Band stories

[Selena]

Any former high school "band fags" (that's what we were called in the 80's at my school) out there? Does anyone have any horror stories to share like the news story below?

I remember in Jr High/High school, we had a band director, Mr Sullivan... he was a strange fellow. He was a 40-something year old single man, tall, skinny, glasses and had thinning straight red hair. He used to put pencils behind his right ear instead of keeping them on the music stands. When he got pissed off and frustrated at us for doing something wrong during practice, he would throw those pencils AT us. At the time, I was a kid... and though it hilarious. So did the rest of the band members... which would piss him off even more. Other than these outbursts, he was an okay guy... for a teacher. He would also throw them at the ground. Gee, in retrospect, it was kinda dangerous.

But whatthefuckdidIknow... I was just a kid!

::band::

***************
AP) BOULDER, Colo. A substitute music teacher has been arrested after allegedly whacking a 10-year-old student on the head with a viola bow after telling the class they were "the worst players I've ever heard."

http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_068025106.html

[Bean]

Yeah, I was a band fag, but we had a math teacher in high school that lost an arm and had a scarred face from the Vietnam war. He always wore a suit jacket or blazer with the empty sleeve tucked into the pocket. That man was so scary and he could hit any kid in the room at 20 paces with a chalkboard eraser. With his back to the room, he could wheel around and throw in one motion and clock any kid in the head with it!!

[moiradochartaigh]

:: stands up :: Hi, my name is Diane, and I'm a recovering "band fag." ::tinfoil:

Yeah, our band director was a little nuts too. He'd break at least a baton a week by whacking it on a music stand, or when he was really peeved he'd throw a stand halfway across the band room.

He never physically assaulted a student, though. The worst treatment we got was marching drills in 90+ degree weather and 80%+ humidity in our full wool uniforms.

Funny..... despite the occasional craziness...... I developed a deep appreciation for music thanks to him.

[Selena]

Funny..... despite the occasional craziness...... I developed a deep appreciation for music thanks to him.

Same here. I truly enjoyed every minute of my hs days in that band. I wouldn't have given it up for anything.

[daBaroness]

Actually - I was a choir geek. But the choir and the band both had lunch the same period and the band room and the choir room were across the hall from one another.

Our band director, Woody Budnick, was one of those rare, rare teachers who inspired his students and engendered their love, admiration and loyalty. The band actually used to have reunions of band people only - across all years - that were highly attended.

Woody, as well affectionately called him, was the funniest looking old curmudgeon - a little stooped with age and a pompadore hairdo that would go every which way as he conducted. And big, thick, bushy eyebrows!

But I don't know of a kid, band member or not, who didn't love Woody. Both of the bands (4th hour - was the top notch band) and 6th hour gave it their all! Marching wasn't necessarily their strong suit - but once in the stands - nobody had more school spirit and energy than the band. And the jazz ensemble was recognized all over the area where we lived - Woody LOVED jazz. Even the pep bands at basketball games and wrestling matches rocked the house!

But their real forte was playing concerts. Their annual pops concert was always sold out and well worth the time to watch. They played awesome music - the students got opportunities to do solos and special bits throughout the show - there were skits and costumes and all of the kids had a genuinely fun time performing under the baton of Mr. Budnick.

Woody - wherever you are - I know you're smiling down at all of us adults whose love for music was a gift from you...

[Bean]

I had more fun in the high school band than I did with the band at Syracuse. It was fun at college, don't get me wrong, but alot of the people in the were mean, snarky, nasty people who loved, more than life itself, to make others miserable by making fun of them. And I don't mean poking fun, it was all out, mean spirited, designed to embarrass and humiliate. No wonder I was so screwed up after I got out of college......

[Isabelle Warwicke]

My Jr. High band director's name was Mr. Lestina. Our band had won all kinds of awards due to his direction. I played second chair French Horn. I quit the band after Mr. Lestina threw a baton at the dumbass tuba player behind me and hit me in the face instead. I dropped my horn on the floor and walked right out and to the principal's office to tell her that I was quitting band. The school did bupkiss to discipline him.

Now my piano teacher and vocal coach, Mrs. Kettleson, LOVED her. Adored her kind temperment and firm tutelage. I still send her Christmas cards every year. She was one of those few adults that helped shape who I became as I grew up.

[MoonWench]

Well I was a choir geek myself but our director was insane. I was in the Jazz Group so we were a very small class. But he would get so mad a one tenor that he sentall of us outside into the freezing rain and then he locked us out for an hour. We had no way of getting back inside. The worst part was when most of us got sick and missed the next performance he knocked our grades down.

[Mistress Morigianna]

::yay:: ::yay:: myname is Misty and i dated 'band geeks".. French horn players (a tongue instrument) a slide bone player...(no joke needed) and a drummer who could keep a beat......

Oh was this the wrong thread?.........::runfore: ::runfore: ::runfore:

[Kathryn Blakeley]

I've had 3 crazy band directors in the past.

The first was Mr. Blackwell. He was cool and all. Gave us challenging music but sometimes he'd slip. While conducting the baton shot out of his hand and hit the first chair clarinet.

Next was Mr. Phillips. We called him Phil. Had us march with instruments in the POURING RAIN. At least he paid to get our pads and stuff replaced. Our old uniforms were black wool. He had us pin silver fabric on it exactly over the green design on our uniforms. He didn't really give us challenging music. During Symphony Band sophomore year he pulled a Blackwell. At the same clarinetist too! Then he was fired and stole my only copy of a DVD I had made of the season.

