I don't know if this may be the right forum but it involves winter.

There was this girl on my drumline that tried out for tenors but she did not make it. The year before she was bass drum section leader. She got stuck in the pit with us. Her attitude towards the instrument was not very good at all but she got through the season. In winter she tried out for her bass drum again but she was told that the fall bass line would be the ones playing. Do you think this is ok for her. She quit the winter line since she did not want to be in pit. Should I help her someway or not?

I think that is unfair. I do not know about other drumlines but ours has kind of an unwritten agreement that once you make an instrument you can stay there as long as you want.

Well we be lucky to have that if our instructor would let us.

Oddly enough, our line USED to have that policy (where you can't get moved off your instrument unless you wanted if you were a vet). But then 2 seniors got moved to bass from tenors/snare (2 different years, but they were consecutive yeras). So now everyone knows they have to reaudition for their spot.

that's really dumb. sorry to be blunt, but if she's played bass, then she just got shafted. if i were her i would quit too. nothin AGAINST pit, but i would rather march flute than do pit. its just not near as fun. and man, if she was section leader...

your instructor is not being consistent. if she tried out for somethin else and didnt make it and got kicked to pit, then the fall battery should have to reaudition for their spots too.

We do reaudition for our parts every year. The thing that gets me is that she tried out for bass in winter and did not make it because he said that he liked the fall bass line better.

i think it is fair. gotta remember that she didn't get shafted without providing opportunity to be shafted. if she was fed up with bass enough to try tenors, and she wasn't good enough for tenors, then she should expect to be put somewhere where she can succeed. if she didnt do her part in the pit, why would she be moved back to section leader of the basses?! that would be dumb.

I didn't say she had to be section leader of the basses. I was just saying that there has got to be a reason that he made that decision of putting her in a place where she doesn't really belong. I mean when you think about it he told her that he was going to keep the people from the fall in the bassline.

as an instructor, this is a no-brainer.

why would he break up a group of people that have experience playing together (the fall bass line) just to get a diva back into the section.

you're overlooking the possibility that the bassline played better with the people that were currently in it, which is most likely why she was not offered a spot in the line.

not really much controversy here

b

The thing is that it does not seem fair to everyone since he said to everyone that they may try out for anything in winter. I think he should have said something for the five people that tried out and didn't make it. They could have just said I'll go to another instrument.

I have a real problem with the mentality that some kids have in thinking that once they've "made it" on an instrument, they're assured a spot on it in the future.

I actually had a snare drummer last year who busted his butt all winter to make snare and as soon as he made the line, he totally slacked off. Also had a similar problem with a tenor player (though he actually put some effort into it once it was clear that he was holding us back).

Anyway, I've laid down the law already for next season: consider your position to be probationary because the moment you start slacking is the moment you'll find yourself on the sidelines until you get your act together. Disrespect for the group (which is what slacking-off amounts to) will not be tolerated.

And hey, while I'm on a rant, what is up with people being so down on playing in the pit?!?! This mentality definitely exists in my battery players (even in the pit players themselves) and it drives me nuts! If you're into the music, playing in the pit can be just a rewarding as marching in the battery. If you're a good keyboard player, it can be a blast. I'm determined to turn this self-defeating attitude around. The battery players have got to understand that their success as a drumline is ultimately going to come down to whether or not they have quality playing in the pit (this, of course, assumes that the drum judge is at all competent). The more actual percussionists that are in the pit, the better it is likely to be (no offense to all the excellent mallet players who play a woodwind in the off-season).

To CHSGIRL's issue, I do think the instructor could've maybe handled the situation with a bit more consideration, but I have to say that I'm in agreement with Project_BP. It wouldn't be fair to the other 5 bass players who have proven to work well together, to split them up and knock one off to make room for a previous year's veteran (unless doing so would raise the quality of the line).

yeah, that's true. also, letting her back on the line shows that if you have a bad attitude about where you are assigned, then you can change it. it shows that these things are negotiable, which they should not be. remember; your instructor is God. God you do not question. yes he could have handled the situation better, but he made his decision and going back on it now would cause even more problems. not only would someone be off their spot, the entire rest of the bassline would be pissed. not good.


and as for the pit thing....i noticed that a LOT in my old school. everyone wanted to be DL and if you werent good enough you were in pit. this year, at this school? its jsut across town and they ahve so many people that WANT to be in pit that they only could march three basses for fall line last season. its fantastic. kind of. but if you have to have a problem, that should be it.

ok you guys I have another question. My section leader has been acting funny around me sinc I joined winter percussion. I really don't know why she is like that. She seems like she does not want me in the line for winter at all. I can tell since we joke around we each other in the fall. What do you think this might be??????