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Everything Wrong With My Band Director

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by Polterpup, Sep 18, 2014.

  1. Polterpup

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    Oh dear GAWD, this chick is awful! I mean, she's BEEN awful, but this year she's something entirely different! It was like after the last class of seniors left, she thought she could dictate us! Anyhoo, lets get started on everything wrong that she's done. (By the way, this is more than a rant. I really need advice because I am losing my mind.)

    1. Saying that not going to practice because of family time is inexcusable.
    Alright, so what happened is that on a Wednesday night a while back I found out that my ex stepdad's girlfriend (I know, really complicated, but I'm extremely close to her) was leaving to go back to Canada (where she lives) on Friday to finish school. The next day I kept trying to tell my band director that I wasn't going to be able to stay for practice that day, but she never gave me the time to tell her that I couldn't go, so I left that information with the drum major and left. Next thing I know I'm no longer a section captain because I just "skipped practice." I tried to explain it to her, to make her understand that I really couldn't stay, but she wouldn't hear it. So, basically what happened after that was that I basically quit band. I told the entire band that I quit. I stopped coming to practices until a girl in my section said that she really needed me. Then when I came back my director told me that she was glad that I realized where I "messed up," but we'll get to that later.

    2. Cutting someone a letter grade because they had a PLANNED vacation.
    Get this, another girl in my section had a planned vacation and had to miss a performance at a football game which we ended up not even marching the show anyway. Because she missed it, the director dropped her grade by an entire letter. I mean, what the hell? It's not like she could just skip the vacation. That's just ridiculous. I confronted the director about this on one of my several confrontations with her and she said the problem with both my and my friend's mistake was that there wasn't enough notice. Well, duh with mine. I mean, I barely knew before I told her, but that still didn't make a difference. And with my friend, I KNOW she told the director at least a little in advance because I remember her telling me BEFORE the game that the director was dropping her grade. Still didn't make a difference.

    3. "It's good that you realized your mistakes."
    This is what the director told me and my friend after we had a decent practice. She said that we needed to act more like we did at that practice. Obviously we were the ones who caused all the problems. We were the ones that were wrong. And obviously she was a perfect and innocent little angel in all of this. Just...just no. And get this; I asked her if I was still section captain (the least she could do for me at this point) and she told me that I would have to "work for it." No reason AT ALL should I not have been section leader. Anyhoo, she said I would need a week (Thursday to Thursday) of good work before I'd be section captain again. I was ready to just leave it at that, but she just couldn't do that.

    4. "You can't just walk out of class."
    This one pissed me off more than you could imagine. Ya see, I left class that day because I was about to spew all of the contents of my stomach everywhere. All I had for breakfast that morning was sugar and carbs and just being near her is unnerving enough to make me want to vomit. On the way out, I saw the middle school band director (who I love like a second mom) and I just HAD to rant to her. I couldn't keep it in anymore. After that I went straight to the bathroom and stayed there for the rest of that class because the emotions were just too much. Unfortunately, while I was out there with the middle school band director, the drum major (who had previously given me problems) walked by and told the high school band director that I was just hanging out with the middle shook band director. So, I then got a beautiful talk about how I can't just skip class to go out and talk to people. I tried to tell er what actually happened, but in her eyes I left just to goof off. This resulted in me not getting my title as section captain back.