Last was Mr. Ebert aka Eberta. Guy looks like a high schooler. My last marching season was so annoying! The girl who was section leader of flutes (not me because of band politics) was never there and when the freshies listened to me and not her she complained to him. He was cool about it and didn't do anything stupid with it. But for the musical - he got the wrong score and the choir director got so PISSED. He walks up to me and says Alli, why aren't you playing your solo? And I look up from my book and ask Solo? I only play 4 songs? He turned and yelled at Eberta. It was pretty funny.

Yeah more fun band stories later.

[Gellis Indigo]

We were called "band geeks" at my school. Our football team was pretty pathetic when I was in high school, and by the time I was a senior, more people were coming to the football games to watch our halftime show, than to watch the actual football game!!
I remember hearing the "popular kids" that were in band in junior high and dropped out cause it wasn't "cool" state that they wished they'd stayed in band because they wanted to be part of something so exciting!

[Kathryn Blakeley]

I remember hearing the "popular kids" that were in band in junior high and dropped out cause it wasn't "cool" state that they wished they'd stayed in band because they wanted to be part of something so exciting!

(Apologies in advance to any former Plymouth-Canton bandies. Time for a little rant.)

I wish that'd happened at my old high school. I think one of the few high schools in our state that would've happened to is Plymouth-Canton. Because they are 3 high schools combined. And they always win states because they are PCMB. NO OTHER REASON! Their shows have not been very good. (The last good show was their Big Brother one in 1999.) Their marching isn't the best. It's just because they hold auditions and have at least 300 kids in their band. Maybe 200 march. The others are to fill holes. My band struggled with membership. When we went to states my sophomore year we were 57 members. 30ish of us actually marched. The rest were guardies and pit. We had an 800 POUND tarp that we (maybe 20 of us) carried on and off the field. We got in on pity points. After that we vowed to burn the tarp. Never actually happened and we had to cut it up, repaint it and use the pieces for our show my senior year. Which should've gotten into states but another band jumped 11 points ahead of us somehow. *shakes head*

Hokay my band rant is over.

[DoñaNina]

[quote=Selena;198085]
But whatthefuckdidIknow... I was just a kid!

One of my teachers in college threw something at me when my eyes were closed in his class.

He was a horrible person and I wouldn't mind if he was hit by a truck.

As for being a band fag, I went to a high school for performing arts, and it was a very intensive program where you spent 1/2 the school day studying your major. I was theatre. Our teachers were horrible cruel people. One of my teachers actually said my face was flawed for stage, I would be typcast as "the fat girl", and actually cast me as a caucasian person for a Black History Month play and painted my face white.

Now seriously, black face is considered wrong.. WTF isn't white face?? I never felt so humiliated.

[Selena]

One of my teachers actually said my face was flawed for stage, I would be typcast as "the fat girl", and actually cast me as a caucasian person for a Black History Month play and painted my face white.

Oh, how terrible! What an ass and just plain ole cruel!

[DoñaNina]

Oh, how terrible! What an ass and just plain ole cruel!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that woman had major issues.

[BronxGirl]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that woman had major issues.

Ya think?

I don't have any band, choir or anything stories. My high school was very small (200 students total), all girls, catholic, and with the reputation of being the snootiest school in the Bronx. I hated almost every minute of it.

[Adriana Rose]

*raises hand*
I am a former chior nerd... The band and the choir shared the same room so there was always some kind of band vs. choir shenanagens going on like the band lockers getting double locked with the mistery lock that always showed up. Any way to the story.
The choir had sung the national anthem for the homecoming football game and the director sat the chior near the band so here is the choir all sitting and pretending to give a fig about the football game and trying to warm our freezing hands. So me and a friend of mine (a tenor) were horsing around over a bag of m&m's and then his elbow connected with the trumpet player's trumpet. The trumpet player was in the process of playing wolly bully. So for the rest of the game the trumpet player would blast the high notes in our ear. So note to self dont deck a trumpet player in the teeth...

[Ysobelle]

Oh, Teacher Cal. I loved that man. He was one of the ONLY Quakers at my Quaker school, and I learned what Quakerism really is from him. He was an amazing teacher, and really nurtured my love of music. He played us an entire record of this strange new electronic music one class, and I sat under the piano and soaked it up like a sponge. That man could make a world-class choral group out of a vegetable still-life. I was the only singer he sent to the city-wide chorus one year-- he sent two of us the next-- and because of him, I got to sing onstage at the Academy of Music. No matter what else I can or can't do in my life, I know, because of him, I can sing.

Hm. I just googled Calvin Bourgeault, and it seems he still lives around here. I should write him.

[Bean]

You really should write him, Nikki!! He will never know what an impact he had on you unless you tell him. I'm sure he will appreciate it.

I had a situation with someone I knew in grade school who was a Jehova's Witness. It was really hard for her when we had birthdays and holidays becuause she couldn't participate. I didn't care, we played together and went to eachother's houses. She moved away after second grade.

Well, my sister is a Witness as well, and ran into this girl a few years back. She asked if I was her sister and Kathy (my sister) said yes. Well, this girl proceeded to tell Kathy how much she appreciated that I didn't treat her any differently because of her religion and that it meant so much to her back then. Now remember this is almost 30 years later.

When my sister told me this story I almost cried. So, you never know how you are going to impact others in a positive way. Write him soon and let him know that he impacted your life very much and that you really appreciate it.

[Gellis Indigo]

Speaking of wonderful directors, I just found out last night that mine is retiring at the end of this school year. He was my director in 5th grade (1st year of band), then left to be the high school director. So he was my older brother's director for 3 years, then got to high school and he was my director for 4 more years. I was in Marching Band, Concert Band, Jazz Band, Pep Band....if it was a band activity, I was in it. A few years back my director decided to go back to teaching at the Middle School level in order to have more time to spend with his family, so he's been my nephew's band director for 4 years now.
It's so hard to imagine that school district without him. :-(