Sports versus band

[Deleted]

This is especially aimed at the 1A-3A crowd, where people tend to be less specialized.

Does anyone else have issues with athletes trying to use sports to get out of band? Like, ditching rehearsals that don't coincide with practice and using sports as their reason? My BD's theory is that the two things should take equal priority, and while I personally hold band over sports, I definitely respect that in other people.

My problem, then, comes when people blatantly blow off band with sports as their excuse, and when my BD is a doormat about it. Case in point, we had two JV cross-country runners miss one of our two competitions for a cross country meet. Their being at that meet had no bearing on our winning or losing the meet. They were just there. And they missed our only major competition for it.

Or, the athletes who decide to leave practice, get dinner, and then come to late rehearsals. I understand they're tired, but I didn't sign them up for band, or for sports, they did, knowing full well the obligations.

The worst part is that very nearly every director facing this problem has the ability to fix it, and very few do. Almost every interscholastic athletic program I've ever heard of has an eligibility requirement, and if missing a performance drops your grade below a C or D, then you don't get to play sports any more. Directors are teachers, coaches are coaches and teachers>coaches, in almost every form of hierarchy. Band is school (at least for my band and others like it), and I get really sick of it not being treated that way.

Okay, rant over. Thoughts?

[hansel2011]

Oh, I know how you feel. When I was in 7th grade, everyone would use sports as an excuse. My bd likes to be flexible with sports but I am glad that is not an issue anymore. Everyone that had issues left. Well, almost everyone. I have issues sometimes. I play varsity softball. I am the starting catcher and I love it. I am very involved into band also. Anything to do with band I am there. It is not that bad but there is always a weekend or two. I have a few conflicts. This weekend I have an honor band. Friday I have practice but I will only miss half of practice so I can leave for honor band. In a three weeks I have a contest for concert band and I will maybe miss one practice. It depends what day contest ends up being on. I will have never missed a band event except for now. In a month I have another honor band. That same weekend I have a big over night softball tourny. My entire team just about is seniors. This will be the last time I will get to go over night with them. Now, last year I missed softball for honor band, same events, same weekend. I am kind of stuck because I want to spend time with my friends that are seniors at the softball tourny, but each year the director gives out the John Philip Sousa Award to a senior who has worked the hardest and deserves it. That has always been my goal to get that award. But, I think I am going to go to softball. It was the hardest decision of my life. I hate doing this.....I am not making an excuse....I am trying to do whats best. I am the only catcher, yet I am the only bass clarinet. Life is to complicated.

[clarinetchick96]

My bds say band is a class so make your choice.
cuase you dont HAVE to do sports.

[hansel2011]

lol. I am adding what I said earlier. I have always been an athletic person. Never in my mind did I expect to go as far as I have in band. Right now I am in the middle of softball season and it is going great, while living out my band dreams in high school. Softball is currently ranked number 1 in the state of Ohio, we are 27-0, I have hit six homeruns, made the all american team and am a starting player. We are making school and city history and just today won sectionals and are going on to districts. Band is going incredible. I just made dm as a sophomore, had solos in marching band, won one of the biggest awards you can in high school band that no sophomore has ever gotten, making honors bands and getting to the top. I do both, my bd and my softball coach talk and like each other. The days I have both we work it out. (I am not bragging, I am just showing people how you can do both. If you love them enough you can make it work) No one ever thought I could do both. Like I said, I fell in love with band more than I have with anything else. So people can do both. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise.

[Deleted]

^Make sure that, especially as drum major, you talk to the freshmen who don't think they can do both.

[hansel2011]

oh yea. definitely. we always try to make sports work with band. it is hard, but it can work if you want it to. everyone knows that they can do both...i make sure of that. because i do both and i love them nore than anything.

