Marching Band

[ATcaveman]

A question for saxes in marching band:
Is your section the slacker section?
I march bari, and my fellow saxophones and I are now the "slackaphone" section. We don't do hardly any work. We're always cutting up, playing when we're not supposed to be, making fun of the drum major, etc. When someone tells us to do 10 pushups, we get on the ground, do 2 or 3, and get back up. When the band has to run 4 laps, we run 3. We have the most fun of any section.


oh yeah, when the band breaks up for sectionals, we usually do something like go the vending machines.

[Randall]

Why not just put the sax away and take up tuba?
The band will appreciate more bass and they expect that from the tubas anyway!
**********
Former Tuba section leader here....this is in jest!

[kcp]

I’m having a hard time trying to figure-out how being a “slacker” can be perceived as something cool? You know, there is nothing more aggravating for other band members to have to go over (again) some already seen material because of a couple of individuals who have fallen behind.

I understand that your question is related to High School Marching band, which is not the case for my band but I’d still would like to answer your initial question: "Is your section the slacker section?"

No. My saxophone section practices twice more than any other section in the band. And yet, we’re still the ones who are having the most fun. Each sax player in the section enjoys playing with each other. Eventually friendship developed out of that. Now not only we play music together but we do a whole bunch of other things.

The good thing is that team spirit seems to be very strong within your saxophone section. Use that team spirit to build something positive out of the section.

[Warder60]

:( In my band (at least this recent year), we kinda are the most disruptive section. Specifically the tenors. I marched the bari, and was an "assistant section leader" (in other words I have a title but aren't allowed to do anything with the section... director still throws us baris and tenors in with the altos, who have enough of their own problems though they came together a lot better than we did).

But anyway... the "negative" sections in the band:
Low Saxes (and bass clarinets): Disruptive
Flutes: Can't march
Clarinets: Can't play

The section(s) that have the most fun are the low brass, our strongest section (in musical ability) is probably percussion or trumpets, but even though we're disruptive, the saxes are up there as well.

[ATcaveman]

You know, there is nothing more aggravating for other band members to have to go over (again) some already seen material because of a couple of individuals who have fallen behind.

i think you misunderstand. We know our music, our charts, etc. It's just we don't do work. When we held our annual festival, we had the easiest job. Every day we think up something else that's funny. It's fun.

[IanJ]

My section always has been the model band members. I, being the section leader, made it a point that my section acts responsible and professional at all times. We still had fun but we knew when to have fun and when we had to work. We knew all of our music and we were always asked to play so others could figure out how it was supposed to be played. You guys may be living it up but you've probably lost the respect of the rest of the band and probably missed alot of things which you wont know of until your senior year or way after you graduate. Even when we went to sectionals we still practiced. If you can't do it every time perfect then you don't have it. Maybe thats just the result of being in a band that is considered to be one of the if not the best in Georgia and understanding what was expected of me. What ever it was I do know for sure that if I hadn't had that attitude in my section then my entire section wouldn't have been able to play 4+ graded music by the time I left.

you guys should probably get your acts together if not for yourselves then for the name of all Sax's everywhere.

Also, In my band it's the trombones. Never knew their music, never could play the right note(still can't), never came to practice and so forth. Maybe thats why they still can't play beginners etudes...

[Walnuts]

My school's sax section is about 30 strong so its really hard to just label slack off or excellent on the entire section.

My school sax section was the best section in marching band my freshman year in terms of musical abililty and marching ability. This year, my sophomor year, things were a bit worse because several of the graduating seniors from the previous year have left and the replacement we got was either 1. Not helped enough. Lots of potential but just not molded in the right direction or 2. no potentional at all and doesn't even deserve to be in band.

While section leaders are a big factor, it really is up to the individuals on how sec will be.

Few of the incoming freshman from this school year were insanely stupid and managed to break their saxes 10 times in 4 monthes, plus their sound is so horrible I sometimes even cover my ears, and their posture resembles that of a monkey. With the disruptive ones, we no longer really care to guide at all because they have shown that they are absolutely not willing to improve. Quite frankly, its a real disgrace that all these foul smelling slouching morons are going to be recieving varisty letters for band in a year.

The second thing that is wrong with my sax section is that the sec leaders this year were all to busy with college stuff and other personal affairs to really help any of the freshman. I worked with a few of them when I had the time and I saw a lot of potential in them. Most take private lessons but 1 lesson a week just isn't enough to wip them into good shape. They need to be able to rely on their section leader when practicing during sectionals or after school to sit down with them and really tackle some music or learn some technical excersises.

