disapointment in band

[Bnatural]

Hey everyone... I am in my first year of doing the high school concert band .... We have been preparing our concert recently. There of course are the people that don't learn there music... in this case they are the majority... my section had a really challenging part that he ask to hear (just the people who thought they could play it) no one even tried aside from me they all just sat there... so yesterday he decides to pull the section off the part... because of the style of the audition alot of these people chaired above me as well. Chairs don't matter much to me but still if someone clearly can't play anything but the 60 measures from auditions y just keep setting ur self up to have the order like that... The junior high band was just to easy for me so i was looking forward to moving up and playing better things... making music.... then i get to this...any one have any similar problems or just how they dealt with this kind of thing... it just leaves u so musically empty..... my area isn't to musical so there really aren't any other options unless i join the union and really dive in................ hopefully it won't always be this discouraging
Well thanks for reading my rant
Dave

[Hurling Frootmig]

Practice a lot and get yourself a teacher if you don't already have one. Ask your band director if he could recommend someone just to let him know that you are very serious about your instrument. I remember that in my High School there was a bit of a pecking order based on age nearly as much as playing ability. I did briefly sit first or second chair as a freshman but generally was third right after a senior (1st) and junior (2nd).

Don't give up hope and just keep playing and enjoying it.

[Bnatural]

thanks for your reply it was much appreciated... I am studying on both clarinet and alto sax w/ private teachers... I guess more so what my question should have been phrased as was how did you all go about getting ur first real group to play w/.... i don't care if it pays i just want to play w/ some people that are there to make music and learn... I know some of you say that starting a group in your own school is an option ... but in this case it is not... as a 10th grader (youngest in school)... it wouldn't work out...

[gary]

Started my first group with school mates. If you really can't do that, ask your private teachers if they can turn you on to some of their students who might be interested. You can also post notices at music stores and perhaps independent book stores, which are usually hipper than your normal mall-clone bookstore.

[ShadowSlicers]

Your year sounds like my Freshmen year. Luckily I was sitting high in the section behind a junior who just liked taking extra band classes so was in this lesser group. The music was easy and most of the other players lack any true ability. Luckily, I got a teacher and moved on myself. I got stuck in that band my 2nd year as well, schedule problem, so I switch to another horn for that class and kept up my sax playing by myself. So, the next year I was sitting in the top band on the sax, as well as Jazz band. The bonus was I had learned new instruments in the process and to this day enjoy playing more legit horns on the side.