Michael Oldemeyer Posted June 1, 2002 Share Posted June 1, 2002 I picked the trumpet in 5th grade because my dad played trumpet when he was in high school band. A year later I was about to quit because I wasn't any good, then my director switched me to baritone. It's been great ever since. All my corps experience and 3/4 of the girls I've dated can be traced to that instrument switch. :) Michael Oldemeyer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo Posted June 1, 2002 Share Posted June 1, 2002 5th grade, it was "wow, that looks like fun." Trombone ever since. Lassus Trombone!!! 'nough said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayM Posted June 2, 2002 Share Posted June 2, 2002 Back in 6th grade when it was time to sign up for middle school classes, I'd planned on taking Tech 2000 and P.E. for my 7th grade year. The band demonstration that they did at my school interested me, but I was more interested in technology. Well, I guess around that same time we took the Selmer Music Survey, which tests ears, etc. I took it and didn't think anything of it. One day the middle school band director called and told me I did exceptionally well on the test and that I could play whatever I wanted. For whatever reason, I decided I'd do band instead, and that I did. I had no idea what instrument I wanted to play (I'd listed trumpet, sax, and trombone on the little information sheet the middle school band took up when they did the demonstration at our school, I'm told). My said she wanted me to play the saxophone, so that's what I did. I was very good and was 1st chair pretty much all though the rest of my middle/high school career. Somewhere in the middle of high school I became a huge drum corps fan, and became obsessed with brass instruments. I hated not being heard in marching band (with the exception of solos), and was quickly bored by the ease of marching with a sax. I fooled around with whatever brass instruments I could get a hold all throughout high school, and finally, my freshman year of college ('01-'02, this past year), I marched with a mellophone. It was a lot of fun and I'm going to do it again next year. Hopefully one of these days I'll get around to marching a corps. Only time will tell, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuZiK11 Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 Back in 6th grade when it was time to sign up for middle school classes, I'd planned on taking Tech 2000 and P.E. for my 7th grade year. The band demonstration that they did at my school interested me, but I was more interested in technology. Well, I guess around that same time we took the Selmer Music Survey, which tests ears, etc. I took it and didn't think anything of it. One day the middle school band director called and told me I did exceptionally well on the test and that I could play whatever I wanted. For whatever reason, I decided I'd do band instead, and that I did.I had no idea what instrument I wanted to play (I'd listed trumpet, sax, and trombone on the little information sheet the middle school band took up when they did the demonstration at our school, I'm told). My said she wanted me to play the saxophone, so that's what I did. I was very good and was 1st chair pretty much all though the rest of my middle/high school career. Somewhere in the middle of high school I became a huge drum corps fan, and became obsessed with brass instruments. I hated not being heard in marching band (with the exception of solos), and was quickly bored by the ease of marching with a sax. I fooled around with whatever brass instruments I could get a hold all throughout high school, and finally, my freshman year of college ('01-'02, this past year), I marched with a mellophone. It was a lot of fun and I'm going to do it again next year. Hopefully one of these days I'll get around to marching a corps. Only time will tell, I guess. hey it was the best move i ever made too , played flute ,,, switched to hron ... and never looked back ! :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bari Posted June 3, 2002 Share Posted June 3, 2002 My older brother started trombone the year before it was my turn to pick a horn. I wanted french horn, euphonium, bassoon, tuba or flute (in that order). The guy that fitted me for an instrument said all 5th graders start on trumpet for horn and told my mom it would better if there weren't 2 low brass players in the house and that bassoon was too hard. I made a loud, nasty sound on the trumpet and a not-so-loud, not-so-nasty sound on the flute. Voila! I played the flute and eventually got quite good at it. Then I saw drum corps tapes and fell in love with the low brass sound. I hijacked my brothers trombone for hours learning to play that thing before I took the baritone. I still play the flute, but the baritone is just plain more fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuZiK11 Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 My older brother started trombone the year before it was my turn to pick a horn. I wanted french horn, euphonium, bassoon, tuba or flute (in that order). The guy that fitted me for an instrument said all 5th graders start on trumpet for horn and told my mom it would better if there weren't 2 low brass players in the house and that bassoon was too hard. I made a loud, nasty sound on the trumpet and a not-so-loud, not-so-nasty sound on the flute. Voila! I played the flute and eventually got quite good at it. Then I saw drum corps tapes and fell in love with the low brass sound. I hijacked my brothers trombone for hours learning to play that thing before I took the baritone. I still play the flute, but the baritone is just plain more fun. i felt the same way bout my horn :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomnoise Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 Up 'til sixth grade, I played Drums. But there were 15 drummers in a band of 30. So, my director said, "I think you would make a good French Horn player." And have played it ever since. Thank you, Mr. Kraus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrshowfan Posted June 4, 2002 Share Posted June 4, 2002 I remember it like yesterday. We all got Flutophones (recorders) the start of our fourth grade year. I could not read a lick of music and basically the whole class sounded like butt, except for the two goody two shoes students. At about the same time there was a guy in 6th grade who played trumpet, and played it well. He always was the center of attention and made his trumpet sound extremely good for 6th grade. I kinda always be like him. Well, the day rolls around to pick out our instruments, which was half way through our 4th grade year. At the time saxohone seemed really hip, but I knew that with my lack of success with fingerings for the flutophone my chances at being even mediocre were slim on that horn. I looked around at all the shiny instruments, then said to myself, "which one looks the easiest to play". I noticed that the trumpet only had three buttons, and how hard coud it be to remeber all the combinations. Not too hard, so that's what I picked. I remember taking it home, and thinking I was a bad mo fo, playing some fast jazz licks. I knew I had a good sound, but I was still half assing my way through music class. Over the summer I committed myself to learning all the notes and all the combinations on the valves but still relied on my ear to help me when I didnt want to look at the music. This turned out to help me and really pushed my aural skills forward. I soon developed vibrato because I was nervous playing my first solo. (Silver Bells in the 5th grade winter concert). Come the 6th grade I played "My funny Valentine" as a solo at the Detroit Montreux Jazz festival at an elementary and jazz workshop with my teacher. Around that time, I knew that I had made the right choice and that I was going to make music a major part of my life. And it was all based on which horn looked like I had to work the least to memorize fingerings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldManAlto Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 started playing trumpet in 4th grade.. My director in 6th grade wanted me to switch to alto sax, but I laughed at him( I even knew better back then :)...then played trumpet through my junior year of high school when my god send of a director asked myself and my best friend to switch to mellophone because there would have only been 4 of them on the field..all girls..Nothing against the girls at all.. but we had one upcoming senior, two upcoming juniors and a rising freshman.. They could all play well, but they couldn't produce the sound to match it. Then my friend and I picked up the mellos and I've been happy ever since Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuZiK11 Posted June 7, 2002 Share Posted June 7, 2002 started playing trumpet in 4th grade.. My director in 6th grade wanted me to switch to alto sax, but I laughed at him( I even knew better back then :)...then played trumpet through my junior year of high school when my god send of a director asked myself and my best friend to switch to mellophone because there would have only been 4 of them on the field..all girls..Nothing against the girls at all.. but we had one upcoming senior, two upcoming juniors and a rising freshman.. They could all play well, but they couldn't produce the sound to match it. Then my friend and I picked up the mellos and I've been happy ever since what ? 4 wasnt enuf ... i wasnt hte only mello my junior year and i could outplay most of the band B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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