This year's tenor leader and the graduation drum major who also plays tenor tells me I will be "inheriting" the tenor sax section at school next marching season. Boy have I got a tough job ahead of me in my years as section leader. I dont mean to sound arrogant, but after the senior tenor players graduate this year, I'm afraid I'll be the only good player left. The 2 others are my grade level, well, one is a real cocky slacker who can't even get a clear tone out of his horn. His sound is annoyingly buzzy all the time. Perhaps the most irritating think about him is that he thinks hes better than everyone. He wont listen to his peers and will lie and be manipulative to make himself look good. The other one works really diligently but has a learning disability. No matter how hard he works, there will always be little problems that may seem easy to the average player but will be challenging for him. The 4 freshmen all play with a big buzzy sound and I've told them what they need to do to get a clearer and deeper tone but they just wont listen. Arrogance certainly is no bliss for them.

I just hope that next year when I'm a junior, the incoming freshman will be mature sounding. If not, I hope they'll be humble enough to listen and actually follow advice. Many of my old friends during middle school often asks me "is it really worth it to have stayed in band over the years?". For the last two years, my answer has always been: "yes. it is rewarding to be around musicians of higher caliber and play alongside with them".

Unfortunately, this is the last few months I will be able to say that. With the seniors all going off to such prestigious colleges like UCLA and other UCs, it'll be tough for all of next year's section leaders to fill in their shoes. Starting auguest, I no longer will be looking up to anybody in my section as a role model. instead, I'll become that role model. I'll do my best to keep my section up to par and maybe even make it better than before. Although I have been disruptive at times by joking during seriouse rehersals and causing a rucouse during a overnight stay at a hotel during one of the trips, I have always been mature when it came to playing my instrument the best I can. I guess my carefree days are over pretty soon and I'll have to act like a real role model and start working wtih all the individuals in my section to see to it that they play the best they can. Otherwise, I'll be leading sectionals with what sounds like a giant buzz saw.

[ATcaveman]

I think that the reason our section cuts up so much is because of precedent. The class of 2003 saxophones were really bad(behavior), and one or two from the class of 2002 were bad too. Our section leader is class of 2005, and is almost as bad. In terms of having to correct a section's forms or music, we were one of the best. The flutes always had major holes, the clarinets couldn't keep intervals, the tubas never knew where they were supposed to be going. The trumpets usually got called down for intervals, but they had a good section leader. Same for the low brass. The saxes rarely were the cause of having to redo something...when we messed up it would usually be something small and someone else would have done something big. If the Saxes were the major problem, we fixed it quickly so the band could mone on.

In terms of freshmen, we only had two this season. One never complained, learned his stuff, and did what he was told. The other, however, always complained about stuff, and whined when he had to do something like 5 push-ups for talking during a silent practice. The rest of us don't complain. If we have to run 1 lap, we'll do it. It's just that sometimes the whole band has to run a mile before practice starts and we don't feel like it. In actuallity, I'm probably the hardest working of my section and will usually run the full 4.

[saxguy9345]

Well my whole marching band is pretty much a joke.

We JUST NOW switched over to combine Concert and Marching band, so all the slackers that weren't already in our marching band were FORCED to join this year. Great Idea. Really Devoted. Not.
Then another brilliant idea was to let the MIDDLESCHOOLERS INTO OUR MARCHING BAND!!!! 7th and 8th graders who have hardly played their instrument yet, who think they're all that and won't listen to a thing you say, no room for improvement, absolutly horrible. Except for a few french horns we got. They were dedicated.

I can't even type how bad my band was. Couldn't / Wouldn't march, dragged their feet, never kept intervals, no energy at all, didn't know their music, they didn't even march the same direction in some places. The Juniors are such lazy mofo's that they decided they weren't going to COMPETE NEXT YEAR! OMG! It'll be the first year our school hasn't competed in 17+ years. I am embarassed to be in this band.

I really tried during camp, I tried to become a leader and help the kids out, so we could be competitive in the marching scene, but they just wouldn't. I always held my head up, practiced good posture, knew my music (ok.. a little guilty), but we just never had the competitive spirit. Ever. I'm not even that sad to know they aren't competing next year, I sure as heck won't be there.

[beeweecatcher]

As a former co-section leader, we kept the saxophones working. We made sure the music was good. But we were kind of laid back. Don't get me wrong, we were solid, but we didn't force it like the trumpets, who destroyed their chops daily. Unlike them, we didn't /try/ to be awesome... we just were. :)

[Kareeser]

Wow, saxguy... sounds like a dashed dream, :(

My private school doesn't have the money for a marching band...
(Despite the fact that $10,000 per student, with 1000 or so students in the school... and they're still out of money?)

