Ok, here is the scoop on what has happened since I last wrote. The Marching Bobcats had a GREAT year! At the Marion competition, we won Best Drum Majors, Best Hornline, and 1st place in class 3A! At Five Seasons, we won 10th place out of 15. At State, we got a Division 1 rating with a score of 79.4! And at Ankeny, we won 10th place out of 14. We had our ups and downs, but I had a great time. I did not mke All-State, but I promise that next year I will BLOW THE JUDGES AWAY!!! Concert band, show choir band, and jazz band all start this week, and I am super excited! I am also switching to alto saxophone for concert band. My section was driving me nuts.

~Love music, Love life~

Adrienne Rose

Well, I am progressing on my etudes and my solo for All-State, but my section still sucks. I broke up with Jon last night, so I really don't know how he will react to me today since our first marching competition is tonight. If you are going to the Marion competition, watch for the Benton Marching Bobcats! Oh! And I can do my chromatic scale in one breath finally! Anyways, must go to get ready to go to the school and load the buses. GO MARCHING BOBCATS!!!!!

Every song has a story!

~Adrienne Rose~

I have a lesson with Pete Hart tomorrow evening and I am PUMPED!! Pete is a GOD in the saxophone world. I need to work on my chromatic scales and my breath support tomorrow night. I am really excited for All-State auditions! I have made WAMAC Honor Band, and to tell you the truth, this is the first honor band I have been accepted in! Show choir audition results are coming out soon, so I can see who is playing backstage with me this year.

My section is.....progressing. Slightly. ish. Weber and I had a talk with them (again!) about their "habits" and seriousness for this band program. I just think that they are all lying. Even Jon! Wow, this will be one heck of a year!

Every song has a story!

~Adrienne Rose~

My book is here and I am so excited to practice! The required selections are extremely advanced, but I think I will get through. In one of them, there are SIX sharps in the key signature! Ya, crazy! No news from the professional tenor teacher, but Weber is teaching me a lot now that I am playing super advanced material. Our first marching band performance is tomorrow is the rain stops in time. We will only be doing opener though. Next week: ballad!!!

Show choir band try-outs are next Friday, and I don't even have to try out! Mrs. Lampkin has already assigned me to the part. I really love show choir band!

Mr. Weber has allowed me to stand on the sidelines for one practice next week and watch how my section is doing. You know, the carriage of the instruments, when to bring them up to playing position and if shoulders are parallel to the sidelines. Another big thing is if their feet are in time. I really don't want to lead this section, but I have to. I am the only person capable of playing both the tenor and the alto.

Take advantage of your mistakes, and improve for the better!

~Adrienne Rose~

My book hasn't come in and I am getting worried. I really want to get a head start on my All-State auditions. My section has NOT been busted for smoking weed, it just turns out they needed the serial numbers. But don't fret, I WILL turn them in. I promise. I will not deal with the crap I had to deal with last year! I am so worried about the reactions to me. I am afraid that they might want to hurt me. Oh well. I am not going to be afraid of the any longer!

Mr. Weber has contacted a professional tenor sax player and is trying to get him to instruct me to prepare for auditions. Every student of his has made All-State and I will be sooooo excited is he accepts me. I am waiting for Web to call and see if I can get lessons booked. My sister is packing for college today. She leaves tomorrow, leaving me with more time to practice. I really hate practicing around people....

Take advantage of your mistakes, and improve for the better!

~Adrienne Rose~

I don't know what happened today. It is my first day of school, and Mr. Weber has had my section give him their saxophones to be "inspected". Not mine, just the others. I can smell weed smoke whenever they open their instrument cases. I personally hope they get caught. I don't feel safe around them.

My music book hasn't come in yet. I really want to get a head start on my A-Tunes. I am worried about my section. I wish they would get removed from the band program.

Take advantage of your mistakes, and improve for the better!

~Adrienne Rose~

I have ordered my A-Tunes book off of Amazon, and now I can only wait for it to arrive. My section is hopeless. Mr. Weber has had a "chat" with Nik on Monday. Nik is downright rude and disrespectful to me and he does not take this program seriously. In fact, the only reason he is in band is because he doesn't want to take vocal!!! Argh!

Marching band practice on Monday went quite well. We cleaned up most of opener and I am getting more comfortable with marching and playing again. School starts tomorrow, and we will be fitted for marching uniforms.

Take advantage of your mistakes, and improve for the better!

~Adrienne Rose~

Well, this weekend I am not able to practice due to my sister's boyfriend Justin visiting us. I am currently searching for the A-Tunes book that contains the required music for All-State auditions. I wonder if it is at the West Music store near me, but I am not sure. I might have to buy it off of the internet....

My scales are easy, but I just have a problem with the C minor scale. The accidentals are tough to reach. I might instead pass my time writing my Fictionpress. I am really busy due to the marching band season and I will not be able to write until November. If I am lucky enough to make All-State, I will be busy practicing until November too. And that will be the start of the show choir season. Wow, this year will be hectic. I might have to drop pit band this year. Not that I enjoyed it much. Well, must be off.

Take advantage of your mistakes, and improve for the better!

~Adrienne Rose~

Hello, hello, hello. This is my journal account of my high school band "journey". I play the tenor saxophone in my band, and I am really excited for the year to start. Marching band camp ended today, leaving me with some weird tan lines, more knowledge of marching with a tenor, and a feeling of uneasiness. My section is not in the best condition. I am the section leader of a rag-tag group of beginner players. Nik, Nick, and Shatany all smoke pot and are not compassionate of this band. Jon, who is also my boyfriend, is okay...but very easily distracted and several times I have had to lecture him on the treatment of his saxophone. Highlighters are NOT to be used to mark your cork!!!!!

With the fact that I am the only capable player in my section, I have learned to play loud and accurate. Because of that, my abilities and expertise in my freshman year have improved over the summer. I am proud to announce that I am trying out for All-State. If I do not make it, I will take my knowledge from this year's audition and put it to good use in next year's. I hope to be one of the greatest tenor players in the state of Iowa. Well, I must be off to practice my chromatic scales.

Take advantage of your mistakes, and improve for the better!

~Adrienne Rose~