Drumline Training

High school's coming up in just 52 days! And high school means marching band, which I'm really excited about! Every summer, there's a week long marching band camp in Oxford, GA. All the high schoolers tell me it's a lot of fun, and I've heard that there's some sort of annual "ninja prank" on freshmen.

I'm hoping to make drumline, or more specifically, bass 1, the smallest bass drum. If I make it, then that means I'll have an extra weekly practice with just drumline, in addition to the 2 times a week rehersals.

If I don't make it, then I'll be stuck in pit. The pit is made up of marimba, vibes, xylophone, timpani, cymbals, and all the toys that don't get to march on the field. No one wants to be in pit.

Training for drumline began last week, and it was lots of fun! There were about 15 returning high schoolers, and 4 soon to be freshmen. We were given a 6 page packet, which we were told had to be learned by April 14th. It looks daunting, but I was working through it today, and the excersises aren't so bad. Plus, April 14th will really only be freshman, as the high schoolers will be in Washington DC for the biannual band trip.

That's another cool thing about high school band- the band trip. It's a big out of state trip every other year. In the past, the band has been to New Orleans, Chicago and New York, and this year, they're going to DC. I'll be going on the trip when I'm a sophmore and then again my senior year.

By the way, did I tell you that I made Symphonic Winds band? That's the 2nd best band at the high school! Not many freshmen get into it!