Sometimes I wish we had a marching band, sometimes I wished we didn't, :P

ATCaveman, if you don't mind, could I talk about my non-marching band section? :P (If not, tell me, and just edit my post out, no hard feelings, :D)

I'm just in grade 11, and our saxophone section is only about 8 strong.
5 Altos, 3 Tenors. We don't have the money to rent any other special instruments from Long & McQuade, :P

The Tenors are jokers, and out of all the saxes, I and another grade 10 are the only rather dedicated ones. The others are there only to talk and make fun of people who can't play. (Which includes the trumpets... :lol: )

But the worst section in my school band, I'd say.. would probably be trumpets... wait.. trumpets? Sorry, I mean Trumpet. One of them doesn't come to band practice half the time, and the remaining one doesn't try improving and can't hit notes higher than the staff line (which really sucks, 'cause we're playing LOTR... and the trumpets have the cool "Fellowship Theme" bit... *sigh*)

I'm rambling.. :P

[pat_27]

my bad has 91 people. there are 4 Altos. 1 senior who is pretty good but doesn't practice after school. 1 sophomore who practices every night, plays great but sounds weird. 1 Junior who never even played a horn until their sophomore year (does an excellent job and workes his butt off) and 1 more senior who has returned from a 1 year haitus from woodwind section from playing cymbals in drumline. We have 2 Tenors, 1 who is excellent, plays a 1936 Conn Chu Berry and is going to play in a band out of Atlanta, and one who is almost as good. Then there's me on my 1961 Selmer Mark VI Bari. In my HS band the bari is the Sax Section leader. "The bigger the horn the better you are" is the inside joke. I switched from Alto at beginning of school year ans struggled for 3 or 4 week. There are no real slackers in my section. There are numerous obnoxious Floutists and Clarinetists who Talk, Can't play and can't march and not because they can't, but because they have been riding on everyone's coattails for the last X number of years.

Randall..........my band has 8 Souzaphone/Tuba players. Absolutely awesome section. They all play well and march well, and work their butts off.

[Randall]

Pat, I was just joking...I was the section leader of the sousaphones in the Pride at WVU...we worked hard- all 24 of us!!!!

It was the trombones that were the true slackers.... :wink:

Actually, every university band we went up against, save Virginia Tech, seemed to have a sousaphone section from slackers-r-us.

Where in WV?

[pat_27]

Buckhannon...... Rascher Sax Quartet will be at Wesleyan College here in July performing and pretty much holding a Saxophone Player's convention of sorts. I won't miss that!

[Randall]

Buch-Upshire? I remember seeing your school at band day often...good group as I remember.
Funny thing about Wesleyan...they get a lot of good instrumental groups. I saw Maynard Fergusson there when I was 16- my first concert!

[pat_27]

Yep Buckhannon-Upshur, we got anew Band Director 3 years ago and the band has only gotten better, expecially the Jazz Band. Going to Myrtle Beach for a competition on April 15.

[Randall]

Pat that's just fantastic to hear....so often you hear of good bands going down the tubes when the new director comes.
KEEP AT IT AND GOOD LUCK AT THE COMPETITION!
Sorry for the typo...I forgot the spelling was Upshur!

Thinking of WVU when you graduate?
Of course you have to pick the best school for your career aspirations; but I would be tempted to pick WVU for the band....it was the very BEST part of university life for me. No regrets- not one.

[pat_27]

I'm not real sure yet. I love Shepherd College's Jazz Band. Absolutely outstanding! Problem is i'm not THAT great. Maybe just Fairmont State, get to know people in music department. I hear they pay good money towards books if i join their Marching Band. I hate marching though, I just wanna swing, baby!

[torzn]

in my band the trumpets are easily the worst, except for two of them. the trombones used to be as bad, but this years section leader really improved them. the sousaphones have always been pretty good, but the other low brass complain a lot. clarinets are fairly good, flutes are usually ok, but have poor posture and dont play at the correct angle. the percussion section used to be a joke, but the band director hired a percussion specialist to work with them full time, and they're probably the best now. the tenors are great marchers, and one of them is also a very good player, but there are only two of them we don't have a bari in marching band (none of us are masochistic enough [but i play bari in symphonic]) and our altos (i will be section leader next year) are usually very good marchers, but also pretty laid back and, at times, lazy.

