First Concert!!!
IT WAS AWESOME and I didn't die! :D The jazz band was poppin', the 7th grade band kicked serious butt (I mean really, they are the best kids), and the 8th grade band... well, hopefully they've learned their lesson about working hard during rehearsals and not talking all the time and taking music more serious. The choirs sounded fantastic as well, but I didn't direct them so no thanks to me, ha. ^^;
So, just to recap some stuff that went on before/during the concert:
-Right off the bat, at 7 sharp, 30 minutes before he was on, one kid forgot his music at home and couldn't find his parents to go home to get it. I collected the originals of his music, and then he found his parents after I did that for him. Me? FFFFUUUUU----!!! (he brought me a Diet Dr. Pepper the next day as an apology, what a kid)
-Another kid couldn't find his music binder (luckily there are a lot of trumpets in 7th grade band to read off of :P)
-One of my clarinetists ran up to me: "Miss Kaal, Miss Kaal! One of my pads fell off my clarinet!" and me: FFFFFUUUU--!!!!! (thank GOD Aaron has one of those big all-encompassing instrument repair kits in his desk..... >3< )
-Several students tried to get me to sign their programs, after being explicitly instructed in class several times that they need to have them signed AFTER the concert to prove they stayed the entire time... it was quite a feat fending them off
-A handful of ladies wore inappropriate concert dress, and I told many of them to get a sweater to cover themselves u[. I was seriously pissed about this because the dress code is in the school handbook as well as the music handbook. Next concert (since I'll be large and in charge) this WILL NOT be a problem. If they expect to be treated as professionals and not children, they better dress like professionals (I mean srsly, I have to [and would do so anyway] so yeah XP)
-During the concert the microphone was all static-y and loud. >_<
-During the 7th grade band portion, right after the first song, I waited a full minute because one of the percussionists couldn't find the yarn mallets in the percussion cabinet. Me? FFFFUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!! (The percussionists got a stern talkin-to on Friday about keeping the cabinet clean for everyone)
-I was too busy freaking out behind the curtain when the 8th grade band kids were moving chairs that I forgot to run out front and play djembe for the 8th period choir. D: URRGGGHH.
-Almost the entire 8th grade band performance... God. Not this next concert. Those kids are hilarious and smart and awesome, but their work ethic is BLEH. Again, not this next concert. I know they can be the show stoppers if they try harder... <3
Now, that looks like quite a list of not-so-good things, but I only mention these because some of this stuff... especially the pre-concert stuff, is stuff no one ever THINKS about. It's a LOT of stress (especially for someone conducting her first ever concert) for one person to deal with. If the kids weren't so awesome, I'd punch their parents in the face. -.- Of course, I don't mean that in the slightest, but really, I have so much more respect for anyone who has to direct and deal with 100-200 crazy-go-nuts kids. Seriously. If these kids didn't make me laugh at least 3 times or more an hour, I would quit. I can understand why people think middle school kids are a nightmare, and they can be if you let them. You just have to remember that you were a little shit like that once too, and it's always TEMPORARY. If you as the adult remember and believe that every kid really is a good kid all-around and that they just don't have the experience to know better, it makes dealing with crap like forgetting music the night of the concert much more bearable.
Today I started teaching the choirs (with no plan like an idiot... though I did well anyhow). I have their music picked out and well, I'm it. I am currently the Mt. Baker Middle School Band/Choir teacher (with support of course~) for the next month and a half. OOOHHHH MAAAANNNNN. These kids will put on the best concert EVER and rock the stage THE ENTIRE TIME.
Duh.
~*~*~
AND random: I decided to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Why? Because I need to practice my freakin' clarinet, that's why. If I don't have some end goal, my chops will really go to shit (oh God, it's already started... -.-) The orchestral excerpts don't look that bad, and there are master classes on each excerpt on the YouTube S.O. page. But.... WHY DOES THE SOLO PIECE HAVE TO BE THE GODDAMN MOZART CLARINET CONCERTO?! I mean, yes, I WAS practicing it at the beginning of the summer, but for a stupid reason. I was practicing it because I felt I NEEDED to know it as a clarinet player, not because I actually enjoyed it. I would regret stopping my practice of it if I had known I wanted to audition, but holy poop THERE ARE BETTER PIECES OUT THERE. Fricken Mozart... bah.
