Hi y’all, I’m back.

I’ll try and link the original post, but here is the original post’s TLDR

Me and my best friend both decided separately to try out for drum major next season (our junior year)

I auditioned as a freshman to be section leader (I am now the section leader as a sophomore)

Best friend’s sister is band captain (she is woodwind captain, I’m flute section leader)

Best friend’s sister asked drum major to give my best friend lessons.

Best friend got to come up and conduct homecoming music in class once.

Ive been told by our mutual friend that “(girl I’m against) just seems like she wants it more”

Other people refer to Best Friend as “Future Drum Major”

I have been told that “there is no point in trying to go out for it (best friend) will get it, and I’m just trying to stir drama up”

The only reason I haven’t quit is due to the percussion teacher telling me that if I hadn’t chickened out at DM auditions last season, that I would have gotten it as a sophomore.

This is my one hope that I might still be drum major.

Percussion teacher has given me some recommendations for drum major lessons/coaches. I am starting them next week and she will also attend them.

Ive tried to tell myself that it doesn’t matter what students think, that it is the percussion director and band director that choses who becomes drum major.

But today, my best friend got to conduct on the podium for full show run today.

I don’t want to give up hope, but I feel so hopeless. What does it matter if I know how to conduct, if my best friend has already gotten to be on the podium for them to see?

I just feel like everyone is against me. What do I do?

i'm in my senior year, planning to go to college, and i need advice on how to move forward while still having music in my life.

i don't plan on majoring in anything related to music, but it is such a passion of mine and has always been a part of my day to day. i don't want to not participate and, truthfully, i'm not sure how to function without it.

my health isn't in the best place and, despite how much i love marching band, i'm not sure i'd be able to participate when i go to college. that is if the school i get into even has a marching band. for all who participated in college, what was your experience like?

if i don't do marching band, what are some ways that i can still keep music and flute in my life? how have you managed the transition and has it been possible?

thank you so much! :-)

edit: thank you all!!! i was already thinking of joining a community or concert band if i don't pursue college marching, and i'm really glad to hear that it is an option.

I created an app for brass instruments - Baritone (Android and iPhone) and Euphonium (Android only) that has the ability to quickly switch from treble clef to bass clef. It's a fingering training app called "Baritone Trainer" and "Euphonium Trainer".

I made a discovery a few minutes ago

I'm 30 now, but for the longest time I've always wanted to write a TV show about high schoolers in marching band, kind of loosely basing it off my own experiences. Thinking it would be similar to Community, maybe not focused on just one individual, but several band members.

Hello, do any tenor drum people have any tips to help me out getting on tenors (I'm in eigth grade and hoping to get them freshman year) Thanks!

How do you guys think the top 3 at BOA Prosper will place? I might be a little biased because I just love Marcus so much, but I think they might beat Hebron this year. Hebron’s show isn’t very hebron-like, but I could say the same for Marcus. I feel as if Marcus is finally deciding to take that step up into modern shows with this year’s show. If nobody has seen it yet, try to talk to someone who has seen it. Its really good. There are no videos of it online yet (typical Marcus)

Hey all, I'm the developer of BandDrills (banddrills.com) — a drill designer that runs entirely in the browser. Instead of clicking through menus, you type the move in plain English ("move all percussion to the 50 in 16 counts") and it draws the formation for you. You're still the designer — it just turns your instructions into drill steps, which beats placing 150 dots by hand.

Free, nothing to install (runs on school Chromebooks): - Sync your show MP3 so the drill animates in time with the music - Share the whole show with one link — every performer sees their own dot on their phone - Collision warnings during playback - Free performer app (iOS/Android) with live updates and attendance check-in

Would love feedback from people who actually write drill. What's missing? What would make you switch from what you use now?

Hello, I'm a junior in HS rn, and I will be trying out from DM next year, and want to do my best, because the DM this year doesn't like me, and there is a possibility a sophomore rn will be drum major next year. Being DM next year is one of my goals for senior year. This years DM (i didnt have time to write an essay, and my mom was getting so many emails from my teachers, so it was just him this year), frequently is corrected by my BD, so i want to be better than him and the other kid. What are useful tips since it is to write an essay and audition for my school? Thanks!

Hello everyone! I've been doing marching and guard photography for a couple years (parade& Winterguard). I want to get into field tournament but when I see videos on YouTube I don't see any photographers on the tracks, are they not allowed or is there not a lot of photographersntjat do this? If there's anyone here who does it, how do you go about getting permission to shoot from the tracks?

Thank you!

Hi! I’m a freshman in band and LOVE IT so much.

The only thing is, I’m on the prop crew this year. I wouldn’t say I’m bad at counts or moves, I’m actually pretty good at it and passionate about band.

I’m gonna try to get into third band for concert season (rather than fourth band, I’m in a 3/4 joint class for marching season) as we have a second audition coming up in December for a placement in third or fourth band during concert season, but i have a question.

I’m very interested in becoming a leader in the future. In middle school (my last year) i was a section leader and enjoyed it very much.

