Monday, September 27, 2004
You can take the trumpet player out of the wind ensemble...
You're all going to find this quite amusing.
So yesterday I received an email from a Bill Johnson, director of the wind orchestra and wind ensemble at Cal Poly. It said that I've "been identified as one of the finest student musicians entering Cal Poly this fall." And it asked me to come and visit Bill Johnson in his office on Monday (today) between 2:00 and 5:00, just to talk to him about the programs they have on campus. And I figured it couldn't hurt to just go and see what it was all about. So I went.
Bill Johnson knew all about Mr. Cole and Rancho Bernardo. Mike White, RB class of 2000, set quite a precedent 'round these parts as principal trumpet in the Cal Poly wind ensemble, as Bill Johnson preceded to tell me. And evidently, just because I'm a product of the exceptional music program at RB, I have tremendous potential to "lead the entire trumpet section" within the next couple of years. Heh...I told him not to get his hopes up too high. Anyway, he described the band program to me in some detail and asked me to come back that night at 7:00 for the first wind orchestra rehearsal. And I figured it couldn't hurt to just go and see what is was all about. So I went.
I got there a little early so the school could check out a trumpet for me to play. The horn they gave me was pretty old - none of the slides moved and it took me three or four oilings per valve to get them to stop sticking every time I pushed them down. But hey, I hadn't played in two months so it's not like putting me on a good horn would make me sound any better. I warmed up a little, and you could certainly tell it had been a while since I last trumpeted. But hey, it's all good, right? I actually improved a lot in the hour and a half I was there; it seems to come back pretty quickly.
The music we played was RB concert band level...you may remember such choice titles as "America the Beautiful," "Armed Forces Salute," and, of course, "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (The fall concert is on the weekend before Veterans' Day, and it's chock full of patriotic music...because I didn't get enough of that in Europe). I was playing in the lower band, though, and I think the top band plays the same level of music as the RB wind ensemble (they may not play it as well as the RB wind ensemble, but they at least get to attempt good music). Oh, and next quarter they get to play Candide. Whoo!
As I sat there at the end of the back row, I felt pretty good. Band has been something very dear to me (not necessarily the trumpet playing part of it, but the experience of it as a whole), and getting to sit in a band again made me feel much more comfortable about this whole college thing. It felt like I belonged there. Does that make sense? I don't know what it was. I'm not overly excited about any of the music they're playing (except for Candide next quarter. whoo!) but I liked sitting there just the same, playing along with everyone else. So you know what? I think I'm going to join.
I know I said all the things about how I've hated trumpet and how I was glad to finally be done after Europe. But I do love music itself. And there were parts of band I enjoyed, namely full-band rehearsals and performances. The only thing I disliked was the nightly individual practice and the private trumpet lessons. I don't have to take private trumpet lessons up here. And as far as individual practice goes, I figure I can get by with about 2-3 practice sessions per week - that's not horrible. And while I'm arguing my case, I might as well point out that I'm only committing to 3 hours per week of rehearsal, plus one performance. And it's only for fall quarter; I have a whole new schedule after the winter break that I can add or remove band to as I please. See? I'm not signing away the next four years...just a part of the next couple of months. But most of all, I think it would be good for me to join some extra-curricular organization. I could join a club or two, but that would probably be more just for the sake of joining a club or two. But I know I enjoy music, and I think this is a pretty good way to keep with it. (I still want piano lessons, but those don't get me much as far as my social life goes. I want to meet a new group of people. The people in my residence hall tower are great and all, but I don't click quite as well with them as I might with some other people. The people here do lots of stuff that I wouldn't necessarily do if I wasn't trying to fit in. I'm looking for a group that I fit into without having to make a huge effort. Know what I mean?)
So, anyway, I haven't completely decided if I'm going to join or not, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to. And I think it's a pretty good decision.
I told you you would find this quite amusing.
