problems?

[dtxtrmpt]

are they younger or older?

[Tx_Band_Marcher08]

Younger. You know who they are chris.

[GenericWit]

  dtxtrmpt said:

Yea. Ill try to talk to him, maybe he will finally listen. He doesnt think anything I say is resonable because he's older. Thats his only reason for being section leader. He broke the tie against 2 other people when we voted, his excuse being that hes a senior. What do yall think about that... do you think that senority should qualify you for leadership? Is the better leader the junior who really cares about the band, or the senior who doesnt care about anything?

 

The majority of our leadership is seniors. Like...

 

drum majors: 2/3

flutes: 1/2

clarinets: 1/2

saxes: 2/2

trumpets: 2/2

trombones:2/2

tuba/euph: 1/2 (with me being the junior)

 

But... some of those people were junior leaders last year... As a junior section leader, I don't get listened to or looked up to anywhere near as much as the senior ones just because they are seniors, and some of them do... occasionally... let that get to their head.

 

It's just... you've gotta be top notch to be a junior section leader. I think it's harder for a junior TO be one bc of seniority.

 

And about the sitting out thing... well... I think it's ironic that the girlfriend of someone who is 100% anti-sitting out is someone who sits out every practice without fail. I, too, think it should be... no practice no game. I get if you get sick and you sit out. I've been there before, but if you sit out for whole practices or chronically many times a week then you need to be replaced unless you're, like, in a cast or somethin'.

[JediSaxSolis]

  GenericWit said:

The majority of our leadership is seniors. Like...

 

drum majors: 2/3

flutes: 1/2

clarinets: 1/2

saxes: 2/2

trumpets: 2/2

trombones:2/2

tuba/euph: 1/2 (with me being the junior)

 

But... some of those people were junior leaders last year... As a junior section leader, I don't get listened to or looked up to anywhere near as much as the senior ones just because they are seniors, and some of them do... occasionally... let that get to their head.

 

It's just... you've gotta be top notch to be a junior section leader. I think it's harder for a junior TO be one bc of seniority.

 

And about the sitting out thing... well... I think it's ironic that the girlfriend of someone who is 100% anti-sitting out is someone who sits out every practice without fail. I, too, think it should be... no practice no game. I get if you get sick and you sit out. I've been there before, but if you sit out for whole practices or chronically many times a week then you need to be replaced unless you're, like, in a cast or somethin'.

 

 

That's gotta' be one of the main things I see that gives peers a hard time within a band program. Learning to gain respect from your peers in a program like this isn't easy. Unfortunately, some learn it the hard way.

 

What you say about Seniority is true...that's exactly why I didn't really exert much effort to get section leader for this year (Junior year). Generally, the respected peers are those that know what they're doing, those that have a sensible personality/full of optimism, and those that know how to effectively give off that persona of success.

 

You can be pessimistic and yell all you want to towards your peers, but it doesn't get ya' anywhere. I think it's kind of fun to sit back and watch how some people go about trying to rank up through the various levels of respect. You can definitley learn from their successes and their mistakes. That's why I think it's so important to identify a positive role model within the band when you first join, so you can find your own style to making what worked for them; work for you, too.

 

It's like a game...you stay on top of the game and you reap the rewards in the end.

[BassoonPadwan]

Hey man! Great topic! I think a lot of people could benefit from a topic like this!

 

 

I think you should ABSOLUTELY have a talk with this other section "leader". Have a little man to man with him. Show him what's up. That's YOUR job as a leader.

 

 

Hey I'm going to add a way longer reply to this because this really hits home, and I have a lot to say about respect, etc.'

 

But for now because I don't have time I'll leave you with this that you can apply right away~

 

From one leader to another,

Don't EVER lose your composure!

Anger is a weak emotion. Don't be weak. Think about it, if you're someone who gets angy a lot, it means things are out of your control! People understand this, sometimes consciously sometimes not, but all the time unsciously. People want to follow people who have it together. They don't want to follow someone that when things aren't going right, they throw a fit(either outward to other people OR inward to themselves). Be the person who is cool under pressure. Be the person who DEALS WITH THINGS. He doesn't get angry. He get's things done. But he IS stern when he has to be. He'll discipline. He has a job to do. You will respect him.