[jive2keys]

haha... now i don't feel so bad...

[koolaroo]

the saxes at f-dub are slackers for the most part. this is due to our village idiot (section leader). and we are a YOUNG section. it's mainly comprised of freshman and sophomores. and it's small. I think that we are only going to have about 12-13 saxes this year. Those of us who completely ignore our section leader have a lot of fun. We talk, even though we aren't supposed to, and we have fun in the stands and stuff. I think that we're all just...confused. But oh well. I don't really like marching band anyway. Jazz is my favorite!
Does anyone else have a section with only like.. two girls? There are two of us thrown into a bunch of immature boys. Just wondering if there are any other girls out there with the same problems...
Our biggest 'slacker' section would probably be the tubas. They just don't care. They're big, and they know that you will get out of their way, so they are all over the place. :) But they're my favorite section because they're the most fun. Everyone now is so uptight. I'M there to have fun. But yeah. I think I'm going to be playing tenor next year which will be fun and different. I've played alto for two years and I played bari two years before that, so this will be a pleasant change. I hope. ;)

[sax_appeal]

The sax section in my band is hardly slack (except one second alto who refuses to listen to anyone) and we've performed in the Sensational Adelaide Police Tattoo. Have any of you non-Australians heard of this event?

[Daystar85]

So I just graduated from high school and have had the great opportunity to be section leader of the saxes for the past 3 years. In that time my fellow section leaders and I have had our fair share of challenges. My frosh yr the sax section was a mess and was even worse before then. (Let's just say one of our section leaders was expelled and the other just didn't do anything). We were easily the worse section in the band... music not learned and all that. However, with the '04 saxes, we have had a big hand in building up the section to what it is now. And all other incoming saxes after us have only helped us onto that road. The saxes are now one of the best sections, but we also know how to have fun...hehehe... So I know where you are coming from w/ the sax section being slackers... but I also know where they can go. It's not an easy road.. but definately one worth taking :-D

[Big B]

Whats up here. Talking about marching bands well like some posters i'm also a recent High School Graduate...just about 10 days ago actually. I really do like the marching band and don't see why people would wanna do something to get outta it. Maybe its because i'm definately into the showmanship aspect and its a lot more competetive than sitting on a stage. For my freshman and softmore years in marching band i was a alto player and then my junior year with me in contention of section leader the new director ( who was assistant director for the last two years) ask me to play Tuba ( well the sousa.....whatever but i'll stick with tuba) and playing Tuba was a MUCH better experience than marching sax. Our brass sections were like a tight unit unlike the woodwinds who would usually fight amonst themselfs for power and who was the best. The Brass it was just the whole family atmosphere it was more fun and i learned how to play tuba half decently. I mean i became section leader of the tuba's after my first year of playing it for my senior year so I guess that says something. Trust me the section wasn't bad cause we were molded into a strong force that year and I'll strongly say to any sax player consdering the move to a tuba well please do it..your FAR more important on the field that way, and it definately helps with the sax embouchure in some ways and being able to put a FULL stream of air into the horn. I had like twice the sax volume after playin on the tuba for a while. Any don't hate on the marching it's some of the best friday nights of my life. And don't worry I still was lead alto for jazz and wind ensemble bands of my school my senior year too so i didn't do too badly before graduation. This is another message from your friendly neighborhood Big B aka 99.5 % self tought.

[SaxPlayer1004]

[quote="Warder60}
But anyway... the "negative" sections in the band:
Low Saxes (and bass clarinets): Disruptive
Flutes: Can't march
Clarinets: Can't play

The section(s) that have the most fun are the low brass, our strongest section (in musical ability) is probably percussion or trumpets, but even though we're disruptive, the saxes are up there as well.[/quote]
definetly hear you on that brother. i definetly suggest playing tuba, my band is doing pirate of the caribbean this year so they threw me on bari and last year was a latin theme (how can u have latin without a bari) but for parades and other shows and stuff ill do tuba. my sax section was a pain in the *** so was lowbrass, but generally lowbrass is the best section to be in (i.e. can never get yelled at for being to loud, usually its play louder: easier parts to memorize etc) we "adopted" two of the flutes and the guard section leaders into lowbrass so we could make fun of their sections, but its so great. both of the tubists (me and another kid) had a lotta knee/ankle problems this season so we got the guard girls to carry our stuff so we could use crutches and its all good, you get spoiled and stuff. even better, tuba wont mess up your chops like trumpet and mellophone can (been there done that) so suit yourself but id get off the bari ASAP. leave it for concert band
Tom

