Symphonic Band Chair Placements

Okay, we just had our chair auditions for next semester in band...and I got 2nd...to the girl that I beat at EVERYTHING else...seriously!! I've beaten her 2 years in a row at CYWE, I just made the Honor Band of America, I beat her at All-State last year, and all last year, I was first chair in our top band. Now all of a sudden, our BD thinks she deserves first chair because I made HBOA and I might not be at this year's Concert Festival (the concert festival may be on the same exact day that I leave for HBOA). One of my friends said that he took a huge blow and he doesn't want the 2nd chair flute to suddenly have to learn all the solos and stuff right before the clinic, and he's just lost his piccolo player at the festival. But I REALLY don't think it's fair that SHE would get first chair because I made HBOA. Does anyone else think it's fair of him to do that? Or am I just being selfish?

__________________
"La musique est ma vie et ma maniere..."

~Francesca Lee Williams~

"A great man once told me that love has a funny way of screwing you over. But after years of consideration, I realize, he lied. I'm more in love than I've ever been before, and than I ever will be. Hopefully this time, it'll be real."

Is band really that competitive?

It really depends on the band program and the section. My band has an excellent music program, so the competition is gonna be a little higher anyways, since we have so many really good instrumentalists. But the flute section has some of the best instrumentalists in our band and in SC. Since we have that talented of a section (and a section where most everyone hates each other's guts), the competition is extremely high. It all depends on talent in the band. Does that make sense?

__________________
"La musique est ma vie et ma maniere..."

~Francesca Lee Williams~

"A great man once told me that love has a funny way of screwing you over. But after years of consideration, I realize, he lied. I'm more in love than I've ever been before, and than I ever will be. Hopefully this time, it'll be real."

It can be. Back in the olden days of the late 80s when I was in high school it was. But, I don't think I was ever as good a player as piccologurl, as I only made it to regionals...never to state!

I never got into the whole chair thing, since we just had two bass clarinet players and we played the same music anyway. As long as I was in symphonic band I didn't care that much. But, they don't give bass clarinets a lot of solos.

Piccologurl, I don't think that I can really comment objectively. It would seem that if the BD knows that you are going to be gone well in advance, that he or she could plan for it (ie, give the 2nd chair flute player the solos and stuff to work on ahead of time). However, would that be a lot of extra work dumped on the 2nd chair player in that case?

I haven't played in an ensemble in a long, long time, so it's hard for me to remember what it was like back in band.

__________________
It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius. - Joseph Haydn

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -
Douglas Adams

It reminds me of youth soccer.

I was never in band (being a string player).
(Later) In my years in the symphony I never noticed any level of competitivenes.
We were just trying to keep up with the directors reportoire.
Do you play flute and Pic?

I'm a flute player in all the clinics and ensembles I make outside of my school's band...in our band, though, I've been nominated to be our piccolo player. This year, though, I'm gonna change that, cuz I'm tired of having my embouchure ruined by playing piccolo.

AustinViolin: No, it would be no problem to the person that got first...she always gets solos anyways BECAUSE I'm always nominated to be the piccolo player. But I wanted to change that this year...I hate being our school's picc player. I don't care if someone else gets the solos...I just don't think it's fair that my making HBOA would cost me first chair. Especially because HBOA is such a big feat.

__________________
"La musique est ma vie et ma maniere..."

~Francesca Lee Williams~

"A great man once told me that love has a funny way of screwing you over. But after years of consideration, I realize, he lied. I'm more in love than I've ever been before, and than I ever will be. Hopefully this time, it'll be real."

I don't know anything about playing flute versus piccolo. Does it really mess up your embouchure? It always felt weird to move back to clarinet from bass clarinet, so that I could see that it might.

Yeah, I'm surprised that you would be penalized for making an honor band! Seems like making it would reflect well on your overall program, and should be rewarded.

__________________
It is the melody which is the charm of music, and it is that which is most difficult to produce. The invention of a fine melody is a work of genius. - Joseph Haydn

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. -
Douglas Adams

Yeah. But playing piccolo requires a LOT tighter of an embouchure (since you're playing everything up an octave from flute) and it really kills it after a while.

As for being penalized, it's not fair, and I don't know why it's happening. I'm so confused!!! *sniffs*

__________________
"La musique est ma vie et ma maniere..."

~Francesca Lee Williams~

"A great man once told me that love has a funny way of screwing you over. But after years of consideration, I realize, he lied. I'm more in love than I've ever been before, and than I ever will be. Hopefully this time, it'll be real."

Do you think that playing the piccolo can actually cause damage or is the transition between the two difficult?

Playing can definately cause hearing damage, and it has been the cause of several cuts in my mouth, but that's cuz I like high notes. But it can definately cause a lot of damage if you don't take care of yourself while playing. The transition between the two is only difficult the first few times you play. Once you've played for about a week, it's really easy to remember the flute embouchure. I remember when I first started playing piccolo in Marching band, I couldn't figure out my flute embouchure and nothing would come out...I had to go home and practice for hours the gain my embouchure back. But now, it's like, "Okay, if I can play this on piccolo first, it'll make it so much easier to learn on flute." Yeah, the transition is easy once you've played a while. Just not at first.

__________________
"La musique est ma vie et ma maniere..."

~Francesca Lee Williams~

"A great man once told me that love has a funny way of screwing you over. But after years of consideration, I realize, he lied. I'm more in love than I've ever been before, and than I ever will be. Hopefully this time, it'll be real."