Members Aaron SS Posted January 10, 2013 Members Share Posted January 10, 2013 Played bass in the high school concert band....oohhhhh yeah! Yes, I still slappa da bass every now n then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members r0bo01 Posted January 11, 2013 Members Share Posted January 11, 2013 it all started when a school district music person came into my 4th (5th?) grade classroom and asked if anyone would be interested in playing an instrument. since a kid, i'd always "conducted" (waved my hands around... ) to classical music. so i was strangely drawn and signed up. wanted to play bassoon, but my dentist father nixed that (afraid of giving me an overbite!), so i wound up playing the mellophone (french horn with training wheels). since 99% of french horn parts in jr. & sr. high school arrangements sound like seal calls (oonh oohn oonh oohn - on the backbeat...), i was losing interest. then we moved. to "make up for it", parentals bought me a cheapie guitar (an encore, i believe). well, i bonded with it much more then the horn (sore fingers and all), and here i am (45 yrs later!) with a gig tomorrow (motorhead tribute band)! funny how things work out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Porkchop Posted January 19, 2013 Members Share Posted January 19, 2013 I started out young, playing guitar in a local rock band in the sixth grade with some older boys. We went by the name Chip and the Dips. But in high school I played percussion in both band and orchestra, which was a lot of fun. We played at all the pep rallies and football games. We gave concerts too. Most of what I learned in music came from my bandmates. For example, I never knew what a bass player actually did. Like I said, I was very young. But he wasn't playing anything like me. He was going up and down in fifths and I thought Wow! What I learned in high school was how to follow a conductor and how to be a part of a large ensemble. One time we were playing some Shostakovich or some such and I got lost. The conductor was flailing away and shouted out, Porkchop! You're a beat off! And everyone laughed and said, He's a beatoff! He's a beatoff! True story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Urinate Forever Posted January 19, 2013 Members Share Posted January 19, 2013 No, i'm sort of a failure when it comes to school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lerxst1031 Posted January 20, 2013 Members Share Posted January 20, 2013 I started playing alto sax in 4th grade (I had already been tinkering with guitar). Switched to tenor sax for middle school band and joined the jazz band on guitar. When I got to high school, I switched again to bari sax for marching band and concert band, and continued to play guitar in jazz band. I also sang Bass II in choir, played xylophone in percussion ensemble, played bass guitar for Brigadoon and Anything Goes, and performed as Olin Brit in The Music Man. I did various band festivals on bari sax and jazz festivals on guitar. Then I decided that I wanted to be a music teacher... So in college I majored in Music Education and Music: Jazz Studies, with guitar as my primary instrument. I played guitar in jazz band, small jazz ensemble (improvisation heavy), and guitar ensemble. I played alto sax in marching band and bari sax in concert and symphonic band. Sang Bass in choir and played auxillary in percussion ensembles. I had the opportunity to play guitar for Hello Dolly, banjo for A Threepenny Opera, and acoustic and electric guitar for Pippin - the most fun show I've ever played. College was a blast! For the past 12 years I've taught for both private and public schools, grades pre-K to 12, and have been lucky enough to teach high school band, orchestra, choir, jazz band, and percussion ensembles; middle school band; and elementary school band, choir, and guitar ensembles. Unfortunately, music in the schools is considered an extra by many who make budgeting decisions, and programs are being eliminated all across the country. The excellent school program where my love of music was first nurtured no longer exists - all music classes grades K-8 were cut last year (along with PE, art, and library). It breaks my heart to know that the children in my hometown will not have the same creative, emotional experiences I had in my schooling. Support the arts in public education! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Thank you for sharing your story lerxst1031 - and for sharing the gift of music with the next generation. I can't tell you how important I consider that to be. It's a big part of the reason I got involved with forums - wanting to learn, and wanting to give back when I could. It's funny you mentioned bari sax - I played bari too when I was in high school. My middle school band director told me to get away from clarinet if I was going to march (you can't hear them in a marching band very well) and I started playing tenor sax in middle school, and was on alto and bari in high school. I was all of 5'4" as a freshman, and the sax was nearly as big as I was. But I wasn't about to wuss out - I marched all over the place with it, and it never bothered me. What bothered me was walking home from school lugging it in the heavy case. That sucked. I remember the very first time I really understood the difference a quality instrument made. I was a freshman, and the school bari that I was using had to go into the shop for some work, so they got a loaner as a replacement - it was an H. Couf. I don't remember what the sax was that the school had, but I remember that Couf! It was a delight to play, was easier to sound good on, and just felt right. It was a real eye-opener for me about what a difference the right gear, and quality equipment, could make. I absolutely agree with you about the importance of supporting music in the schools. I certainly benefited from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tele0507 Posted January 20, 2013 Members Share Posted January 20, 2013 3 talent shows 8th grade, 12 grade (breaking the law) Judas Priest , Delta College , ZZ Top Tush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wschart Posted January 20, 2013 Members Share Posted January 20, 2013 I took private piano lessons when I was in grade school for about four years. Stopped about the sixth grade. When I was in sixth grade, I did take part in an after school program the junior high band teacher ran playing the clarinet, but I dropped pretty soon. My dad had played clarinet when in college and I was using his. The band teacher swore it was out of tune, and my dad swore it was fine. I figured why put up with the hassle? That was the last I had any involvement with music, other than listening to the radio, until I was a junior in college,back during the 60s and decided to learn how to play the guitar. I picked up a cheapie and mostly taught myself. With a little work my music reading skills came back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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