I suppose part of me is only upset about it because it is pretty technical and I'm not very good at tonguing fast and blehh... if it HAD to be the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, they could have asked for the second movement... >_< OH WELL. -_-
So, just to recap some stuff that went on before/during the concert:
-Right off the bat, at 7 sharp, 30 minutes before he was on, one kid forgot his music at home and couldn't find his parents to go home to get it. I collected the originals of his music, and then he found his parents after I did that for him. Me? FFFFUUUUU----!!! (he brought me a Diet Dr. Pepper the next day as an apology, what a kid)
-Another kid couldn't find his music binder (luckily there are a lot of trumpets in 7th grade band to read off of :P)
-One of my clarinetists ran up to me: "Miss Kaal, Miss Kaal! One of my pads fell off my clarinet!" and me: FFFFFUUUU--!!!!! (thank GOD Aaron has one of those big all-encompassing instrument repair kits in his desk..... >3< )
-Several students tried to get me to sign their programs, after being explicitly instructed in class several times that they need to have them signed AFTER the concert to prove they stayed the entire time... it was quite a feat fending them off
-A handful of ladies wore inappropriate concert dress, and I told many of them to get a sweater to cover themselves u[. I was seriously pissed about this because the dress code is in the school handbook as well as the music handbook. Next concert (since I'll be large and in charge) this WILL NOT be a problem. If they expect to be treated as professionals and not children, they better dress like professionals (I mean srsly, I have to [and would do so anyway] so yeah XP)
-During the concert the microphone was all static-y and loud. >_<
-During the 7th grade band portion, right after the first song, I waited a full minute because one of the percussionists couldn't find the yarn mallets in the percussion cabinet. Me? FFFFUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!! (The percussionists got a stern talkin-to on Friday about keeping the cabinet clean for everyone)
-I was too busy freaking out behind the curtain when the 8th grade band kids were moving chairs that I forgot to run out front and play djembe for the 8th period choir. D: URRGGGHH.
-Almost the entire 8th grade band performance... God. Not this next concert. Those kids are hilarious and smart and awesome, but their work ethic is BLEH. Again, not this next concert. I know they can be the show stoppers if they try harder... <3
Now, that looks like quite a list of not-so-good things, but I only mention these because some of this stuff... especially the pre-concert stuff, is stuff no one ever THINKS about. It's a LOT of stress (especially for someone conducting her first ever concert) for one person to deal with. If the kids weren't so awesome, I'd punch their parents in the face. -.- Of course, I don't mean that in the slightest, but really, I have so much more respect for anyone who has to direct and deal with 100-200 crazy-go-nuts kids. Seriously. If these kids didn't make me laugh at least 3 times or more an hour, I would quit. I can understand why people think middle school kids are a nightmare, and they can be if you let them. You just have to remember that you were a little shit like that once too, and it's always TEMPORARY. If you as the adult remember and believe that every kid really is a good kid all-around and that they just don't have the experience to know better, it makes dealing with crap like forgetting music the night of the concert much more bearable.
Today I started teaching the choirs (with no plan like an idiot... though I did well anyhow). I have their music picked out and well, I'm it. I am currently the Mt. Baker Middle School Band/Choir teacher (with support of course~) for the next month and a half. OOOHHHH MAAAANNNNN. These kids will put on the best concert EVER and rock the stage THE ENTIRE TIME.
Duh.
~*~*~
AND random: I decided to audition for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. Why? Because I need to practice my freakin' clarinet, that's why. If I don't have some end goal, my chops will really go to shit (oh God, it's already started... -.-) The orchestral excerpts don't look that bad, and there are master classes on each excerpt on the YouTube S.O. page. But.... WHY DOES THE SOLO PIECE HAVE TO BE THE GODDAMN MOZART CLARINET CONCERTO?! I mean, yes, I WAS practicing it at the beginning of the summer, but for a stupid reason. I was practicing it because I felt I NEEDED to know it as a clarinet player, not because I actually enjoyed it. I would regret stopping my practice of it if I had known I wanted to audition, but holy poop THERE ARE BETTER PIECES OUT THERE. Fricken Mozart... bah.
I suppose part of me is only upset about it because it is pretty technical and I'm not very good at tonguing fast and blehh... if it HAD to be the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, they could have asked for the second movement... >_< OH WELL. -_-