EDIT: I should clarify, I am in high school.

Hi everybody! It's my first time posting here so apologies if this isn't the right place to post.

I am applying to a wind symphony in my area called VWA and the application asks for, on top of regular applicant information and video audition submissions, a section for the applicant to submit any comments they might want to add in under 500 words. What should I write for this section? does it need to be like a college essay? Thanks in advance!

Here's the prompt as worded on the application:

Do you have any comments that you want to share? Maximum 500 words.

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I’ve been using a manual tuner for years, I want to switch to one on my phone because it’d be easier but I can’t seem to find a good (free) tuner. Any suggestions?

Armed Forces Salute (arr. Joyce Eilers & Bob Lowden)

Can anyone make a PDF of the bass clarinet part and send it to me?

uhm idk if anyone’s talked about this but i have just found out that snoring, sleep apnea etc. is related to mouth breathing & it also changes your facial & jaw structure. i played the flute for 4 years and im thinking of getting back to playing. brass, double reed & woodwind instruments all use mouth breathing & circular breathing. i just want to ask what is everyone’s insight on this & if anyone has noticed changes like sleep apnea or smt?

Hi guys. I am visiting Korea during the first three weeks of July and would like to go to a windband/concertband/windeensemble concert.

Are there any concerts happening in July? Could you guys suggest Korean Ensembles that I should look out for? Are there any websites that might list some of the concerts scheduled? Any Concert Halls I should look at fir possible shows?

I will be spending the majority of my visit in Seoul and Busan.

Thanks!

Today we had a meeting before school to get info and paperwork for our upcoming band trip. Our teacher started ranting about how band trips are couples free and she doesn’t want to see or hear anything about it. She went on to tell us a story about some manipulative girl who “hooked up” with a dude on a band trip and messed up his education. Then the teacher said “and I know who you are, so don’t think I’m not going to be watching you.”, while glaring at every single couple. Every single couple in band are the quiet nice kids. It’s not like they’re making out in public or anything. It’s a grade 9-11 band. I get not wanting to have people going overboard with the PDA, but she can’t tell people they are not allowed to have relationships, right?!?!?! She worded it so rudely too.

I’ve been trying to find the alto sax 1 part for this piece and I can’t seem to find it anywhere. I played flute for this piece and fell in love with how the saxophone sounded. Anyone have the sheet anywhere?

I thought it was only my group having this issue but a vast majority of community bands in my country operate like this. The program is mostly pop rock covers, half of which are pop songs in my country then maybe some band transcription of a classical piece like Dvorak 9 Finale, Marche Slave, 1812 Overture, etc. depending on the skill level of the players. If I'm lucky, the program would have something like a James Barnes piece (usually Alvamar Overture or Appalachian Overture) or Concerto d'Amore by Jacob de Haan. Maybe there's also Bugler's Holiday by Leroy Anderson. But point is, the actual concert band rep is really rare and is mostly pop rock songs or orchestral overtures.

This has me disgruntled because I played more challenging and more actual band rep in high school when I used to live in the US. Blue Shades by Frank Ticheli, Fantasy Variations by James Barnes, El Camino Real by Alfred Reed, Culloden III by Julie Giroux to name a few. But the group I'm in seems to outright refuse these and when I ask about why they're only doing the same pop rock covers, their answer seems dodgy yet they say "because that's what the general audience would like."

I know I don't speak for everyone, but I'm sure people don't exactly take up oboe or bassoon or something to play pop rock songs. They'd probably take up guitar or drums or something if they want to do pop music. I feel like it's somehow wrong to say that I took up clarinet because I want to play concert band music. Maybe the audience would like 80s Medley #400 but it seems to ignore what the players would want to do. I also feel like my full skills aren't showcased and used properly because the arrangements sound more like covers rather than actually arranged with the symphonic band in mind.

You could say "just move to another community band that does actual concert band rep" but if there was one where I'm from and I could join it, I wouldn't be writing this post nor would I try to convince any band to play less pop music and more concert band rep. I just feel like an outcast and I don't like how people don't seem to respect the type of music I want to do.

