay! Mr A is definitely one of the worst things about concert band. The girls are really cheeky. Their parents are arrogant. Miss L is such a weak, "invented" character if you like. It's really annoying...
I guess people who do music just tend to get on my nerves. I guess it's natural though - to be good at music, you have to be a bit of a "show off" and a "daredevil", which unfortunately, I'm neither.
Oh and one last "fact" before I go...
Fact 16: 4 guys from a boy's school that often pairs up with us are coming. Unfortunately I have a bone to pick with them as well. Let's call the first guy, J. He plays tuba in the group. He's the outrageous flirt. He's in the year below me, but older than me - apparently he was put down in that year because of some reason, dyslexia I think he said. Well yeah, he's in the perfect "manga harem" (that is, if you like girls who are 1-4 years younger). He plays violin too and used to sit next to my (younger) sis in the combined orchestras of our school.
There next guy is the drummer, let's call him B for now. He's pretty deaf, a bit of a flirt as well, though mainly to the seniors (my year, the year above and the graduates) - but the percussion are so far from the rest of the concert band. I think he's in the year above me and although we sometimes talk during times when I play percussion (bells/vibraphone, timpani) I don't really know much. He likes cute things (he has a really cute picture of a white puppy on his ipad) which is rather funny.
The other guy is P, he's Chinese, an international student. Haven't talked to him before as I used to avoid international students like a plague because I once really hurt someone and I couldn't really forgive myself (it only slightly changed this year). Anyway, he plays saxophone in concert band (but he really sucks) and violin in orchestra. So I guess...I've known him for two years already? A flirt as well...and a really stupid one at that.
The last guy is B, two years younger than me. He...I think he's alright? A bit of a flirt like his brother, J, but less outrageous. He plays cello in orchestra so I'm meant to know a bit about him but I seriously don't talk to anyone unless someone tries to start a conversation first. Oh yeah, he plays euphonium and yup, that's a real strange instrument.
Anyway, those four guys annoy me just as much as the girls do. >_<
My mood still isn't very good at the moment, so don't expect much activity from me...yet. I have checked no email, no recent post etc.
Ah, there's more I could rant on and on about concert band, but I think I'll call it a day.
See ya?
xah.
Subject: RUBBISH 24: A rant... (*sighs*) 
