Chair Postions

flutietootie85 · Post by **flutietootie85** » Fri Feb 06, 2004 8:28 pm

here's how we do our chair auditions. During marching
band we sit where ever. Christmas concert section leaders choose what you play.
Spring concert our director hands out music. You go learn it then he has you
play for him. This decides your seating. Then if you get mopved up you get new
music and if you move down you get new music. It's always such a stressful time
because I think he waits way to long to do these tests because I don't like
having to re learn music ebcause I got moved down. ( that happened ot me last
year..*cries* haha) I wish we would do some sight reading though cuz I thikn
that sohws who has the true talent because the girl who makes first chair cant
sight read to save her life but others can..so that's how my school does it.
Hehe and this year I'm making a come back..haha [:praise:]

PiccChic06 · Post by **PiccChic06** » Sun Mar 07, 2004 4:14 pm

our chair audition is this... our director gives us a
little section of the music and we have like 2 weeks to prepare it. then section
by section we go into another room and try out.

Lemonpawz · Post by **Lemonpawz** » Sun Mar 14, 2004 6:22 pm

We don't have chair positions anymore now that I'm in
high school, but in middle school they used to say it'd be something random out
of the pieces we were playing for our concert and to practice them. I never had
trouble-I held a steady second chair since 7th grade, in 6th I was first.

FluteDiddy · Post by **FluteDiddy** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 7:59 am

No chair positions? Cant imagine a serious music program
without it. Must be one of those its only for fun and all players are equal feel
good type set up. The spirit of competition in band whether for chairs or for
solo and ensemble, all county, all state or band vs band competitions is very
important for you future in music or any other area you pursue. If you don't
have those, you are being shortchanged in your experience. But in this day of
budget cuts hitting music programs be happy they let you have a band at all.

sakuramimato · Post by **sakuramimato** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 9:43 pm

My band currently consists of about 45-50 winds (maybe
less) since we're only a three-year school awaiting the fourth year of kids to
enroll next year so that we finally have all four grades in my high school. (My
school's only three years old.) Although I'm sitting third chair, it's not
much of an accomplishment as the first chair flutist is a sophomore, 2nd through
5th are freshmen and the remaining sophomores and juniors don't have defined
chairs, but they sit according to whoever they associate themselves with.
(They're practically all last chair since they don't even try to play.) In
total, we have five active flutists and four inactive ones that just screw
around and talk, so my sitting third chair really isn't much. Chair positions
are chosen the week after marching season ends where we have a week's notice to
have an audition piece ready and scales memorized (randomly chosen by the
director, but they're usually the basic four -- C, Bb, Eb, F). From that, the
director evaluates and after all try-outs (which takes a day or two), the
results are posted up on his office window. Of course, factors like stage fright
and whatnot affect your chair placement, and that (stagefright) has been a cause
of my lack of a better chair, but I'm content with where I sit. I'm waiting
for next year to redeem myself. Also, with my band finally having four grades
next year (seniors to freshmen), the music program will be divided: - concert
band (for incoming freshmen and beginning students; no audition required) -
chamber winds (advanced and upperclassmen musicians; audition is required) -
jazz band (including jazz flutes and clarinets; audition is required) - hand
bells (for basketball games) - drumline/percussion - colorguard That is, those
will be our music classes next year IF music doesn't get cut from my district
next school year. California's having a major crisis having to cancel all arts,
physical fitness, foreign language, and sports.

Kim · Post by **Kim** » Tue Mar 16, 2004 10:45 pm

WOW, California is really having a budget crisis. Is it
really your entire state or just your school district? Here it is up to each
district to handle their budgets and cut things accordingly. Our state just
passed a law that says that schools don't have to require phy-ed but they leave
it up to individual districts to decide for themselves if they can afford it or
find a way to afford it. I haven't been around here much because we are also
looking at cuts in the band program and that has kept me pretty busy with Band
Booster business. In our district the problem seems to be that our school board
puts a higher importance on athletics than they do music. Music here generally
gets hit each round of budget cuts while other programs go untouched. Good Luck
to you....I hope that you guys have a good band booster and parent group to
fight for the things that are at risk of being eliminated. Kim <<That is, those
will be our music classes next year IF music doesn't get cut from my district
next school year. California's having a major crisis having to cancel all arts,
physical fitness, foreign language, and sports>>

powayflute01 · Post by **powayflute01** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 12:40 am

I dunno what district sakuramimato belongs to, but these
cuts are pretty much state wide... Ah yes, the California budget crisis. We
currently have a major spending deficit thanks to a moron Governor that was in
office last year, but as you may have heard, was recalled and replaced by
superstar-gone-political Arnold Schwarzenegger (the "Governator")[;)]. Anyway,
the national government doesn't allow states to have debts--they have to pay
off their deficits within a year to avoid going into debt. So to make a long
story short, we spend a whole bunch of money last year and we're taking severe
cuts in everything this year to pay for it. Music programs were one of the first
things to get cut... in my region we no longer have 5th grade music programs and
we had significant blows to our high school band programs also. We in fact had
to cancel a couple of local trips last year because we couldn't afford the
busses for transportation... The arts always seem to be the first thing to go.
College tuition is also being hiked up...I don't think physical fitness will be
cancelled though. I find it ironic that while significant cuts are being made in
the arts, our district is remodeling ALL of the schools... Kim~ I believe you
mentioned something in a different post about a Galway message board. Do you
think you could post a link to it just as a reference?

AG950Flute · Post by **AG950Flute** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 1:10 am

Here's the Galway link
http://www.superflute.com/wwwboard/

SaraBeth · Post by **SaraBeth** » Sat May 29, 2004 8:49 pm

In our school we have both, tests and auditions. I
usually depends on our level of experience and what time of the year we start
(some new kids get put where there is still room). We can only do these in the
begining of the year. In our JR High School Band, I am placed in first flute,
first chair. It is a very hard spot to be put in, though. [:bigsmile:]

piccolute · Post by **piccolute** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:17 pm

at my school, we have chair tests in 7th and 8th grade but in highschool it's seniority...each grade keeps positions from 8th grade. this past year i was 1st out of the freshman but 11th over all which sucks cause i was 2nd in the county. We have a new director this year though so things could be different.

noseflute · Post by **noseflute** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 6:08 pm

Just to let you all know - as far as I'm aware (and at least many years ago when I was at school), there is no such huge competitive vibe surrounding "chairs" in school bands.

Yes, we audition to place students in the section which is most appropriate to their level, but there is none of this stress and jostling for "first chair" that I've heard about in the US!

And yet we still manage to produce top quality musicians.

Just wanted to clarify that school band is not necessarily the be all and end all of your music career. Why not just enjoy it??

Lisa4 · Post by **Lisa4** » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:58 am

Its the real world out, people get judged everyday and there is pressure. Might as well start getting used to it in HS. Most high schools don't even have one flute player that is good in the sense that they have a future playing the instrument. Lucky to find one in honors bands. So in that sense it really doesn't matter. If you are sitting third chair in your HS band you are better off worrying about the next algebra test, your flute will be in the closet soon anyway.

piccolute · Post by **piccolute** » Fri Jul 09, 2004 9:29 pm

Well, i understand that to most ppl chair teats aren'y important in the long run, but i want to major in music education and I believe having chair tests would be helpful to me....being fored to play 2nd just cause ure a freshie isn't great...especially when there are 1st who can't play their parts