trumpetman1288

If you are under the same classification and level (varsity, non-varsity, sub non-vasity, etc), then yes, you have the same sightreading. All 5A first bands have the same, 5A second bands, 4A first bands, etc, etc. If I am not mistaking, though, I THINK (perhaps Xenon can clarify for me?) that 5A second band and 4A first band have the same sightreading, along with 5A third band/4A second band/3A first band, and so on down the chain. I am not sure what level each group reads at for sure, but I know 5A first band typically reads level 6, and I think it would be a fair assumption that the level goes down for each respective group, but I do not know the lowest level for high school. We managed sweepstakes over here, but I will say...that sightreading this year was just plain hard...quite a few of us in the trumpet section just ignored the general explanation and counted the syncapated stuff the whole time.

Thou shalt not check a person's state of being without first examining his/her intrument (especially drums) after he/she falls down.

Thou shalt not rotate or switch another's valves around while he/she is not looking. Thou shalt not put another's mouthpiece down thy pants when another is away. (it has happened here before...both in the front end and the back end...I'll leave it at that)

Ah...that's good. I had checked about a month ago and nothing was listed back then. I guess the fact that you hadn't listed it confirmed my fear...and let's face it, if mbui hasn't posted it, then it probably isn't true/won't happen.

Wow...no USSBA down here this year? What gives? It has been fairly successful down here for three years, a lot more so than BOA has, so why no contest down here? I mean, not that it really matters for me since I am graduating, but I must admit that it is weird not to see a major contest like BOA or USSBA at home this year.

Yeah, but that costs money, which I am really short on If plants could talk, what would they say?

I am quite partial to baritone. Horn takes a close second, though.

It is the earth's way of telling us to get our lazy selves up. Why does that first rehearsal back from spring break always hurt the most, even if you practice?

You learn to love the rain when you live in an area where it is practically newsworthy.

Which one? *ba dum pish!* Isn't spring break great?

Didn't Phantom get a new director this year? Either way, I have this feeling it is going to come down to either PR or the Cadets for the win this year. Sorry Cavies

Do you know where I can see a video of this? *edit* Nevermind, found it. It wasn't too bad, but I got a tape that I am guessing was kind of early in the season because the stamina wasn't quite there. I still love our arrangement though :-P

Cool. I really liked the arrangement we did this past year and is probably my favorite thing we have ever played, right next to Adagio and Stained Glass. I hope for the sake of your entertainment that you do get to do Rocky Point Holiday. *sigh*...good times...

I think it would be interesting to watch...HOWEVER, since most major events seem to feel that life does not exist south of San Antonio, I do not think that we will be seeing a DCI event down here for a good while. MAYBE in 10 years when the growth down here really takes its toll. What are they like by the way?

Word.

Rocky Point Holiday! Oh wait...*walks off in a confused manner* Yeah...I just had to, I'm sorry...

I agree with this comment for the most part, but I also agree with MartinHorn; asking the director can be intimidating at times. I personally am not in that type of a situation, but I know a lot of people are. Many people also get their knowledge and information from directors, so just because a student said it doesn't mean it should quickly be dismissed. In regards to advising people how to be leaders, while we may not all be leaders here, leadership really is a two-way thing; you have the leader and the follower. Without the followers, you have no leader, so I think any advice is valuable, especially from followers since they are the ones that are being instructed by the supposed leader.

I think a good rule of thumb for any brass player is to open your jaw and throat as much as possible to get a nice, open sound. Try to maintain the same embochure for notes in all octaves...it takes a lot of discipline to do so, but it really helps your sound for those registers you are not comfortable with. And most importantly...air. Air, air, air, air, and more air. And incase you aren't sure, more air. Try to ALWAYS keep your airstream fast and constant. I could probaby be here forever talking about how important air is and how it has an impact on your sound, but for the most part, just remember that a fast air stream is vital to a good sound.

Once that is clean, that will be pretty OMG on the field. I hope the drill is equally as sweet.

We are playing... Eagle Squadron March- Filmore (not too fond of it) Balkanya- Van der Roost (meh...at least it's better than the march) Paris Sketches- Ellerby (approx. 15 minutes of sweetness that makes up for the other two) If it weren't for Paris Sketches, I would hate our program entirely. The march isn't too bad, but certainly not one of my favorite, after having played Op. 99 last year and the Circus Bee the year before that. Balkanya just doesn't do much for me, but the parts are somewhat fun to play. Just wish us well on Paris Sketches because it is VERY mentally draining.

Driving from down here (the Valley) to up there (Dallas) is not a very fun trip on a bus...it's almost 10 hours!! As to the discussion at hand, I think it would be great to have state every year, but I think the current system is beneficial to the development of stronger programs. It satisfies both crowds in the UIL/BOA debate by allowing bands to have a shot at both types of judging because let's face it, UIL judging just isn't all that fun, but I think it really serves its purpose in naming the best bands in the state. At the same time, having a harder, more creative show for BOA makes UIL shows seem a bit easier. I think that there should at least be area every year though, but I think they should instead have a BOAish judging system for the off years so that the monotony of UIL doesn't drive people crazy.

bell bell

And I second that request for a database with websites...Just for the sake of quicker access rather than having to look at a school's info only to discover that there is no website.

If I am not mistaking, the database is wiki-style, meaning that in order for it to have more information, people need to add to it on their own. If you know any schools that need to be added, have pictures, or just know some websites, all that information can be added by you. Help it grow!!