I get that it would be difficult to get a non band person to watch if the rep is filled with only music of David Maslanka, Philip Sparke, John Mackey, etc. But my problem is bands here lean toward the other extreme where they just straight up avoid actual band rep like the plague. Can't we do stuff like half is actual band rep and the other half is stuff the general audience may know? It seems like the perfect compromise but I'm surprised I don't see this at all. I also feel like bands here are stuck in the past cause they're just playing the same old songs. The standard community band program still plays mostly the same stuff as 10 years ago. I think we're more likely to attract new and budding talent if we play more modern rep but this seems to be a conversation people here are not ready to hear.

I apologize if I sound elitist but I really don't know how I can express this to anyone. Why does it feel wrong to want to play actual concert band music in concert band? Why does it feel like I'm in the wrong for refusing to share my talent for free because it's not my preferred music? This is just so hard to talk about with anyone without them thinking I'm elitist or entitled.

(Sorry if this is formatted oddly, I’m doing this on my phone)

Hi everyone! I have band contest coming up in about a weeks time, and my main problem with that is I don’t have the Nathan Hale Trilogy timpani part that I need to be practicing with the concert band.

Before anyone says “Why don’t you already have the piece?” - I am not a concert band member. I’m not even a full-time percussionist (though I do play in an ensemble outside of school) but my band director picked me to play the timpani part, and the only other kid who has it has been suspended until the day before contest. Since my schools band program is so underfunded, we do not have another copy anywhere, so I was hoping someone could try and help me in finding the full piece.

Every time I look up something like ‘Nathan Hale Timpani Part’ it gives me the Intrada and Intermezzo, but I cannot find any site that carry’s the Finale. Sure, there are sites that are buy-to-have-the-music, but I’m honestly not sure if my parents will want to pay for that since it really isn’t confirmed if I’ll be playing the part anyways. If the kid who got suspended does show up to contest, he’ll be playing the part, but he never really shows up to concerts anyways, so I don’t wanna risk it and not learn the part.

If anyone could just send a photo of the Finale or something in the comments, or send me to a website that has the music for cheap, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Which pop songs sound good in a woodwind+brass band? Something lively and upbeat preferably

Hi all,

I just got back into bassoon after a 25 year absence (played grades 7-10). I'd like to join an ensemble. I'm paying more attention to concert bands as a result, and I'm noticing that a lot sound out of tune. I'm trying to figure out the causes.

I find small ensembles can sound good where there's no doubling, as can orchestras where generally parts don't overlap.

So aside from the obvious like lack of attention, what other factors could contribute to tuning issues? Is it multiple instruments playing the same part (eg many clarinets at the same time)? Multiple families of instrument on the same note (eg flute and clarinet)? Can the concert band members do something about this beyond just doing their best to match their neighbors, or is it in the conductor's hands to resolve (by directing the players)?

I’m the director for a community band and I’m looking for short Christmas tunes for a brass ensemble that I could take caroling around the community. Marching-size music is a plus so we could use a lyre and not stands. Ensemble is 3-4 trumpets, 2-3 trombones, baritone, French horn and tuba. In the past, we’ve used Bill Moffit’s Christmas Celebration which has several tunes and works well but I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. Thanks in advance.

I've been using the Rulon Rest since January, and I love it! It's a great alternative to a traditional thumb hook for saxophone.

https://barisax.ca/2023/05/08/ease-the-tension-i-love-the-rulon-rest/

Here's a line that works over the turnaround of Todd Dameron's Lady Bird.

https://barisax.ca/2023/04/30/line-14-lady-bird-turnaround/

I just graduated highschool and I’m taking a gap year, but when I was still in hs, I loved to make my own song covers and stuff on mallets and I’d love to keep doing that, but I can’t justify dropping a couple grand for instruments that wouldn’t even fit in my house. Is there anywhere that’s like a gym, but like, for instruments, where I could just play for a few hours a day? Is that something a local college might offer?

Hi! I was wondering if anyone here knows a good brand selling sax’s on the less pricey side? I’m a high school student who is Hoping to go into music at uni and am currently making great progress with the sax I am renting but I feel like a next step is buying a sax of my own.

Thanks for the help!!

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to remember the name of a band song I played in high school wind symphony. It was very traditionally Mexican music sounding with lots of trumpets. It may have had something to do with a Matador. I could swear the name of the song was Spanish and started with T. I’m sorry I don’t have much more to go on- I think it was a level 4 or 5 piece?

Hi I’m a Euphonium player and I have a solo in the Final Countdown but I don’t know what to do. It’s a custom solo and I’m Not sure what to play cause I feel so on the spot. The song is in Concert Bb if you can help me out, thanks!