[johnlow]

Hah. Same to me, I marched bari last year. I'll have to carry that stupid heavy instrument around my neck all the time during practice and makes me clumsy and hard to move around. There is not a single melody for me to play. All i get to play are long notes and marches beats. I always eye my seniors that played to altos. They get to play all the beautiful melody lines. Well, i got to play the alto this year. Thats a miracle for me because its much more lighter. But since i trained playing long notes on bari for a year, playing the alto became so much easier! :o

[HC]

Though I'm marching on Bari, I'm considered part of the tuba section. (music is very similiar) I'm an "honarary brass wind" When the director said all brass, I play, even though I'm a woodwind instrument. There's three tubas, a senior who is our section leader and knows what she's talking about. A freshman that ran the sousa into people five times (including me) when trying to walk (first time marching with instruments today). The most cluless music wise... probably me. (that's what you get for learning music at a catholic school.) The slacker... the third tuba player. Only showed up for practice ONCE. Then again, it is not mandatory.

[SMSHsax]

My section is not a slacker section whatsoever. We've toughed everything out more than any other section. Musically we may not be the best, but we're not the worst ( there are just a few that need to learn better practicing skills then we can call ourselves one of the top sections). Marching, we look more uniform and have better posture than any other section in the band. I'm not saying we're better because sections aren't what are getting graded in competitions, it's the entire band. I'm saying we work harder than everyone else, and it pays off.

As for bari saxes.....I'd like to start by saying all of you bari saxes that use a neck-strap are killing yourselves, use a harness!! It's not that expensive and the weight is distributed in such a way that it doesn't bother to carry it all day if need be. That being said...The bari saxes in my school aren't even considered woodwinds. I, being the sax section leader, have absolutely no authority to tell them anything. They are a single section with the tubas, their section leader is a bari sax. He knows his stuff.....he just needs to pass it on. It's amazing though, how throughout the entire year (concert band season included) a bari sax is considered brass/low brass, yet during Jazz season it's a vital part of the sax family....

[Rexone13]

Im sorry but people who openly admit that they are a slacker section makes me furious. Im a freshman this year who plays trumpet but am switching to sax(im taking a class to learn tenor next semester) and will play in my sophmore year and through high school out. NOTHING is more frustrating, than having to be grouped with the other 5 or 6 freshman who havent grasped the seriousness of band yet, making the whole group of freshman look bad. Now we get yelled at the seniors because other people our age drag their feet and dont know their music. I tell them theres nothing i can do becasue theres one in every section (sometimes two) and it just suks. The problem is our dirctor who is awesome, but isnt hard enough individually on the freshman that need to run more laps by themelves then all of us together. You need to realize how much it sux to work so hard and b told u suk because one person screws up in band or your section, and we all hear it. If u dont enjoy band, then just quit. By the way our "slacker section is the sousa's cuz every note they play is wrong (well its two of the four, but that makes all of them sound bad)

Rex

[SaxPlayer1004]

where are you from? i have a band director exactly like that. newho its not necessarily bad to be the slacker section if you just dont do nething at sectionals. we had a 4 hr sectional at band camp and it was the bones and low sax's. we ate cupcakes and drank soda. granded we tried to outplay the tubas and baritones on low rider for 10 mins, but thats it. however, we are the best marchers on the field, and have all of our music memorized. we are the slacker section because all the work we do we do individually, and when we have the organized sectionals at band camp and do nothings its because we dont have to. you dont want thundering bass lines with nothing to sit on top of em. its like building the basement of a house as sturdy as possible but without a house wats the point? anywho, you actually got stuck with a true slacker section. theres a difference between wat appears to be a slacker section and wat is truely one. if you have a bunch of gifted musicians who are just lazy but have everything done dont call us slackers because we get the job done in less time with less energy then the rest of the sections do.
having your band director make the band as a team run is more productive than you would think. when you are on the football team or baseball team you can get benched, the best players are put on the field to win. you can have the people whoa rent so good work harder to get better. and just not play them if they cant. in marching band, everyone participates all of the time. making you run as a team shows the true slackers that if they dont work the whole team suffers. in competition if they are completely out of place playing the wrong music, its the band that suffers in the points. not him, the band. you cant make him run you have to run as a band. great drumline quote "one band, one sound" you guys as a group participate as ONE team, not a bunch of indivuals but one big team. and you gotta make the slackers realize that by them not doing everything they can they are hurting the band not themselves. try giving that to em. see what happens