    5. The first away game.
    Everything went wrong here. Everyone was in a bad mood because this certain school wanted to honor this older, abandoned school by playing at it's football field. Okay, no big deal except it was in Virginia and apparently in Virginia the visitin band played pregame instead of half time or something like that. I don't know, I stopped really listening to the band director by this point. So, we had to leave at about an hour earlier than we would have had to. Then we get there and walk through the disgustingly soggy field covered in wet clay and mud. Great. So far, nothing is her fault but we'll get there. After we preform, she crams us into tiny stands. There were two sets of these specifically for the band, but for some reason she crammed us into one. Okay, now everyone's just getting pissed. So, Fast forward to the bus ride home. From what I heard, we were supposed to leave a little before the game ended so we could get out and be back by eleven, but for some reason we didn't. We end up getting stuck and not getting home until twelve, but we'll get there in a minute. On the bus ride home I hear a story that made me want to rip the director in two. Alrighty, so apparently there was this guy smoking near the band and the director asks him to move. That's fine and dandy until he moves RIGHT IN FROT OF MY ASTHMATIC FRIEND. So, my fried calls out to the director and asks her to get him to move because she's about to have an asthma attack. The band director then proceeds to turn around...and yell at her to shut up. She is fully aware that this girl has asthma. Oh, that just pissed me of more than anything you could imagine. I can't even begin to describe to you how mad I was! Before I rant on about that until forever, lets get to the part where we get back to the school. My mum had went to the grocery store because she was sick of waiting for us to get back. She had been there since eleven and we got there at twelve. The director got mad at me and asked why my mum wasn't there and Intole her it was because she was sick of waiting. She then told me that she told the band to tell their parents that they'd be late. After she left, I looked over to the girl next to me and asked if she heard that announcement...and she said no. When you're going to make an announcement, make sure everyone can freaking hear it!

    6. You can't make me do what I don't want to do.
    The director was issuing push-ups right and left on Tuesday. She told the entire band to do push-ups because we weren't COUNTING. I proceeded to throw my binder to the ground and sit down while everyone else did push-ups. She looked at me and I just glared back. Nothing was said. Later that day she yelled at us to do push-ups because we didn't stay at attention when we finished a set. A few people didn't move, me being one of them, but she called out something along the lines of "Don't be dishonest, I saw you, piccolos." I then turned to her, threw my binder down, and crossed my arms. THEN the drum major had the audacity to tell me to "listen and do what she said." I simply shook my head and just a secon later I heard one of my clarinet friends call out that I didn't move at attention. I do enjoy when people stand up for me, so I have to thank her for that.

    7. Coward
    Alright, I've tried talking to her several times and its like she's not listening. At this point I'd expect her to come to me in person and talk about everything, but she hasn't. And clearly everything is not okay from the way I reacted at practice. It's like she's ignoring the problems and I can't stand it!



    So, I left several smaller, but still annoying things out. Like, the director came up with this rule to be ready to play with two minutes left of third quarter. I didn't finish within that time. I didn't get back until about then and I went immediately after we were dismissed to go get food. I finished about time to play and I had to shove the food down my throat. A girl in the clarinets, however, was still eating and the drum major yelled at her for it. She had no right considering there just wasn't enough time to eat. But, yeah, a bunch of stuff like that happene that I didn't mention. I've just gotta say...this used to be my passion...and now O hate it. I still love playing the flute and piccolo, but I really hate band in general. Well...no...I just hate the director. I've skipped school entirely just so I wouldn't have to be near her...I'm falling way behind on my schoolwork because of all the stress she puts me through. I'm a smart kid in honors classes! I shouldn't be failing...and more than once I've though about suicide...I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take. I plan on talking to a guidance counceller today...if I can muster up the courage. But I really just don't know what to do anymore...I can't even function anymore...all I want to do is sleep all the time and I'm gaining wait from stress eating...please, someone give me advice. I don't know what to do anymore...sorry if there are a lot of typos. This is the longest thing I've ever written on an iPod. And autocorrect is a douche.
     
  2. Polterpup

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    Okay, let me fix something here. I've THOUGHT about suicide. I would never actually do it. I'm just saying it would be an easy way out. I'm fixing this because I don't want anyone freaking out, telling me that's not the solution. I know. Don't worry. : ]
     
  3. Polterpup

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    I still don't think I've made myself clear...sorry that I'm freaking out about this but I really don't want anyone to think that I'm thinking about killing myself. I'm not. I'm just saying that it just kinda pops in my head sometimes, but I would never do it. Ugh, I'm such a derp. Why did I even say anything about it to begin with? XD