Author's Note: By "popular" demand, I decided to continue this poem/list/whatever you want to call it. I got some AWESOME reviews from people and I just want to thank each of you for reviewing. If you read this, please, feel free to put some that apply to your band into a review. I will gladly add them. I'm hoping to be able to continue this for a while. :) By the way, I'm slightly obsessed with the Cavaliers...it's reflected in here. Anyway, enough of me yapping...
~~~
Band Geekism - Part Two
It's going to band camp and proudly stating that yes, you do, in fact, play the flute
It's making fun of the color guard, but secretly wishing that you could spin a rifle, flag, or sabre with that much precision
It's being a Drum and Bugle Corps groupie (Go Cavaliers! Yay!)
It's having your first fling be a band member
It's getting Spam, Ritz crackers, cheese-in-a-can, and Sour Skittles for your birthday
It's band aids and knee braces
It's earning the respect during marching season from your non-band friends
It's crying at the Senior's last concert
It's thinking back on the crappy days, and being able to think, "See, that wasn't so bad"
It's being able to count more happy days than crappy days
It's the ability to admit when you are wrong
It's apologizing
It's getting to know your section leader or Drum Major for who they are, not their title
It's not giving in to the Drum Major ego*
It's walking away from a football game with a sense of accomplishment, even if your team lost
It's never having to pay to get into highschool sporting events
It's spending obscene amounts of money on gifts
It's keeping a journal
It's stacks of photographs and home videos
It's realizing just how lucky you are
It's forcing a smile, even when you want to cry
It's buying as many band shirts as possible
It's qualifying your social life as marching band
It's being mauled over by a percussionist, and living to tell the tale
It's feeling the tears come to your eyes the last time you put on your uniform before you graduate
It's having an argument over who would win in a fight: the quads player or the fourth bass drum player
It's Subway
It's naming your instrument
It's going to parades to scope out the competition
It's enjoying jazz running
It's "oohing" and "ahhing" when you watch a DCI Championship on video
It's loving the plume
It's going to a DCI Championship on the other side of the country because everywhere else was sold out
It's calling your director "Mom" or "Dad"
It's band gossip
It's learning to love everyone - even those you hate
It's having races over who can put their uniform on quicker - without hurting the uniform
It's vaulting over fences (with a bass drum and uniform)
It's knowing everyone else's music
It's becoming friends with the Drum Major
It's becoming a Drum Major because you became friends with one of the other Drum Majors
It's humming the music from your show
It's being able to direct the National Anthem flawlessly
It's having sentimental band souveniers scattered around your room that you would never throw away
It's being in a musical pit
It's enjoying parades
It's willingly learning a new style of marching
It's not gloating when you get first chair
It's using your band locker instead of your normal locker
It's wanting to take a bus and drive it around aimlessly
It's loving to meet new freshmen
It's the adrenaline rush you get before you step onto the field
It's that strange thing called school spirit
It's getting up at ungodly hours of the morning, like 11:00
It's having all your English essays/poems/stories being band related
It's wanting a Doctor Beat
It's listening to the music during a movie, rather than paying attention to the plot
It's having a party to watch old DCI videos
It's loving your car because it's a Cavalier
It's Monty Python
It's realizing that everyone in band has more in common than just being in band
It's not caring who the preps, pot heads, posers, punks, and geeks are
It's freaking out when you see a marching band or pep band on movies or TV shows
It's counting down the days to band camp
It's going to multiple band camps over the summer
It's the thrill of winning (or not winning, even) a competition
It's keeping the drill charts from years prior for memory's sake
It's reading band comics
It's planning on being a graduated band geek
It's taking offense when you're a girl and you can't join the Cavaliers
It's learning to go to your friends, even when it's hard
It's telling the truth
It's staging that you're going out with your best friend (of the opposite sex)
It's thinking of the band parents as your own parents
It's living with your mistakes
It's forcing yourself not to like someone "that way"
It's not being phased when you get hit by drumsticks and marching hats from behind
It's plotting the death of the judge that gave you a low score
It's know that the above said judge was just out to get your band
It's ignoring the make-out sessions on the bus
It's band sixth sense
It's trying to forget the six cans of Mountain Dew, the three cans of Dr Pepper, and the two bottles of water you drank before you step onto the field at halftime
It's inviting the entire band to your parties
It's bookmarking various band sites
It's getting nervous before chair auditions
It's thinking that there should be a TV sitcom for band people
It's wanting a sousaphone just to say, "I have a sousaphone"
It's going to Bands of America
It's wanting to give your friends the best
It's knowing that you don't always deserve your friend's friendship
It's decorating your room in green and silver
It's wanting your best friend to get in the Cavaliers so you can say, "My best friend is in the Cavaliers..."
