Festivals and Boys Don't Mix Well

I was out in the hall outside of the performance room, filled with judges. My heart was beating way to fast to be healthy, my hands shaking as if I were a human earthquake. The lungs I had to live with, they were not doing their job as if they wanted everything to end too, just like I did. I felt them, the tears were coming like pools of fire.  I looked up as I knelt on the floor and hoped nobody knew what was behind the failure. 

Just as I left the room, my first partner had packed up his instrument, not even looking me in the eye. As I sat in the hall, my peripheral vision saw the feet of my second partner turning in an uneven circle, and then pointed and step towards the mess that happened to be me. My lungs were still not cooperating, but I managed to cool the pools of fire with my breath. My best friend came over and put his arm around my shoulders, and my partner kneeled beside me.

Of course, it wasn't wasn't just my fault. Why the judges crucified us had nothing to do with our playing abilities. Time screwed us over, and played with my emotions. Time usually does that, it happens in every concept: technology, fate, music. But it wasn't actually that time had screwed us over too much this time. Maybe, just maybe, if I just got over my fear of people judging me based on the fact that I was going to do something wrong I could play better.

So did you guys like that story? Yeah, so that was way too over dramatic, I just felt like typing like that because right now I'm bored, I can't play trombone, and I need something to do. But to get the point, I recently have competed in a festival, hence the title. The festival was called Solo and Ensemble Festival, a festival for small groups of people to compete and stuff. Me being me, competing with other instrumentalists just sounded like so much fun, so I just had to sign up. Me also being me, I was too scared to play a solo, so I picked a partner and he picked a rather difficult piece. It's not that we couldn't learn the piece, it was just that we didn't have enough time to rehearse together. 

The magical book of trombone duets

Courtesy of Amazon

Because guess what? MALE HUMAN PEOPLE JUST HAPPEN TO BE RATHER BAD AT FIGURING OUT TIMES TO WORK TOGETHER. I am not sexist, I promise. It just happens to be that I am jealous of this kids success, being that he’s super smart and super busy, and I know I wouldn’t be able to handle what he has been capable of doing. So kudos to you, William. But moral of the story- y’all need to pick a partner that is able to play with you twice a week before entering a music competition. William and I did not do that bad, so yay. My other partner, Jake, was one point away from qualifying for State with me. So double yay. But I’m only a freshman, and we’ll see how it goes next year.

Our high school actually hosted the festival, which was probably the coolest part. Next year I believe we take a bus somewhere over the rainbow to another high school, so it will be an adventure. :). 

I AM SUPERIOR.

Link to video: click here

So I made it. Out of all of my three-o'clock-in-the-morning videos, I chose one that sounded like the best, and apparently it did. Apparently, my teacher though it sounded good too. After staying up until three in the morning on the Saturday of the Peaks Jazz Festival, I decided I had enough recordings and would submit one in the morning. Well, guess whose phone crapped out on them an hour before they had to leave for a jazz festival? Mine did! Kudos to Jake for being able to connect my phone to his hotspot so I could submit my auditions at the festival, and for helping me write out the written part of the audition. If you're reading this, you saved my life.

The worst part of the audition is that I had to use music from my school folder to play in my videos.  Yeah, it's a good thing because the music is easy, but it's also the worst part. The point of the audition is to prove you're better than the kids in Wind Ensemble, and if Wind Ensemble is playing a level 5 piece of music while your stuck with half-notes on a level 3.... that may be just a bit of an atomic-sized problem. Fortunately, I have talked to my teacher and other kids who have auditioned before, and they said auditions are just a formal way of asking for a spot in the ensemble. The auditions were actually year-round, and the teacher sees how hard every student works and plays, and then he decides if they want them in the ensemble. So I guess my teacher knows how freaking hard I work, and doesn't mind having me around. Yay.

Park City High School Wind Ensemble 2014

Courtesy of YouTube

I guess it feels like an honor to be in Wind Ensemble, but I just don't really know. Out of a total of thirteen trombones in the program, only four are in Wind Ensemble. The personnel in the trombone section consists of Jake, Molly, Michael, and I. Jake will be a senior, Molly a junior, and Michael and I will sophomores. I think I'm still going to be in shock until the first time we rehearse together, and then I'll just be a nervous wreck. I am, of course, happy and excited that I made the ensemble, and I'll get to be with my friends like Amanda and Bryan. The best part of it all that I left the knuckleheads behind to pursue my musical abilities at a higher level with other peers that actually care about playing music. We will learn so much more as an ensemble, like about what emotions music can provoke and how to create them with our instrument rather than just being told what a b-flat is.

I have heard that Mr. Taylor has decided to bring the Wind Ensemble on tour next year, which will be very exciting. My abilities as a musician will be able to grow more with a surround of music-enthusiasts, fun, and friends.

Baby, Are You A Roller Coaster?

'Cause you're giving me WHIPLASH!

Hah, get it? It's a pick-up line! For band geeks! Like me! The pick-up line is themed to the movie Whiplash.  Who doesn't love movies? Especially, who doesn't love movies when they're themed around something you love? For me, I love jazz. Whiplash is a movie about a jazz drummer who overcomes his fears and regrets as he aspires to his potential and makes a name for himself. Of course, the film being made in Hollywood, the poor boy just has to make the stupidest decisions of his life when all he wants is to impress his Studio Band teacher.

