The World According To Madeleine

During spring break, the band is going to go to Florida and we’re going to march on Main Street in Disney. We have to learn our music, and not everybody is going, so we’re learning our music before school. Today was our first practice, we had to be at the school at 6:30 in the morning, I’m not a morning person, so it was interesting. However, it is an okay way to start the day, the music got my adrenaline going, so I woke up prety quikly.  Now I’m really hyper, and I’m going to crash here pretty soon.

Solo & Ensemble was on Saturday. PAC regionals were also on Saturday, so I couldn’t go to our performance, but went after S&E to see some plays and the award ceremony.

Taylor, Tyler, and I did really well on our trio. We just needed to exaggerate our dynamics more. We got a one for our trio! I was very excited. Then I had to play my solo, which was running late so I had plenty of time to warm up and get nervous. A lot of people came in and watched me, which was okay, but it made me nervous until I started playing. I did really well, I watched the video later, and I made three mistakes. The judge said the first half of my song was the best playing he’d heard all day, which was a really good confidence booster, because ever since I cut my lip, I hadn’t sounded quite as good, but in the last month or so the muscles in my mouth healed really quickly. I got a one on that too. Taylor got a one, but I didn’t get to see him play, and I don’t know what Tyler got.

Then we went to get lunch, and then right to regionals. I heard we did really well, the actors were great, scene changes were really fast and quiet, and we were finally under time(!). After all the other schools went there was a dance party in the lobby with really lame music, but still fun, and then the award ceremony. We got four excellence awards (I think) and then we had the superior awards, and almost every group got one, except for one, but I still love them and think they’re awesome. Other schools didn’t get that many, but we still got third, we missed out on second by three points. We did get a one rating though. It was a little disappointing, especially for the seniors. We still did really well everyone is proud of everyone else, so it’s okay.

After we got back Anna and I decided last minute to go to the dance at the high school, it was semi-formal and we were in our PAC clothes, so it was a little funny. We had a lot of fun and it was worth going, I only got one weird look for being in a t-shirt,

Solo and ensemble is tomorrow, I’m a little nervous, but not too bad. We had a snow day yesterday and we decided it would be a good idea to practice our trio (and it was).  The day before Taylor had driver’s ed so he didn’t bring his trumpet home, so when we got there he told us he had to use his old one. We asked if he had his music. He didn’t. Thankfully he had some of it memorized and Tyler and I practiced our parts, and we’re really good at it now. Then Taylor’s parents wanted to hear it, that was kind of funny. He tried to think of some excuses of why we couldn’t play it, but we still did. Then we played our solos and tried to distact each other.

My weekend was pretty awesome, but on Friday since we had a snow day our home show got canceled. I did get to go to Anna’s house though, which was really awesome. We just hung around and we watched a movie. After that I had a trumpet lesson, and my solo is going really well.

Saturday our show wasn’t canceled, and  it went pretty well, and afterwards Anna and I went to Paige’s house to spend the night. I am now officially addicted to a video game she has, I think it’s called Gauntlets. Then we goofed around for a while and then went to bed.

Today our show was really good. All the techies got bored and then we had a dance party on stage, with lighting effects and everything. After we got done dancing, one of the actors fell and sprained their ankle, and iced it and felt better.  Half-way through the show she got worse and I went to get her some ice, and since our stage sucks, I had to go outside to get to the part of the school with ice, and then when I got back, I had been locked out of that part of the stage, so I had to go back. She was okay though.

I just watched the half-time show, it’s the only part of the superbowl I really care about. I love Tom Petty.

In auditions I thought I played well, but not that well. I’m first chair! That is huge because I’ll only be a freshmen next year. Freshmen don’t get first chair. I had to ask Cha several times if the asterik by my name actually meant I was first chair. I’m pretty sure she got annoyed. Out of at least twenty-two trumpets, I played the audition music best. I am so proud of myself. This also makes me nervous. I’ll have to be the first one to memorize music, the one to know all the rhythms, and just to be the best. I’m pretty sure the other trumpet players will be mad. Put yourself in their situation. There is a phenomenal trumpet player, she’s by far the best. This year she’ll be graduating, so you’ll at least you’ll have a chance at first chair, but then some freshmen comes and gets first chair. They even have the same name! I’d be ticked off if I had told people that no freshman would be in the top five chairs, but four of the five are freshmen. Wouldn’t you be hacked off? Hopefully they won’t be as mad at me once they get to know me….. I’m just so happy! Anna got first chair too!

Chair auditions were today, and I did pretty well. I messed up on one note of the perpared etude, and I played some quarter notes too fast in sight reading, but other than that I feel really good about it. I just need to get into symphonic band, and hopefully into a decent chair. I’ll know Thursday. I’m more nervous about finding out how I did than the actual playing, I got all my being nervous done last night.