Josh
mood: amused at my paradigm shift
music: Candide. Whoo!
location: dorm
So yesterday I received an email from a Bill Johnson, director of the wind orchestra and wind ensemble at Cal Poly. It said that I've "been identified as one of the finest student musicians entering Cal Poly this fall." And it asked me to come and visit Bill Johnson in his office on Monday (today) between 2:00 and 5:00, just to talk to him about the programs they have on campus. And I figured it couldn't hurt to just go and see what it was all about. So I went.
Bill Johnson knew all about Mr. Cole and Rancho Bernardo. Mike White, RB class of 2000, set quite a precedent 'round these parts as principal trumpet in the Cal Poly wind ensemble, as Bill Johnson preceded to tell me. And evidently, just because I'm a product of the exceptional music program at RB, I have tremendous potential to "lead the entire trumpet section" within the next couple of years. Heh...I told him not to get his hopes up too high. Anyway, he described the band program to me in some detail and asked me to come back that night at 7:00 for the first wind orchestra rehearsal. And I figured it couldn't hurt to just go and see what is was all about. So I went.
I got there a little early so the school could check out a trumpet for me to play. The horn they gave me was pretty old - none of the slides moved and it took me three or four oilings per valve to get them to stop sticking every time I pushed them down. But hey, I hadn't played in two months so it's not like putting me on a good horn would make me sound any better. I warmed up a little, and you could certainly tell it had been a while since I last trumpeted. But hey, it's all good, right? I actually improved a lot in the hour and a half I was there; it seems to come back pretty quickly.
The music we played was RB concert band level...you may remember such choice titles as "America the Beautiful," "Armed Forces Salute," and, of course, "The Stars and Stripes Forever" (The fall concert is on the weekend before Veterans' Day, and it's chock full of patriotic music...because I didn't get enough of that in Europe). I was playing in the lower band, though, and I think the top band plays the same level of music as the RB wind ensemble (they may not play it as well as the RB wind ensemble, but they at least get to attempt good music). Oh, and next quarter they get to play Candide. Whoo!
As I sat there at the end of the back row, I felt pretty good. Band has been something very dear to me (not necessarily the trumpet playing part of it, but the experience of it as a whole), and getting to sit in a band again made me feel much more comfortable about this whole college thing. It felt like I belonged there. Does that make sense? I don't know what it was. I'm not overly excited about any of the music they're playing (except for Candide next quarter. whoo!) but I liked sitting there just the same, playing along with everyone else. So you know what? I think I'm going to join.
I know I said all the things about how I've hated trumpet and how I was glad to finally be done after Europe. But I do love music itself. And there were parts of band I enjoyed, namely full-band rehearsals and performances. The only thing I disliked was the nightly individual practice and the private trumpet lessons. I don't have to take private trumpet lessons up here. And as far as individual practice goes, I figure I can get by with about 2-3 practice sessions per week - that's not horrible. And while I'm arguing my case, I might as well point out that I'm only committing to 3 hours per week of rehearsal, plus one performance. And it's only for fall quarter; I have a whole new schedule after the winter break that I can add or remove band to as I please. See? I'm not signing away the next four years...just a part of the next couple of months. But most of all, I think it would be good for me to join some extra-curricular organization. I could join a club or two, but that would probably be more just for the sake of joining a club or two. But I know I enjoy music, and I think this is a pretty good way to keep with it. (I still want piano lessons, but those don't get me much as far as my social life goes. I want to meet a new group of people. The people in my residence hall tower are great and all, but I don't click quite as well with them as I might with some other people. The people here do lots of stuff that I wouldn't necessarily do if I wasn't trying to fit in. I'm looking for a group that I fit into without having to make a huge effort. Know what I mean?)
So, anyway, I haven't completely decided if I'm going to join or not, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to. And I think it's a pretty good decision.
I told you you would find this quite amusing.
Josh
mood: amused at my paradigm shift
music: Candide. Whoo!
location: dorm
