An Abundance of Spaz Attacks

Hey y'all, sorry my post last week wasn't that interesting. It was a bad week therefore my blog post was bad. Anyways, I think spaz should be a word. Many of us use it but it's not a word, but it really should be. If combinations of letters like twerk and selfie can be considered words, why can't spaz be word? I mean it describes many of us teenage girls at many times, and we're always looking for new descriptive words, right? I just don't get it.

I've been like such a spaz the last weeks and here are some of the reasons why:

The Good

25 Days until Summer!

Like OMG YAY, I mean school is great, you learn, you get killed with homework, you wake up at 5 am five out of the seven days of the week, and really it's just an overall great time, but SUMMER, IT'S ALMOST HERE! 

I can almost taste it

Even Less Days until Marching Band!

Molly, fellow band geeks, this should also be good news for you. Marching band is a place of many disturbing but hilarious inside jokes, suffering, and pain, and yelling at each other (but somehow, at the end of it, we still manage to talk to the other people), five mornings a week of sweat and sun, and very uncomfortable black shoes.

Fatality

I Have a Horse Show on Saturday!

Yay, again! I'm riding this horse named Bay Magic, and let's just say he's amazing, and he's making getting over Gambit a little easier. But like OMG, I have a show on Saturday, and it's a three phase (which means nothing to you but oh well)! It's an actual eventing show where they have all three phases: dressage, stadium jumping, and cross country.

Fun times

We Have State Band on Friday!

Again, EEP! Like, I don't even know how we made it, but we did, and we get to miss out on another day of school, and I get to spend the day with people I actually like, and it's going to be so much fun!

I couldn't think of a gif to do for this one.... Pardon my lack of creativity.

The Bad

SAGE Testing

One word to describe this: ugh, gross, goshdarnit, crud, yucky, stupid, useless, glitchy, clearasmud, ridiculous, poopy. Oh wait, that was eleven (11, 1, same thing, just bear with me here).  I just love having to spend 50 minutes out of our given 80 minutes in the tech office while my computer is having software reinstalled (and not working), just for a glitchy, rough standardized test. Yup, definition of a great day. 

Can anyone relate?

Spotify

I'm still going to blame this on SAGE Testing, because through the software updates, they removed Spotify off my computer. And my main source for listening to music, gone? Yeah, I'm not a happy camper.

I. Have. A. B

Many of you are probably like, "Oh, boohoo Pauline, deal with it," but really, it is that bad.

You may think they are fine and innocent, but really they're just out there to ruin your dreams

I just reread the Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars

I don't even know what to do with myself.

I can't look at pictures or gifs because it's going to bring back the feels, and no one wants to see Pauline spazzing out with the feels. Actually you might want to grab a video camera. 

Ciao!

Auditions!! (Part 2)

In my last post, I gave you the first very three steps on how to do an audition, and it just kind of abruptly ended. I decided I wouldn't throw like 1,200 words at you in one post, so you are welcome. But if any of you had an audition between the time I posted my last post, and now, you probably were completely lost because you were missing out on the rest of my expert advice on auditions! ;) JUST KIDDING! I have no idea how I made it into the band I was auditioning for so I wouldn't exactly call myself an expert....

 4. Finish your piece.

Correct way*: Grand finale! Dynamics, tone, musicality, rhythm! AND YOU DID IT! Breathe quietly and smile because you survived the first part.

Incorrect way: Grand finale! Oh wow, look how fast I'm playing this! There goes another five accidentals, I sound awesome! The piece ended, and I'm still playing. This may be an issue. Whoops. I might need to work on that some more.

Haha haha haha. Nope. 

5. Sight reading

Correct way: Look at piece. Oh sheesh! It's hard! Oh well don't panic. You don't have to be perfect. Key signature, time signature, dynamics, fingerings. Make sure you have your fingers for first five notes then you can work from there. Start when your ready, and even when it's hard, just keep looking for patterns. Play through, just worry about notes and rhythms, and don't stop. You made it! Not your best reading, but it could've been worse!