At the beginning, it all starts out with young, innocent Andrew practicing in a practice room, trying to figure out how to perfect his technique. Fletcher, the director for the Studio Band walks in while he is practicing. Fletcher tells Andrew he is looking for players for his Studio Band, and then asks him to play a double-time swing. As Andrew is playing, Fletcher continues to yell, "Faster!" at Andrew until he breaks a sweat. Andrew couldn't catch up to Fletcher's tempo, but he tries really hard. After a few beats of being behind, you hear the practice room door shut and Fletcher is nowhere to be seen. 

You may think that was really rude of Fletcher, but compared to the rest of the movie, that was nice of Fletcher to just walk away. A few scenes later, Fletcher shows up outside that frosted-glass door of JVC band rehearsal, which is the band Andrew is in. At the shout chorus of the song the band is playing, Fletcher bursts in and asks random players to play their part in the song. Eventually, Fletcher gets to Andrew and the other drummer and asks them for a double-time swing. This time, Andrew succeeds and is asked to join the Studio Band. Well, not asked. More like commanded to.

Along the way of this thrilling and dramatic movie, Andrew makes the most idiotic, oblivious, and self-abusive choices possibly of his life in this movie. I won't ruin it for you, I will just tell you how controversial it is. If you didn't know, Andrew is a college freshman at his music school. Being in a band like Studio Band is a pretty darn big deal at his age. With a director like Fletcher, a student like Andrew could certainly learn a lot about music when he rehearses under his direction. However, throughout the movie, Fletcher attempts to both mentally and physically abusive Andrew, whether or not it seems like it. I have learned a bit about music and jazz history throughout the movie, but what stuck with me is Fletcher's strong disliking for some words in the English language.

My life lesson

Courtesy of Tumblr

So yeah, you should go see Whiplash if you ever get the chance.

One last thing. Since this entire post was started with a pick-up line, I thought I should end it with one.

Are you a fermata? Because I really wanna hold you. ;).

Why You Gotta Be So Rude?

This is probably the most accurate description of  how I feel towards people who are judgey. My whole life I have experienced judgment from others. From what I wear to what I say to what I play- people just can't get enough out of their own opinions. And that's fine. What isn't fine is when someone tries really hard on something, wether it be a new idea or a new project, and others just shoot them down without thinking of their emotions. Yeah, I'm human too, and what you said just hurt! From rodeos to band festivals and everything in between, there is no reason to hurt someone's feelings just because they tried something new or didn't succeed. 

Now, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, registration for next year was starting.  Oh yes, the great registration process. The great am-I-gonna-have-any-friends-in-my-class and what-classes-are-they-taking routine. I had to take the usual: a rigorous course load, with five core classes and a sparing three electives. Of course, I had to take Spanish as an elective, which means I have two electives left. So what do I take? Band, obviously! 

Me being me all ghung-ho, I thought I would have a chance to make it in to the higher level bands in the band program. However, as soon as I started recording my auditions, I thought I would never have a chance. I didn't sound good on the recording, and I was wondering why the heck my teacher ever thought I would stand a chance against the juniors and seniors in the higher levels. And then, to my utter despair, I realized it was just a recording on a camera. I was scared and depressed because of a piece of metal manufactured in factory across the sea in China. Wow. Disappointment. So I continued to play, and I recorded the best pieces I could and uploaded them to the internets.

And this is where the entire point of this post kicks in. My teacher will have to judge me based on my skill and decide whether or not to make me suffer in a class with a ton of musical knuckleheads next year.  I hate it when I have to play to be judged. It ain't fun. All of my life, I take the extra mile to stay away from judgement, wether it be from taking a test, losing on a team, or falling off a horse in a competition, I've pushed and kicked not to go. Because people are there to judge. My fate is in the hands of a person who doesn't even know who I am or how hard I've worked for whatever it is I am competing for. Judgement is also my theory for how wars break out.

I'm not the only on who feels this way, right? I know I'm not the only one. Famous people know the feels too. One in particular, I am in total condolence with because he has experienced what I have felt to the max. His name is Charlie Parker. Now, see, Charlie was a different one. Charlie dropped out of high school to be a jazz musician. Of course, Charlie was a killer player. He had the chops, tone, creativity, everything and beyond. He could play really well, and he was known for it by the age of 16. One night, Charlie got a chance to jam at Kansas City's Reno Club with Count Basie's drummer, Jo Jones. Charlie thought his time come, he really did. He was soon up to play on a solo chorus. However, he had been practicing an improv method of his own, one that used keys rarely played in jazz. When playing, he immediately switched to a passing chord and could sense the shock in the band and the audience. He was shocked and nervous, and eventually lost the beat. Jo Jones then stopped drumming, pulled a cymbal from his drum set, and managed to throw it at Charlie. Sadly, Charlie was pushed off stage by a series of mean jokes and laughter. 

Courtesy of The Guardian

This is why I love Charlie Parker. Do you what he did after that nightmare? He told everyone the famous line, "I will be back." And he kept his promise. Without that promise, we wouldn't even be discussing his very existence right now. 

Now, it's my turn. I'm going to take a risk. I'm going to post my audition for Wind Ensemble right here, for everyone to see and judge. I hope your ear isn''t as criticizing as  Jo Jones' ear is.

Link to video: click here