[squimpmunk]

Well last time i checked, anything that made you put forth continuous physical labour was exercise. And if you exercised more than once with more than one other person (like in marching band) you were in a sport.
So Marching Band is a sport. Even if you are in 1A. Your on a team exercising, more than once with more than two people. So its a sport.
Unfortunatly Marching Band is a sport that you get graded on, so its hard for some people to choose. So most just sighn up for both and dont do any work in either.
We had a football player who had been in band for three years. And he was constantly using football as a excuse. Well, his grades fell and he was kicked off the team. But our director didnt know about it and the kid kept saying that he was going to football practice.
It wasnt until the first actual football game the director realized the lie the kid had put him through. Gave the kid zero's on all the missed sets, you name it.
The kid basically failed band.
-_-

What i am trying to say is that, people are never going to take band seriously. Weather you are on 1A or on 5A. Its still the same.

[squimpmunk]

ESPECIALLY not when it comes to sports.

[hansel2011]

the thing with me is i am a big part in both. i work my butt off to be where i am today in both softball and band...both concert and marching. i have never had any issues with either of them. my bd and my coach talk all the time and are good friends. i am great friends with both groups. yea, we are all completely different but we all get along. the band has came to softball games and played. softball players come and watch our competitons and cheer for us at football games. so it is not like everone thinks it is. my bd and my coach love it...me being able to do both. i love doing both. they think it is cool that someone can be so talented and dedicated to both and be where i am. my bd was at every single softball game. my softball coach is always at band. soon people will start respecting us. i got the respect from softball girls and from the football team. the teachers love the band and soon the entire school will follow becasue that is how it works. and we are not a good band. we have not been to finals in more than 10 years. we are 2a and so small. so it is not like everyone thinks it is. yea, i know every school is not like that but it does happen...you just have to give it time.

[clarinetrox2012]

Jun 2, 2009 23:22:08 GMT -5 squimpmunk said:

Well last time i checked, anything that made you put forth continuous physical labour was exercise. And if you exercised more than once with more than one other person (like in marching band) you were in a sport.
So Marching Band is a sport. Even if you are in 1A. Your on a team exercising, more than once with more than two people. So its a sport.
Unfortunatly Marching Band is a sport that you get graded on, so its hard for some people to choose. So most just sighn up for both and dont do any work in either.
We had a football player who had been in band for three years. And he was constantly using football as a excuse. Well, his grades fell and he was kicked off the team. But our director didnt know about it and the kid kept saying that he was going to football practice.
It wasnt until the first actual football game the director realized the lie the kid had put him through. Gave the kid zero's on all the missed sets, you name it.
The kid basically failed band.
-_-

What i am trying to say is that, people are never going to take band seriously. Weather you are on 1A or on 5A. Its still the same.

Madame Thundercloud's boyfriend?

[hansel2011]

Now people in the band are starting to do different sports becasue they see it can work. People doing volleyball and track and cheerleading and basketball. Kids in the band are starting to join other activities because it is what they want. To be good in band doesnt mean you have to worship it and thats all you do. I admit, I live band. Every sentence I say must have something music orriented in it. But, I have played softball for the past 12 years.

[carlaxbassoon]

My BD doesn't take that anymore. For the armed forces parade he decided that whoever doesn't do it has to do an essay on some musican. And for the graduation playing the practice was worth 30% and the actualy gradutaion was worth 70% or something. Morning resherals was a grade. For next year, if you take band class, you are doing marching band, & the marching band does something, and you aren't there, you are doing an essay. This includes football games. He can be a bit flexable, but if yr the type of person who just keeps missing band realted things, well thn, sucks to be you. He understands sports, and he will work with you, but you also gotta work with him. He is putting his foot down.

[hansel2011]

lol. Thta happened to me in middle school. It was my first year...not too sure of things and I did volleyball with marching band. Didnt go so good but he is cool if you care and are dedicated to both. My first year did not do great but I was determined to do both. My director does not care what you do, he just wants you to be happy and passionate about what you are doing. My bd and I are pretty close. Things have happened in the past two years to make it that way...things I dont care to discuss but he loves watching me excell in both. He just wants you to do what you want and not anything to stop you from doing that. Like I earlier said, it can work if you want it to. Talk to your diesctor about things. Let him know how you feel and what you want to do. You will never know unless you ask or say something. It is not impossible to do both. I have been doing it for the past four years and I am a starter on the varsity softball team and dm of the marching band. Trust me, things can work. Dont let one thing stop you from doing another.