Hey Guyz! This is based on a true story! Because I release the school name and location, I cannot and don't have permission to release anyone's real name! I changed the name a little for "One Band, One unforgetable Year" to "One Year, One Unforgetable Band." The details might be lacking, but it's how it's suppose to be. I came from this careless girl doing band just for an easy A to this I can't live without music chick! Tell me how I can make it better, cause I know it suxs right now! Oh and Buchanan band has a site! It's... something like that! You'll find the real directors name there and other stuff!
"Natalie!" Carson whispered just loud enough for me to hear. I turned to wave at him as I let out a yawn. It was 5:30 a.m. in Clovis, California and we were supposed to be in Stockton by 9:00 a.m. for our concert band to perform. As Mr. Kannzig, our percussion director, called out, everyone in the room grabs their bags and instruments and headed outside. Walking my ass out the door, I could have sworn it was the slowest I have ever walked in my life. It was early. I sheepishly got on a charter bus and sat in a random seat. Normally I would wait for Scarlet or Lacie or Jacob, but I didn't have the will to wait any longer. The sky was pitch black, well actually blue, just as I left it after the football game yesterday.
It was the last competition of the season and I was treating it as if it was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Pulling out a notebook, I decided to write a poem in the dark. The charter buses had lights, but I was too lazy to reach up and hit the button. After writing a few lines, crookedly. I gave up. From out of nowhere memories started coming to me. Memories from the beginning.
"Spread out guys." Bryden, the drum major said shooing the band in a huge circle, not so easy to do with over 120 members. I begin to back up when the drum major pulled me up a little. "Stay here." He said leaving to fix other people in spots.
Bryden had on a bright orange shirt that I would never forget. Not against people who like the color orange, but I thought it was hideous. We were about to do some kind of exercise and I thanked God every second that it didn't require an instrument. I had conveniently forgotten my clarinet at home. I had sat through an hour of instrumental rehearsal of The Phantom of the Opera and it was boring enough for me. The trumpets were excellent, but too loud, the saxophones, out of tune, in clarinets only the leads could be heard, and drum line had no clue what was going on. (When you put a bunch of great musicians together, you don't always get a great sound especially if they have never practiced together.)
Carl, one of our many marching directors stepped in the middle of things and instructed us to have a meet and greet. Vicky, the girl that sat next to me all year last year, was behind me. She gave me a wave and I decided to start meeting and greeting there. I met Lacie and Scarlet who were two best friends in this whole band ordeal together. The time was short and so after two people, we were all told to get in our sections. Following Lacie and Scarlet who were both clarinets, I arrived at a group of about twenty people.
"Hey guys! I'm Sam and I'm your section leader!"
"And I'm Lisa your co-section leader!" she added in.
"Anyway, I'll met you guys later, but right now I think we're splitting up to do 8s." she said really confident of herself when I'm standing there thinking of what 8s are. "Lisa we need to pick groups, it's too big to do as one."
"OK, this half is mine." she motioned invisibly splitting the half circle that had formed around the "leaders."
"No, we pick!" Sam argued trying to make it fair and even.
"Fine!" and with that she grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her since I was the one closest to her. The picking went on until everything was settled. We formed a block roughly 3 by 3 and all got on a yard line fading from the grass. It so happens that I was in the last line. Lisa counted us off first with mark time then forward march. After a few minutes of marching forward and turning around doing it again, she decided to see if the incoming freshmen could do the whole backwards deal. We tried it for about 4 counts and it just died after that. Bryden came over to see how we were doing, but critized how we did the whole backwards thing. OMG! I wanted to shout so badly! I was a freaking freshmen! How to you expect me to learn it in 4 counts? He started to demonstrate how you were suppose to swing our legs smoothly back and forth.
"It's a relaxing thing! You don't have to struggle with it!" he said still swinging his leg back and forth. "And it's a great butt work out!"
"I already have a great butt." I whispered to Scarlet which set her off laughing. After another hour in the sun, it was finally over. The first day of band camp over.Plz Review! I know it suxs, so tell me how I can make it better!