 

In my opinion, you must be positive too. You're the leaders, the foundation, the safety net that people rely on. You need to be this well of positive energy that people can thrive off of. Be the source of fun when called for.

 

That's the reason you took and were chosen for this position over anybody else.

 

 

I hope this all makes sense, I wrote it in a hurry. I'll be back to elaborate and add my two cents on respect, value, and non-senior leaders a little later.

 

 

Hope you get this worked out. Keep strong! Don't succumb to the "plague"!! He he.

[dtxtrmpt]

I have a freshman whos older brother is a senior this year. Any time anything is said to the freshman, he complains to his older brother that people are picking on him. This freshman doesnt really try, and I informed him yesterday that if he doesnt start to improve, that he will get disciplined. I am getting pretty annoyed with him. I think he might be ADD or ADHD, I dont know the difference, but he never focuses. And once I do discipline him, I know I will have the older brother after me. Do I discipline anyway, or go to a director or drum major?

[Danpod]

  dtxtrmpt said:

I have a freshman whos older brother is a senior this year. Any time anything is said to the freshman, he complains to his older brother that people are picking on him. This freshman doesnt really try, and I informed him yesterday that if he doesnt start to improve, that he will get disciplined. I am getting pretty annoyed with him. I think he might be ADD or ADHD, I dont know the difference, but he never focuses. And once I do discipline him, I know I will have the older brother after me. Do I discipline anyway, or go to a director or drum major?

 

I would go to a director, but only if it is becoming such a problem that it's affecting rehearsal technique or performance.

[dtxtrmpt]

Do you mean if the freshman is affecting rehersal, or if the older brothers over-protectivness is affecting rehersal?

[GenericWit]

  JediSaxSolis said:

That's gotta' be one of the main things I see that gives peers a hard time within a band program. Learning to gain respect from your peers in a program like this isn't easy. Unfortunately, some learn it the hard way.

 

What you say about Seniority is true...that's exactly why I didn't really exert much effort to get section leader for this year (Junior year). Generally, the respected peers are those that know what they're doing, those that have a sensible personality/full of optimism, and those that know how to effectively give off that persona of success.

 

You can be pessimistic and yell all you want to towards your peers, but it doesn't get ya' anywhere. I think it's kind of fun to sit back and watch how some people go about trying to rank up through the various levels of respect. You can definitley learn from their successes and their mistakes. That's why I think it's so important to identify a positive role model within the band when you first join, so you can find your own style to making what worked for them; work for you, too.

 

It's like a game...you stay on top of the game and you reap the rewards in the end.

 

Oh, I fully agree with you. One thing that our other section leader friend over here was point out, though, was that sometimes you've got to be not liked to be a leader. The ones that are most liked generally aren't the best. I mean, if you're a leader who talks about non-business related things to your section all the tiem on the field, yeah you'll be liked, but no you won't be setting a good example. However, if you enforce no talking on the field, you might not be liked as much, but it will set a good example for underclassmen and lead to having a successful band rehearsal.

 

Since this is a problems thread, I guess I'll share a problem I had with my co-leader a few weeks/months ago that's almost completely solved now.

 

I'm in a section that has... 7 freshmen tubas and 3 freshmen euphoniums, and my official title is tuba/euphonium section leader. However, this senior tuba section leader had a tendency to tell the freshmen tubas that they didn't have to listen to me because I wasn't their section leader. Firstly, there's a reason I was put as their section leader too. Second off, all the low brass section leaders except for me will be gone next year. Thirdly, no section leader in our band has more power of their section than others. We're all trying to achieve the same thing here. It went on for weeks... when we got new drill, he'd literally rip the coordinate sheets for the tubas out of my hands, for example.

 

I tried talking to him about it, but it didn't work. I talked to the directors about it. It's almost fixed now. He calls the tubas and euphoniums "ours" collectively, but some freshmen still think that technically he's their only section leader. That's why it's almost completely changed...

