("A Quote) When I sit back and think of all the ways band has changed my life for the better, I realize it was not just the music, but also those who are in the band. Wirt County Tiger Marching Band was literally my go to for the longest time, especially after my parents split up, the only people I wanted to talk to were those in band. I started band when I was in the fifth grade and I played a clarinet for about two weeks and realized that I had made the biggest error thinkable. After two weeks passed I then tried out the trumpet and
Do you wanna join marching band? Come on, let's go and play. I never hear you anymore, Come out the door, It's like you've gone away.
Joining band had an immense and almost immediate impact on my life. Before being in band I had never had a talent that I felt completely confident in. I enjoyed practicing and spent many hours trying to improve my musical ability. In
The clarinet as we know it today did not have keys to begin with. It only had holes. The clarinet comes from its ancestor, the chalumeau, which was essentially a recorder with a clarinet mouthpiece and a reed. The evolution of the clarinet has occurred in 6 major stages. The clarinet begins with the chalumeau, then to the 2-key clarinet, 5-key clarinet, 13-key clarinet, 17-key clarinet, and the modern day clarinet.
Another thing that he did was enhance the melody of clarinet, through his Clarinet Trio in C for Viola and Piano, the Clarinet Quintet, and the Clarinet Concerto. He loved the tone and character of the instrument, but through these works, he brought these characteristics out a bit more and “creates an apotheosis of melody, in which one tune seems to flow out of another naturally, spontaneously, organically, as though the melodic material were breeding within the tissue of the work” (Johnson 115). These works aren’t just pieces of
As our program grew in size, the band focused purely on winning. The less we won, the more they yelled, and the less we wanted to work. That cycle of negativity carried through the next few years, and as the positivity that the upperclassmen sustained disappeared with graduation, the negativity within the band began to spread. I can remember in my sophomore year, we came back with only two third place trophies for one of our competitions, and were yelled at during the bus ride back about how we were slacking off; not a single positive word was said. By the beginning of my junior year, band had become a chore rather than an anticipated hobby; the love that it had brought me began to wear off.
At five in the morning, my father rolled up in front of my tasteless high school to drop me off for a weekend getaway to Virginia Beach with my beloved band and orchestra. My charismatic friends bolted towards the sight of my father’s silver Buick as I sprung out to wearily, yet excitedly, drag myself into the band room of the unsanitary construction zone, better known as Wethersfield High School. I strode to the ivory room to get my glossy, wooden, semi-professional clarinet, and my light blue monstrosity of a suitcase. Once I retrieved my things, I made my way outside to see the golden sun rising over the horizon, turning the violet sky into a brilliant light blue, to be embraced by the scent of crisp, clean spring air.
I walked into the band room with my heart in my throat, my hands twisting into knots. Why was I here? I didn’t want to be in band- it looked like so much work. I sat before the 5th grade band director, who proceeded to hand me a variety of different mouthpieces and ligatures to find the best fit.
I struggled in the beginning because I couldn’t find any love towards band and my instrument. But as my journey progressed I started to find the joy and the art in band. I might have taken 6 years for that to happen, but it was worth it because I couldn’t imagine my life without band. Band has taught me how to challenge myself and believe in my own abilities as a musician. It has also taught me how to be apart of a team and what it means to be responsible for my own part in activities.
After having to struggle and not making a chair placement my freshman year, by the time sophomore year rolled in I was determined to make a chair placement in the Georgia All-State Band ensemble. From the very moment the bass clarinet etudes were released I did not waste any time practicing and rehearsing at home and after school to achieve my goal of getting a chair placement. Amazingly, the long hours I spent learning rhythms and perfecting my tone quality paid off in the end because not only did I manage to get first chair placement in District Band, but I achieved the first chair on a statewide level in the Georgia All-State Band ensemble. These achievements only begin to exemplify not only how important setting goals are to me, but also
Have you ever been so terrible at something—perhaps a class, a sport, a game—that no matter how many hours you spend desperately trying to improve your performance on such an activity, you still make little or no progress? If not, then props to you for being a superstar at everything you do, but if so, then the speaker in the poem “Practice” by Joseph Campana likely relates to you. The speaker talks about how he used to practice playing the clarinet a long time ago, but his self-seemingly unsatisfactory playing forced him to quit and now causes him to renounce the idea of picking up the clarinet again. In this poem, music functions as a characterization tool by playing a key role in the speaker’s past experiences, exposing his negative emotions and giving the reader insight into the speaker’s decision to abstain from playing the instrument he used to practice on a regular basis.
My first love for a year when I was five was piano, but then my mother made practicing a chore. My second love for three years when I was eight was flute, but then my band teacher let me try clarinet. My third love going on for seven faithful years is clarinet. Music is my passion and an active part in my life that ranges from private lessons to Ohio Music Education Association competitions. The eleven years of instrumental music and the seven years of being a part of my school’s band program have meticulously shaped me into the person that I am today.
At American Heritage School, I also joined the school band. In the past two years, I have been awarded the Superior Honor in flute playing from the local county government. What was more significant was I came to realize the awards and prizes were not the most critical parts flute had given to me. The flute learning experience granted me an inner power, reminding me of the fact that success is a result of hard work instead of a natural gift. Moreover, it also helped me make friends, especially when I was a new student in this foreign country.
The clarinet /ˌklærəˈnɛt/[1] is a musical-instrument family belonging to the group known as the woodwind instruments. It has a single-reed mouthpiece, a straight cylindrical tube with an almost cylindrical bore, and a flared bell. A person who plays a clarinet is called a clarinetist (sometimes spelled clarinettist). The word clarinet may have entered the English language via the French clarinette (the feminine diminutive of Old French clarin or clarion), or from Provençal clarin, "oboe".[2] It would seem however that its real roots are to be found amongst some of the various names for trumpets used around the renaissance and baroque eras.
Band has given me tons of friends and lessons in life that I will remember and carry on with me
