The World According To Madeleine

I’m sick today, I stayed home from school yeterday and today too, I’m planning on being at school tommarow though. I think I have the flu. However, that’s not my post.

Remember last year, when I had solo and ensamble? You might not, because the only people who would know are people who know me personally or people who have been reading my blog since it was started, but then again, those are the only people who read this. Anyways, I’m doing a solo and a quartet with Taylor, Will, and Tyler. Last year I (or we) got a one (an A) for our rating. This year’s music is much harder though. I know we can do it, but I’ll (or we’ll) have to work hard, especially since we have to practice our auditions for high school band. The music is hard, and we hae to play a chromatic scale from memory the whole range of our instrument. That’s pretty high. I can play it now, as long as I’m warmed up and there’s not a big jump to it. when I’m nervous, I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I know we don’t have to play tha high, if we can’t, but I’d be mad at myself if I didn’t even try and end up being in concert band, and not in jazz band. That’s what I’m really looking forward to, is jazz band, ever since I heard them play “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder. We might be able to play it when I’m a senior, because then no one will have played it twice, but I doubt it. I’ll just have to ask. It doesn’t matter that much though, because a lot of the songs that they play are cool or pretty. I hope our group will be able to be as good, because the seniors graduating this year include some very talented musicians. I think we’ll be fine.

We have our first jazz band concert on Monday! I’m so exited because I have a solo!

I asked today if we could play some White Stripes in jazz band today. Sadly, there sre no songs written by the White Stripes in the music library we get music from. Darn. I love the White Stripes. Who couldn’t have them in their music library?!? Hmmm, someone needs to do that.

Today we got the results of challenges. I didn’t want to tie with Taylor. I REALLY didn’t want to tie. But we did. Both of us were sad, we didn’t want to play scales in front of everybody. We had to play our Ab scale. Taylor had to go first and when he started he hit an F before hitting the Bb. He then played the rest just fine. I started out on a Bb, and then played it correctly.

In jazz band we played “Into the Land of Make Believe” it’s a cool song, but I don’t think it fits with the title. It even has a trumpet “solo”, exept all of the first trumpets play it. It’s still pretty cool though. Then I had a private trumpet lesson, and Mr. G. checked my trumpet, the only thing he said as that I’d need to be careful to keep my mouth the same so it would be in tune.

I finially found out what chair I am in jazz band! I’m second chair, Taylor got first of course. I’ll kick his butt in challenges though!

Last night I had a really good riding lesson, it was the group of people (young teenagers mostly) that you get to do a lot of fun stuff with. We even got to hand gallop! It was my first time and it was so much fun! We also did lots of lead changes. When we jumped we did bending lines (my first on Guy), which I love, especially on Guy. I had one refusal, but I knew what I did, which I have a hard time doing.

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.