It's dropping school instruments under the stands, just to see how much damage can be done
It's staying up late in hotel rooms while talking on walkie talkies and reading Harry Potter
It's dancing around with the maracas
It's making an effort to be there for your friends
It's trying to do a backflip
It's watching out for one another
It's lost items
It's trying not to cry, but eventually giving up and letting it all out
It's being different
It's watching Drum and Bugle Corps on DVD
It's learning something new about someone
It's the feeling in your stomach when you realize something about someone you never knew
It's getting a private instructor that doubles as your best friend
It's being a flagette just so you can say that you're a flagette
It's running after each other swinging the rifles and flags
It's owning your friends
It's coming to the realization that some things just won't happen
It's having dreams at night about band
It's having dreams during the day about band
It's writing music on your math test
It's playing your cadence during English with two pencils
It's being excited for school to start just for band
It's having your AIM or Yahoo! ID be bandgeek or band_nerd
It's calling your director mom/dad
It's searching on Ebay for new instruments
It's an extended family
It's crying when you realize that the seniors are leaving
It's having a wardrobe of band shirts
It's vowing to be a graduated band geek
It's buying pizza and then going to a pizza party with free pizza (Barry...)
It's cheering louder than the cheerleaders
It's sightreading
It's not caring about crying in public anymore
It's an emotional attatchment to 80 other people
It's going to gas stations after a show for one package of candy, but everyone has to stop
It's using the Drum Major commands on your siblings
It's substituting a clarinet or flute as a mace because your school doesn't supply them
It's escape plans from band camp
It's dismissing your band director when they say, "One more time!"
It's knowing and believing that woodwinds kick brass
It's knowing and believing that without the brass section, there would be no band
It's periodically saying mersh mersh, rocka socka, ganja, whoa nelly, bloody hell, crickey, and blimey throughout the day
It's sticking your finger in the end of a flute when the person is trying to play
It's designing a clarinet or flute mute
It's making your director laugh, even when they are trying not to
It's trying to ignore a certain trumpet that keeps on making you laugh when you're trying to play (Chris...)
It's a complete and total lack of privacy
It's living to make fun of the lower bands - just not to their faces
It's realizing that the members of the lower bands will someday make up the higher band
It's all this and SO much more...
~~~
Band Geekism - Part Two
It's going to band camp and proudly stating that yes, you do, in fact, play the flute
It's making fun of the color guard, but secretly wishing that you could spin a rifle, flag, or sabre with that much precision
It's being a Drum and Bugle Corps groupie (Go Cavaliers! Yay!)
It's having your first fling be a band member
It's getting Spam, Ritz crackers, cheese-in-a-can, and Sour Skittles for your birthday
It's band aids and knee braces
It's earning the respect during marching season from your non-band friends
It's crying at the Senior's last concert
It's thinking back on the crappy days, and being able to think, "See, that wasn't so bad"
It's being able to count more happy days than crappy days
It's the ability to admit when you are wrong
It's apologizing
It's getting to know your section leader or Drum Major for who they are, not their title
It's not giving in to the Drum Major ego*
It's walking away from a football game with a sense of accomplishment, even if your team lost
It's never having to pay to get into highschool sporting events
It's spending obscene amounts of money on gifts
It's keeping a journal
It's stacks of photographs and home videos
It's realizing just how lucky you are
It's forcing a smile, even when you want to cry
It's buying as many band shirts as possible
It's qualifying your social life as marching band
It's being mauled over by a percussionist, and living to tell the tale
It's feeling the tears come to your eyes the last time you put on your uniform before you graduate
It's having an argument over who would win in a fight: the quads player or the fourth bass drum player
It's Subway
It's naming your instrument
It's going to parades to scope out the competition
It's enjoying jazz running
It's "oohing" and "ahhing" when you watch a DCI Championship on video
It's loving the plume
It's going to a DCI Championship on the other side of the country because everywhere else was sold out
It's calling your director "Mom" or "Dad"
It's band gossip
It's learning to love everyone - even those you hate
It's having races over who can put their uniform on quicker - without hurting the uniform
It's vaulting over fences (with a bass drum and uniform)
It's knowing everyone else's music
It's becoming friends with the Drum Major
It's becoming a Drum Major because you became friends with one of the other Drum Majors
It's humming the music from your show
It's being able to direct the National Anthem flawlessly
It's having sentimental band souveniers scattered around your room that you would never throw away
It's being in a musical pit