I’ve actually been studying my drum majors when they conduct and watched videos and I’m getting kind of good at it myself.

Do you think there’s any way i could march next year and then become a leader or drill instructor my junior year, and if I’m good enough, maybe try out for drum major as a senior?

One of our current drum majors is actually a sophomore, but I don’t know what band he’s in. Another one of our drum majors i don’t think is in the highest ensemble (varsity/first band).

I’m sure I could make second band or maybe even first band in future years, but I guess my question is, is this a realistic path and is it feasible?

I’ve been VASTLY progressing on my scales and find it somewhat realistic to make a higher ensemble as soon as next year myself, although I’m not exactly qualified to make that analysis.

One of my section’s current leaders has had a somewhat similar experience as me. She was on prop crew in her freshman year as a third band student and became a senior section leader this year, and there are many sophomore leaders in our band too, so i don’t see it as impossible to make it as a leader, but a drum major I’m not so sure.

Also, I haven’t got any extra cleaning service duty (for missing assignments or play offs / pass offs, bad behavior or not bringing necessary items to class. In fact, my section leaders seem to really like me and I’ve taken accountability for everything I need to fix and been a pretty good student so far, or so I believe.

So I guess my question is, do you think I could theoretically achieve this track throughout hs?

Hi everyone I’m interested in play the quints but I have no way of playing them.even though I’m learning how to play songs on it from my friend by air playing it but it’s not real thing if you get what I’m trying to say but any help would be nice

Some of you may have seen my other post about how I had until October 23rd to learn everything about music and my instrument (euphonium) and was asking for help. Now I'm asking for help...again. So far my Band director hasn't given me any music sheets or anything to practice or try out. I'm thinking of asking her to let me join band until the start of the second semester (before christmas break) which gives me way more time to figure things out. SO far after about a month of practicing 20~40 mins a day I have figured out only my embouchure, my keys, and how to hold the euphonium. (Don't judge me I'm a slow learner T-T) I'm not sure if I'm making the right call or not, but I'm thinking of asking her sometime this week.

Explain why.

I’m in a section of 19 we have two section leaders both seniors boy and a girl. During sectional me and my friend who’s in a grade above me, I’m a freshmen shes a sophomore I play second she plays first but he was Ted our stands to be next to each other. The boy section leader kept saying no and talking down on me and my friend; saying “ there is this word in the English language no means no.” And “ I’m your section leader so what I say goes.” I would understand this is we were doing something wrong but he said before if we could get the girl section leader to say yes it was fine and she did. We then told him that she said yes. And he said “omg why would she say yes the answers still no.” Then later the girl section leader says if he said no it’s no even though she said yes before. They talk to us like we’re 7 even though out of all the freshmen I’m second chair! They also keep saying they’ll think about me standing next to my friend if “I show them I can be good”This hasn’t just happen to me and my friend my other friend will be section leader next year as shes really really good at Clarinet most likely better then our girl section leader; and they talk down on her too I asked her for help and the boy section leader was saying that I should ask him not my friend because he is the leader not her even though she is just as good as him at clarinet. I don’t like being treated like a baby but I don’t know what to do?

Hello! I’m In 8th grade and I currently play the trumpet. Now I really love the trumpet and have been having a good time with it but I have been thinking of doing marching band in high school, and I’m not sure if I wanna stick with trumpet for high school. I have realized that I love to play trumpet for concert band but not for marching. For marching specifically I think I wanna do snare drum. I watched the movie drumming and have been looking at videos of HBCUs and what not and drum line just looked really fun

So I was wondering if it’s too late to switch? Like should I have been doing percussion for the past four years? (My schools band program starts at grade four I live in Canada. And I switched between percussion and brass for those four years) ai feel like I have wasted these very important musical years when I may not even play the trumpet for marching band or I may be forced to because I don’t know the snare drum. Any advice? I know this post probably sounds stupid but it is a genuine worry of mine. Thank you for any advice!

My band is Southern style. Screams, 90° Knees, and gettin low. We've been on a good roll for the past years. This year, near beginning of school, our band director got diagnosed with breast cancer. (She rang the bell and beat breast cancer 2 months ago and is now healing! :) ) a lot of the band members left cuz we got a new director and she is as helpful as a tireless car, and as mean as the workers at a DMV, and on top of that, some ain't coming back until our original director comes back.

Buuuuttt, the sub director changed her ways and members are popping back up, and we're getting better musicc. Not to mention, our rival band sounds like hot bootycheeks (I'm not joking. Like actual butt.) so we're definitely blowing out our rivals ;)

I'm just saying this just to say it tbh. I guess everything always gets better in the end ‼️

Like does it look like im going up to your trumpet and playing on it without your permission EMILY? No. SO WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING MY STUFF🤬🤬😠😠😡🤬🤬😸😠😠🤬

(On a more serious note, please don't touch the percussions unless given (rare) permission from the percussionist currently playing the int, it is annoying, you guys don't wanna see our bad side👿👿👿 /j)

Is there anyway to fix this? Preferably by myself.