The World According To Madeleine

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.

On Friday we had band festival. Last week we were in between a two and a three. That was bad. But man, we play so well under pressure. We got all ones, from what the judge said, I don’t think it was a very hard decision. We even made Cha cry on the slow song! I’m just amazed that we played so well, we never did that practicing! I even had to pass out music for sightreading, and I ruled at that too.

We got our honors band results yesterday, everyone who tried out made it……. I’m in the first band and I’m second chair baby! I’m the only trumpet player from our band who’s in band one. I wish Taylor had tried out, because I’m all alone…….. We got the music today. The first band is playing The Great Locomotive Chase. I love that song! The eighth graders played it last year.

On Friday my friends and I went to the football game. Paige and Anna came over after school and spent the night afterwards. It was really fun. Taylor almost didn’t come, but when Anna, Paige and I were walking around he showed up. And Will didn’t come at all. We danced to the band (still the losers behind the band), and hung out and tried to stay warm drinking hot chocolatte. Taylor would’ve had to leave at 8:30 (half-time), but we gave him a ride home. After half-time we said hello to all of our high school friends and then we went back to being the losers behind the band.

Yesterday I played The Star Spangled Banner at a marching band compitition along with some of my friends and band members. It was fun, but I had to stand next to a seusaphone that was making me claustraphobic. . We stayed afterwards to watch and it was pretty cool. Some of the bands were really good. I forget which band won, but I do know that they had cool hats.

The missing trumpet player is still gone, so no chair results yet. I tried to find out who did better, Taylor or me, if I even did good, but she wouldn’t tell me. Luckily I can feel proud of Anna for getting third chair while I wait impatiently for results.

Today in band we practiced sight reading. The song was a medly of Christmas/winter songs, I liked it. It even had a trumpet solo, which is normally for the first chair trumpet (me), but instead we all had to play it. Bummer, I haven’t been able to do anything being first chair I couldn’t do as second chair (exept for going up and getting music for the section and sitting in the chair). Oh well.