It's enjoying parades
It's willingly learning a new style of marching
It's not gloating when you get first chair
It's using your band locker instead of your normal locker
It's wanting to take a bus and drive it around aimlessly
It's loving to meet new freshmen
It's the adrenaline rush you get before you step onto the field
It's that strange thing called school spirit
It's getting up at ungodly hours of the morning, like 11:00
It's having all your English essays/poems/stories being band related
It's wanting a Doctor Beat
It's listening to the music during a movie, rather than paying attention to the plot
It's having a party to watch old DCI videos
It's loving your car because it's a Cavalier
It's Monty Python
It's realizing that everyone in band has more in common than just being in band
It's not caring who the preps, pot heads, posers, punks, and geeks are
It's freaking out when you see a marching band or pep band on movies or TV shows
It's counting down the days to band camp
It's going to multiple band camps over the summer
It's the thrill of winning (or not winning, even) a competition
It's keeping the drill charts from years prior for memory's sake
It's reading band comics
It's planning on being a graduated band geek
It's taking offense when you're a girl and you can't join the Cavaliers
It's learning to go to your friends, even when it's hard
It's telling the truth
It's staging that you're going out with your best friend (of the opposite sex)
It's thinking of the band parents as your own parents
It's living with your mistakes
It's forcing yourself not to like someone "that way"
It's not being phased when you get hit by drumsticks and marching hats from behind
It's plotting the death of the judge that gave you a low score
It's know that the above said judge was just out to get your band
It's ignoring the make-out sessions on the bus
It's band sixth sense
It's trying to forget the six cans of Mountain Dew, the three cans of Dr Pepper, and the two bottles of water you drank before you step onto the field at halftime
It's inviting the entire band to your parties
It's bookmarking various band sites
It's getting nervous before chair auditions
It's thinking that there should be a TV sitcom for band people
It's wanting a sousaphone just to say, "I have a sousaphone"
It's going to Bands of America
It's wanting to give your friends the best
It's knowing that you don't always deserve your friend's friendship
It's decorating your room in green and silver
It's wanting your best friend to get in the Cavaliers so you can say, "My best friend is in the Cavaliers..."
It's dropping school instruments under the stands, just to see how much damage can be done
It's staying up late in hotel rooms while talking on walkie talkies and reading Harry Potter
It's dancing around with the maracas
It's making an effort to be there for your friends
It's trying to do a backflip
It's watching out for one another
It's lost items
It's trying not to cry, but eventually giving up and letting it all out
It's being different
It's watching Drum and Bugle Corps on DVD
It's learning something new about someone
It's the feeling in your stomach when you realize something about someone you never knew
It's getting a private instructor that doubles as your best friend
It's being a flagette just so you can say that you're a flagette
It's running after each other swinging the rifles and flags
It's owning your friends
It's coming to the realization that some things just won't happen
It's having dreams at night about band
It's having dreams during the day about band
It's writing music on your math test
It's playing your cadence during English with two pencils
It's being excited for school to start just for band
It's having your AIM or Yahoo! ID be bandgeek or band_nerd
It's calling your director mom/dad
It's searching on Ebay for new instruments
It's an extended family
It's crying when you realize that the seniors are leaving
It's having a wardrobe of band shirts
It's vowing to be a graduated band geek
It's buying pizza and then going to a pizza party with free pizza (Barry...)
It's cheering louder than the cheerleaders
It's sightreading
It's not caring about crying in public anymore
It's an emotional attatchment to 80 other people
It's going to gas stations after a show for one package of candy, but everyone has to stop
It's using the Drum Major commands on your siblings
It's substituting a clarinet or flute as a mace because your school doesn't supply them
It's escape plans from band camp
It's dismissing your band director when they say, "One more time!"
It's knowing and believing that woodwinds kick brass
It's knowing and believing that without the brass section, there would be no band
It's periodically saying mersh mersh, rocka socka, ganja, whoa nelly, bloody hell, crickey, and blimey throughout the day
It's sticking your finger in the end of a flute when the person is trying to play
It's designing a clarinet or flute mute
It's making your director laugh, even when they are trying not to
It's trying to ignore a certain trumpet that keeps on making you laugh when you're trying to play (Chris...)
It's a complete and total lack of privacy
It's living to make fun of the lower bands - just not to their faces
It's realizing that the members of the lower bands will someday make up the higher band
It's all this and SO much more...