The Craziness of Band Camp ' 07
From MemoryArchive
Who: M.H. What: Band Camp When: 2007 Where: JCHS
“Band dismissed!” The band parrots back, ”Thank you ma’am!” It was a hot sticky day in one hundred plus heat and everyone is tired. We wearily walk to our cars and are relived that they are air conditioned. It was the first day of band camp. I had a lot of fun and got sunburned. That morning I did not want to get up.
I was asleep. Or partially. I was in that place where your thoughts lazily float in circles. Then, I heard beep-beep-beep, beep-beep beep. I groaned and climbed out of bed. I slapped at my alarm clock button and left my room. I went to my bathroom and took a nice hot shower. I stood in the apple scented steam for a while and then I got out of the shower and put on my clothes. I fixed my short hair and went to the kitchen. I had a peanut butter sandwich. The creamy goodness was washed down by a glass of ice cold milk. I waited in the living room for my grandmother to come and pick me up. She came and I climbed into her car. The gray pleather felt good against my legs. I rode down Norris Avenue . I rode up to the high school band entrance. I climbed out of the car and picked up my oversized cooler. I stepped up the high step and into the band room.
As I entered the band room, people were getting out their instruments and warming up. I opened my new pink zip up case and got out my clarinet. All of a sudden I heard “BAND ten HUT!” and everyone says “AND one!” Except for me. I wasn’t expecting it. The drum major said,” Everyone pick up a drill chart, and find your number." I found my number which is seventy three. I sat on the cool black chair and stared circling my number. After a while the drum major said, "Every one outside!"
We walked outside to the band field. First, we warmed up. The drum major went into the band trailer and put on “Everybody Dance Now” by C&C Music Factory. After a few crazy windmills and bicycles we were ready. The assistant came out and started teaching us basics and the pregame routine. I thought it was difficult at first, but after a while it became second nature. Next we moved on to Pirates of the Caribbean which was even more difficult than pregame. I was relived every time we had a water break. It was very hot and sticky that day. When you walked outside, it felt like a tureen of hot soup was being dumped on you. No one passed out that day. I was glad when we went inside. Stepping inside felt like stepping into an Arctic cave. It was refreshing.
When we sat down and started playing, I couldn’t keep up with the band. My poor fingers felt awkward, and my mouthpiece smelled like burnt rubber. After a while I could keep up with the band. Then, we went to sectionals. All of the clarinet players crammed into the orchestra room. We were all crammed up near the chalkboard because no one thought to move the chairs. We met a college clarinet player, who is the coolest person ever, and got down to work.
After sectionals, we went outside (again,) and worked on Pirates again. The assistant had to guess the Word of the Day. (When ever someone says the Word of the Day, you have to cheer really loud.) This is how it went. The assistant said words like banana, and upperclassmen, and we didn’t say anything. But, when she said boom chick, we all yelled. (Boom chick refers to the cadence before the pregame routine.) After more Pirates, we were dismissed.
After practice we were dismissed. I went to my grandmother’s car and told her all about band camp ’07. I told her that I had a lot of fun. I would also do it again.
