My name is Emma. I started playing trumpet in eighth grade after I moved to Texas. Now I've been playing for three years, and I'm a high school sophomore. Here's the dealio. I practice 90+ minutes a day, 30-40 minutes in the band hall before school, 30 minutes during study hall, and 30 minutes after marching band before I do my homework. I keep a practice log that details what I've practiced, how long I practiced it, and what I need to work on. I practice long tones, scales, Clarke studies, lip slurs, and various other exercises before moving on to my actual music for band. I take private lessons for 30 minutes every Tuesday with a guy who has a PhD, and I'm just gonna assume this PhD is for music performance. I go to all the sectionals. I follow every direction anyone could ever give me.
But here's the thing, despite this constant hard work and practice, I'm still fifth to last chair in my 25-person section. I'm second chair in my school's last band. Because of my placement, I'm seen as a lazy slacker, and the rest of my section treats me with no respect. I, along with the other players in cadet band, weren't even invited to our section party or allowed to buy a section shirt.
What's wrong with me? What am I doing wrong? Sometimes I just feel like giving up; my director says that all you can do is work hard and you will succeed, but I guess it just doesn't apply to me. But I love band more than anything, so even if I do suck, I'm not gonna actually give up.
Sorry for this emo rant-y thing. Basically, fellow trumpet players, do you have any life-saving advice that can help me finally be good at playing music and be respected by the rest of the band?
