It's tomorrow and they're all going to be there warming up and checking their slides and reeds and mushing cigarette paper between their sticky keys and breathing--in and out, in and out, concentrating on whatever to quell their nerves, practicing that piece over and over, quizzing their friends with early numbers--"what excerpt are they asking?" "how's the sightreading?" "Do they make us tongue that fucking Db scale?!"

And I'm three seats too low to even audition.

Three seats too low, because they only take the top four from each stupid district to and don't realize that central district has the highest competition, the highest scores, the highest number of people competing on each instrument . . . and that getting to be one of those top four from some district out in the middle of nowhere, Hickland, requires the simple skill of blowing into the right end of your fucking instrument, whereas getting into the District level at Central is too much for most first-chairs of competant high school bands.

I suppose this is the most blatantly un-anonymous thing ever posted. So, let me suffice to say: Hi, my name is Hannah. I can't audition for All-State tomorrow, and that is my angst.

The NC Bandmasters Association can go suck it.


"Anonymous"
06:51:28 PM