Incorrect way*: Look at piece. Oh sheesh! It's hard! PANIC! Those are really high notes!  I don't know those fingerings! Oh look this piece changes time signatures. That's nifty. Look at piece over and over, try to figure out first notes, but it doesn't work. Stare at piece. Person looks at watch again. Look at piece, try to start, mess up, and try again. Play through. Yup, this sounds great. I have no idea what I'm doing! Oh is that I spider in the corner! Nope, I'm just hallucinating. Oh good it's over. Oh well I wonder what that piece is supposed to sound like. Not like that!

This is scarier than spiders

6. Scales

Correct way*: Person asks you to play a scale from the lowest note you can play to the highest note you can play. Sweet! You know chromatic scales like the back of your hand!

Incorrect way: What's a scale? Where's the back of my hand? Oh look! I stopped shaking! Progress!!

7. Exit.

Correct way*: Look at the person auditioning you, say thank you, they nod back at you, grab your music, and walk out the door.

Incorrect way: Look at the person auditioning you, apologize (NEVER, EVER DO THIS IN AN AUDITION), they look at you like they don't know what to say, walk out, then shuffle back in nonchalantly because you forgot your music. Trip out door, and while closing the door behind you, say really loudly, "That was horrible!" and that person shakes their head in agreement.

Tripping over flat surfaces requires talent

TAH-DAH

Note to self, the stars are what I did. And no, I did not do all the incorrect ones, I'm not that special.

One last thing, if you are a band kid and haven't already seen this, you will appreciate this.

True fact... More on this next time

Auditions!! (Part 1)

First of all before we begin the fun, this happened before last weeks blog, but I didn't have time to write it then because I needed a de-stresser blog.


ANYWAYS, auditions.

FUN FUN FUN

How to do a successful audition/non successful musical audition.

1. Entrance to the audition.

Correct way: Walk into the room quietly and calmly, and make sure you have collected yourself. Close the door quietly, but make sure it is closed. Say hello to the person auditioning you, smile politely, tell them the piece you are doing.
*
Incorrect way: When the person before you comes out relieved, you stay in your seat and start shaking and hyperventilating. Then realize you need to do an audition so stand up, trip over your music stand, slam your reed or mouthpiece on something so it chips, freak out, then trip into the room you will be auditioning in. Smile sheepishly at the person auditioning you, shake nervously some more, realize you forgot to close the door, so go and slam the door close (whoops!). Shake even more, look at your reed/mouthpiece, and shake nervously some more. Then smile at the person, again (they probably think you are really creepy now), and introduce yourself (even though the band teacher already knows you) and your piece.

My general expression during auditions

2. Begin the piece.

Correct way*: After introducing yourself, don't wait too long to start because you don't want your audition to last forever. Start with a solid first note, just like you have been practicing, and make sure your audition-er doesn't know you only had four days to prepare the piece. Play through keeping calm thoughts in your mind but stay focused. You got this!

Incorrect way: After your failure of an introduction, realize you probably completely failed the whole thing. Would you look at that? You are still shaking. Wait forever to start piece because you are scared. What if you mess up on the first note?! What if you have to start over?! What if you miss an accidental?! Oh crud, he's looking at his watch. HE'S SO DISAPPOINTED IN ME! I DON'T KNOW  WHAT I'M DOING! WHY DID I EVEN DECIDE THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA! I'M SO STUPID I KNOW I CAN'T DO THIS! Unceremoniously start, and your tone sucks because you're shaking so much. Well at least you didn't mess up the first note, we'll take what we can get.

3. Play through your piece.

Correct way: After a smooth entrance, just play the way you have always practiced. Those accidentals come naturally, and so do the dynamics. This hard run is coming up, focus! Well, you missed a note, but don't start over, it's in the past now. YOU CAN DO THIS! You start shaking a little bit because everything has caught up to you, but don't give in. You know you want this, and you know you can do it!
*
Incorrect way*: OH HEY LOOK AT THAT ACCIDENTAL! WHEN DID THAT SHOW UP?! I guess there are just a bunch of fairies writing in notes to screw me up. WELL MY AUDITION-ER WILL NEVER KNOW! It's not like he's heard this piece a thousand times before.. Nope! Well on the bright side, I'm not shaking anymore, I'm vibrating. Oh wo, look at this run, my brain now thinks I have never seen it. Okay let's restart that bar quickly. Shoot! I was told to never restart! Oh crud, now I need to restart this too. This is really lovely, I'm enjoying myself. I didn't know it was physically possible for a human to shake nervously this fast.

