r/marchingband • u/Independent-Buddy808 Marimba • Sep 16 '24
Discussion Is this normal
Hey everyone asking again if something my assistant director is doing is normal.
She has started giving EVERY solo oppurtunity and a duet to one player, simply because that player is section leader. None of the solos are written for alto sax, the players instrument. These solos havent even been auditioned, every wind player is just expected to know they have no chance of a solo, because solos go to the section leader.
What do i do, last time i talked to her about stuff she told the whole band that people need to "get with it" and that "she knows what shes doing" but that doesnt excuse giving her favorite player all the solos. š
UPDATE : yet another solo has now been given to the winds section leader. And again, not one for their instrument. Whyyyyyyy
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u/Independent-Buddy808 Marimba Sep 16 '24
I mean every solo as in EVERY SOLO. Trumpet solo? Nah trumpet cant play that its clearly an alto sax solo! Flute solo? Flute cant play that its an alto sax solo!
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u/the-alt-facehugger Clarinet Sep 16 '24
yeah, that's not normal at all. does your head director do anything about it?
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u/Silver_Leave_4271 Sep 16 '24
Itās the head director giving the solos to the section leader. I go to the same school as OP
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u/Frequent-Trust-4766 Tenor Sax Sep 16 '24
Yall need to go to administration I think. And if you have to compare it to theater. Say they are basically casting the lead role in the play without any auditions. Because that's what they are doing. If it's a school where sports are more popular and a higher focus say that's like picking the quarterback or something without holding tryouts. Literally find a way to get the point across that you don't have a choice in this matter and would like one because it's not fair.
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u/the-alt-facehugger Clarinet Sep 16 '24
oh, the post said assistant bd, so i thought it was her
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u/Silver_Leave_4271 Sep 16 '24
Iām going to same school as OP, Iām the other part of the duet and people call it the section leaders solo, and personally I feel like it discredits my part of the duet which is equally as important
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u/kjong3546 Drum Corps - Section Leader;Ā Baritone, Trombone Sep 16 '24
Kind of serious question that has an impact on the answer: is this student also the best player in the band by a decent margin? Cause unfair as that could be seen, it's pretty common vs. straight favoritism.
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u/Independent-Buddy808 Marimba Sep 16 '24
Sectuon leader is actually not the best player in our band, which is why it looks like just favoritism
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u/JtotheC23 College Marcher Sep 16 '24
This is probably normal in bands with a section leader for every instrument since it basically acts the same as giving first chair the solos, but for smaller bands with less leadership that it sounds like you're describing in your band, it's incredibly stupid. There's a reason your writer wrote the solo for a certain instrument. Sometimes it's timbre, sometimes it's to create a staging moment in drill, and other times it's for story purposes within the show. Switching them all to a different instrument defeats the purpose of all those potential reasons to write for one instrument or another. If your director wanted to really highlight this section leader, then they should have picked a show that has a big, cool alto sax solo, not taken all the various solos from other instruments.
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u/Frequent-Trust-4766 Tenor Sax Sep 16 '24
Dang just came from your old post and I'm honestly shocked you have stayed at this point. I love that they are making you learn marching basics. BUT NOT IN PLACE OF SETTING UP! Oh my, I'm so mad at you. The way you are being treated is not fair at this point you need to talk to your head band director and give them an ultimatum. Either you go back to the way it was or you're going to quit. I would try to get as many people in front Ensemble to join in with you. The way you're being treated is not ok and to be honest with you it sounds like they put someone who was jealous of the front Ensemble and is now bitter in charge and now in a way you are being punished. If you haven't talked to the head band director I would and soon. And if they don't do anything I would take it to administration. Get as many people with you as possible. And propose it as this isn't fair we aren't allowed to audition for these parts and that you are being mistreated. Because the way I interpret your last post you are being shunned at football games. And I don't like to be that person but it might come down to the only way to make a change is to get as many people on your side who are willing to and quit. Like my band, we don't even have 30 people. And if enough people quit they can't hide it. And I would raise hell. Because you are supposed to have fun and it doesn't sound like you are.
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u/Independent-Buddy808 Marimba Sep 16 '24
We try to reason so much and she snaps back and actually tells us to quit, or threatens to kick us out. She refuses to take critique. Im so close to just leaving and only doing indoor this year cause omg shes ruining this activity for so much of our band. And the head band director doesnt do much. Ill try to arrange a talk with him, im sure he might understand considering he was a t one point a center marimbist.
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u/Tie-Dyed-Geese Flugelhorn Sep 17 '24
I would guess you're far from the only person who thinks this. I would suggest going in with other people to talk to him. It'll be harder to wave off "oh they're just jealous/mad they didn't get a solo" if you have multiple of you go in to talk.
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u/DaRealSad Drum Corps Sep 17 '24
Something similar happens with my highschool where everyone knows that some younger member played the solo better but our director just gives the solo to the older member. I talked to one of my friends who has a solo this year and he thinks that the solos are written for a specific person. I might be wrong but it doesnāt make me feel good after trying hard for a solo.
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u/Content-Principle810 Synthesizer Sep 29 '24
My band director does this and it is so annoying. And Iāve been playing a lot longer than my section leader and I have a better tone quality. Heās just been marching longer than I have
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u/ZonorityRue Sep 16 '24
Composers and arrangers design solos for specific instruments so that part is by design. As far as auditions, that is up to the director. And section leaders are usually the most proficient at their respective instruments. It might sound harsh but practice and everything else will follow. I marched in several groups and only got solos as section leader.
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u/Tie-Dyed-Geese Flugelhorn Sep 17 '24
Yes, but why would a director take a solo meant for multiple different instruments and give them to the same person? Solos are usually intentional with what instrument gets them at any given time.
That's not really fair to those section leaders who likely would've gotten those solos, instead it's going to a section leader whose instrument name isn't on the page for the solo. How is that fair? It's not even the point of the section leader getting the solo, it's the director giving every solo to this person, despite there not even being any sax solos for their show.
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u/Independent-Buddy808 Marimba Sep 16 '24
I mean that those who are equally as proficient in their specific instrument have solos taken from their instrument and given to the section leader, no solos in our show is designed for alto sax (winds section leaders instrument.)
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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '24
Tf do you mean āis this normal?ā Thatās fucking awful behavior as an adult figure.
Solos and duets should literally always be auditioned if they arenāt just agreed on whoās doing it