 

But yeah.. the point of the story is... if something major happens, skip the chain of command and talking to drum majors and whatnot... go straigh to the directors.

[borchnork]

I do enjoy being the senior section leader a lot. I got run over all the time last year by seniors who refused to listen to a junior, but now it's much easier cus of the age.

 

What frustrates me a lot though is that this year I basically HAVE TO BE a jerk for my section to listen to me. I was the nice one last year, and now it's not that way anymore. I've tried being nice and respectful and setting a good example, but the only effective thing for my section is just to get in their face really, and I HATE it because I'm really not a "get-in-your face" kind of guy.

[dtxtrmpt]

I realized yesterday that although there are little problems along the way, the thing that matters most is your end result. We had a few minutes to talk to our sections before our finals performance, and I couldnt help but get emotional. This year has been so stressful trying to deal with people who I thought hated me. But after hearing what they thought about this year has made all the little problems seem stupid. Now the problem I'm having is that marching band is almost over for me. All thats left is football games. Its kinda depressing.

[ClaireAnnette07]

  borchnork said:

I do enjoy being the senior section leader a lot. I got run over all the time last year by seniors who refused to listen to a junior, but now it's much easier cus of the age.

 

I definitely agree with you...being a senior section leader for me was easier than it was my junior year. I was the only section leader, and the seniors we had tried to tell me how to do my job and tell me I was wrong when trying to correct something..it was frustrating! Just watch out for the fellow seniors, because they'll try to walk all over you. Especially if they're your friends lol (and I hated having to tell them to shut up all the time)

[dtxtrmpt]

So I dont know where else to post this.. just a question I have. We have had 2 auditions for chair placements in our top band. I have ranked 3rd in both, with both added together, I'm in 2nd. the total points possible is 600, 100 points on each region piece, for 2 auditions. I'm about 35 points higher than two people. And then 10 points higher than most of the other people. Our christmas music was handed out today, and I'm on 3rd part. One of the people that I'm 35 points higher than is on 2nd. This really irritates me.... should it? or am iIjust being...idk... dumb? They say their scores are so low because they dont try, but if thats the case, why should they be put on a higher part if they arent going to try? Why not give someone who is going to try a higher part? What do you think?

[itsstephenyo]

I know that when I was in band, my director used to split up the trumpet parts so that everybody gets a chance to play the higher parts. He partitioned it out to where it was pretty even across the board, not like you have all strong players on first part and all weak players on 4th. He'd sometimes put the second chair person on fourth, third chair person on third, etc... to make it even.

 

I personally wouldn't complain about that. The director is just doing what he thinks is best for the piece as a whole.

[bonepit06-07]

okay im not trying to be mean or anything but arent the trumpets suppose to be "rowdy"

[whitewing09]

well i think its dumb to put all the good players on first part and the not so good on the 3rd or 4th parts, cuz then you have a really good sound coming from the higher stuff but you dont get any good sounsd from the lower parts, and both are equally important... at least i think they are

 

woo hoo brought this back from the grave

[WestCoastCorpsFan]

Is it all bands, that 99% of the people, dont actually care about band? They're just, there...

Edited January 9, 2008 by WestCoastCorpsFan

[treblemaker]

  whitewing09 said:

well i think its dumb to put all the good players on first part and the not so good on the 3rd or 4th parts, cuz then you have a really good sound coming from the higher stuff but you dont get any good sounsd from the lower parts, and both are equally important... at least i think they are

 

woo hoo brought this back from the grave

 

be happy you actually have different parts. The flutes rarely have anything different between 1st and 2nd part. MAYBE we play it an octave up. ugg. It makes me so mad. There is no point in having 1st part in the first place. /end rant.

[Lustra.exe]

  WestCoastCorpsFan said:

Is it all bands, that 99% of the people, dont actually care about band? They're just, there...

 

I don't know what band you're coming from, but I think that is a severe misinterpretation of "all bands."

 

I'll answer the question and say no. An absolute no.