Facepalm

[Kitty 34]

My youngest DS wanted to play the trumpet soooooo bad but was told his lips were too big thus started his band career in school being a drummer.

 

[justgrace]

That's really frustrating! It seems like a no-win situation - don't practice and don't get the drums or practice and still don't get the drums.

I'm not musically inclined so I'm not sure what my school did. I believe everyone got to choose their instruments, though.

 

[Mizzoufan]

My daughter was picked to play the trumpet.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

30 years ago when I wanted to play an instrument in grade school we also had to test. If you wanted to play a woodwind you had to show you could actually get the mouthpiece to make noise. If you wanted a brass, same thing. I couldn't get the flute mouthpiece to play but was able to make the reed work on a clarinet mouthpiece so I got the clarinet.

That totally makes sense. But, telling a girl who CAN make the flute play that she's going to play trombone or else (as happened to DD15's friend) is ridiculous.

Oh, and no they don't want to sell us an instrument. DD's next best instrument after drums was trombone & we own one LOL

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Everyone at my school wanted flute, sax, drums, etc. I got the oboe . I'm not sure how much babysitting money I spent on reeds for the darn thing, but in 9th grade I was asked to play three solo's for the school spring concert. I also got to play bassoon and xylophone, which were both interesting.

My mom got stuck with the oboe - Grandma nixed her other idea (trumpet IIRC). She hated it & worse didn't realize until HS that she would wind up in the orchestra rather than the band (she wanted to march).

 

[Allons-y!]

Wow, as someone who was very involved with band from elementary school all the way through college, I'm discouraged that so many places don't allow kids to try what they want.

I never auditioned until high school, and even that was only to see which band I would be placed in, not which instrument I would be allowed to play. Our district doesn't participate in that nonsense, either. DS has always been able to choose what he wanted at every level.

 

[kjpotter]

In our district we have a day the kids can try all the instruments. They will measure arm length for things like violin. The kids then put down their top three in order of preference. You get notified of your assigned instrument a few weeks later. I asked DD11 and she said everyone she asked got their first pick. She picked violin and that was her assignment.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Neither I nor DS happened to take band, so I never knew any of this went on. I thinks it's absolutely ridiculous that children aren't allowed to study the intrument they're actually interested in!

 

[RedAngie]

As far as I remember, younger DD wasn't required nor assigned to play any instrument other than the clarinet. She started with that instrument in elementary school, and stayed with it all thru high school concert and marching bands.

I agree with the PP who said it was rare to see a boy play the clarinet or flute.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

That is monumentally stupid.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

My daughter wanted to play the flute in junior high marching band. The band director assigned her the French horn. Of course, we were expected to buy her instrument. Buy a French horn? I think not. She played the flute. Nobody played the French horn. The band got along just fine.

You band didn't have a single horn? That stinks. Not that your daughter should be forced to do so. It's just sad.

Although for marching band, it should have been a marching horn or mellophone.

 

[HM]

I started Clarinet in 5th grade in Nashville TN. We had a lot of clarinet players that year and there were only two flutes. I often was relegated to drums since we needed more percussion and we had so many clarinets.
The next year we moved to NC. The schools there started band in 6th grade so I got to choose all over again. I decided on Flute since not many people played it. Wrong. There were more flutes than any other instrument that year. Can't win.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I started Clarinet in 5th grade in Nashville TN. We had a lot of clarinet players that year and there were only two flutes. I often was relegated to drums since we needed more percussion and we had so many clarinets.
The next year we moved to NC. The schools there started band in 6th grade so I got to choose all over again. I decided on Flute since not many people played it. Wrong. There were more flutes than any other instrument that year. Can't win.

All the years I was in band there were always WAY too many flutes & clarinets.

 

[Domo]

I always wanted to play the Cors Anglais, but the instruments cost too much and I was accustomed to the Clarinet, so my fingerings would be all over the place...

Still...

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Ours does try-outs, and the kids are rated on each instrument. Then, the kids list their preferences. At times, they don't get their preference, and that doesn't always end well. DD did get her preference (trombone), despite us trying to steer her towards the French Horn. Halfway through the year, she was ready to switch and is now loving the French Horn.

Our school has percussion start on another instrument to learn music fundamentals first. Around Christmas of the first year, they can try out for percussion. I suspect this is at least partially in hopes that some of the kids who wanted percussion initially have fallen in love with another instrument.

 

[piccolopat]

Count me as one of the kids who didn't do band because I couldn't play the instrument I wanted to play. I wanted to play clarinet but they told me I had to play trumpet - I didn't want to so I walked away. This was in sixth grade. Oh well - I joined the dance team instead so it's not like I was scarred for life but still...

I wanted to play flute but I was put in a brass class and was told I would play trumpet. I did well with it and played from 6th through 9th grade but it wasn't what I wanted. I tried French Horn and even trombone. I never gave up my dream to play flute. At the end of 8th grade, I started to teach myself flute and piccolo. When I started 10th grade I told my band director I was switching to flute. He laughed at first and then asked me to play something. He agreed on the spot and placed me on first stand in the top band and chair flute/piccolo in orchestra and pit band. My senior year I played in the NYC All City band as solo piccolo / first flute. I graduated high school forty years ago and I am still playing my flute and piccolo. I really wish band directors would pay more attention to what the kids want to play. Most, like you, walk away from band. If kids are allowed to play what they want, there is a greater chance they will actually practice and succeed. I taught myself oboe because I wanted to play it and plan to take cello lessons when I eventually retire, but flute and piccolo will always be my main instruments.

 

[Hikergirl]

When my kids tried out for band or orchestra they choose 3 instruments and go in and try those out. They are assigned one of those. My ds got percussion but was bored and quit band at the end of the year. We have a drum kit at home that he plays so playing the bells and the snare drum wasn't really challenging for him so he kind of hated it.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Back story - the school DD10 attends does a weird thing with band. Rather than letting the kids choose their instruments, they "test" all the kids on everything & assign them an instrument. The test consists of about 30 seconds of each instrument.

Knowing this & also knowing DD wants to play drums, we put her in drum lessons over a year ago. So, tryout day was Friday & of course she scored highest on drums.

Band director approached DW this morning & said she thought DD would be "bored with band because she was too advanced on drums" and she suggested DD take up another instrument for at least a year......

Facepalm

I am an elementary string teacher and go through the same recruiting process. I am married to a percussionist (high school band director) and one of my sons is a percussionist. I also have a clarinet player, a violinist and a trumpet player.

I can imagine that your dd just might be bored. She could continue taking private percussion lessons to continue to develop her skills while learning another instrument in in school. I think it would be fun. First year percussion is so very basic and yes, if you have some skill under your belt, boring.

As a side note, my dh always wishes he had played something besides percussion. Something more melodic. He sits in the back of the orchestra hearing all these beautiful, exciting melodies and he gets to hit a drum. My son is starting to feel the same way. I think having the opportunity to try another instrument with the teacher's blessing is something most kids don't get. Then SHE can decide which one she likes the best. Not a bad position to be in.

Something to consider.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Just wondering is this also the type of school that usually sells or rents the instruments to their band members? Maybe they are pushing her to try something else so that they can sell you the package. I remember my band director being very upset that my mom had already bought me a clarinet. I tested fine for it (I knew the test before we bought it as my 2 older brothers were already in band at that point) and was allowed to play but he kept pushing for me to do something else and it came out that it was because they took cuts on instruments they were able to sale.

Schools aren't in the business off of making money. Some charge a fee to use school instruments but that just covers maintaining the instrument. More than likely, it was a balance issue. Band directors don't want a band of saxophones. They want lots of flutes and clarinets, fewer saxes, just a couple percussionists, and certain numbers for the brass family. Or, maybe the instrument was of poor quality. I always have parents who go out and buy a violin and tell me what a great deal they got. Then their child struggles since their parents bought a poorly constructed instrument.

 

[Shmily1]

DS did try outs and wanted the trumpet. He couldn't make a sound so he got french horn and mellophone in marching band. DD tried out and got flute which was fine for her for the first year. Then they got to try for percussion (no first year people could do percussion). She got in but he always gave her something easy like tambourine or cymbals. She wanted drums, not that other stuff but weighed about 70 lbs when she went to high school. She ended up quitting band and went to PE. I wanted to play the drums way back when. My mom said girls didn't do that so she wouldn't let me try out for it. I didn't do band. lol

I would be mad about the band director not letting her do drums. I'm afraid I'd have gone over his head.