I shall continue later!

Pauline's Key to Destressing

Well it's the end of third quarter here, and I might as well die. There is so much work to be done in so little time. And if you're anything like me (you care about your grades, you won't sleep until every little last thing is done, you are a perfectionist, you have to study for everything, you are a nerd), you are quite familiar with this little thing called stress. And yes, we are all feeling it right now. I'm partially writing this blog for me, partially for whoever is reading this, but I think we all need a de-stresser moment in our lives.

Social Life? How do you Social Life?

Here are some ways I like to de-stress:


1) Gossip Girl: It's great, I curl up with a mug of hot cocoa or tea, and savor the next forty five minutes of overly-dramatic-trying-a-bit-too-hard-tv, but hey I love that show. I try my hardest to forget about what ever auditions, finals, tests, or assignments may be coming up. If you were just gonna sit around and think about your homework and not do it, might as well relax during that time.

2) A good book: Actually I think this should be number one, but I'm too lazy to move it. I'm reading Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (who else), The Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart, and I'm starting to reread Divergent by Veronica Roth. And these books are necessarily calming books, but what beats a good book? NOTHING! Maybe a cup of hot tea actually.

3) Yoga: Well I've only like tried it once, and it didn't work great for me because I struggle with this condition called L.A.Z.Y. and doing yoga actually requires me to get off the couch, while reading a good book or watching tv doesn't.

YERGAH

4) Calling or texting a friend: Sadly for your poor friends who are already stressed enough, complaining actually does make you feel better because then you realize you are overreacting a tiny little bit, and you are forced to see that it could actually be much much worse, so you are weirdly forced into this tiny bit of comfort from your complaining. I actually might be crazy and you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about.

5) Riding: Well this is probably just me or you fellow horse people out there. Nothing soothes me like a good ride and one-on-one time with my big black, way too fast horse (I love you Gambit!).

6) Did I already say reading?

7) Music: Either playing music or listening to it, when you find a good piece or song, you can just blast full volume and sit back and relax and let music overtake you instead of your stupid teachers.

8) ICE CREAM     Yeahhh, I know where it's at.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! ONE MORE WEEK AND ONE MORE QUARTER!!

Wins, Losses, and Bandapalooza

First off, hey guys! I know I promised a video of me riding, but as mentioned in an earlier post, I lost my video camera, and I still can’t find it. I’m going with the theory that it vanished off the face of this Earth. I apologize.

Bandapalooza

Before I start on this, I’m not even going to try to explain the amount of chaos in this.

Bandapalooza is a giant band concert our band system does, and it starts off with the best band, and we keep adding the bands in until sixth grade. By the time the sixth graders get on, we have like 300 people on stage. It’s a blast. Our song, Gathering of the Ranks of Hebron, I thought, went pretty well. It sounded really good with two bands, instead of just one. I couldn’t hear the Wind Ensemble’s song because Symphonic Band was waiting in the back hallway behind the backstage, and let’s just say, if there were a competition to see how quiet a group of 44 people could be, and 101 groups entered the contest, we would be ranked 102. 

Then the Eighth Grade band got on, and they were pretty good. So all three good bands playing together, it’s pretty magestical. This would be considered a win. Then things went downhill after the second Seventh Grade song. None of us were used to playing in a group of 220 people, so playing just ended up being mass chaos. This would not be considered a win.

Sorry bad quality, but this is us

Other wins

Riding outside in February: My ex racehorse has only one speed (I’m-going-so-fast-that-I-just-cut-off-four-different-people-and-my-poor-rider-is-apologizing-to-every-single-one-of-those-slowpokes-she-doesn’t-understand-the-need-for-speed) and he’s much easier to control when theres actually space. 

Not failing my science test: After Bandapalooza, I had to come home and study for a Biology test the first thing in the morning. I took the test, and it didn’t end up being an epic fail. Well, actually, who knows?

Losses

Losing my video camera, leaving my coat in a friend's car, and playing one of the worst solos I have played in my life.

Basically

Losing the state championship hockey game: What else is there to say besides it was a really good and intense game? But we lost. I mean we did go into the third overtime, but we lost in the first minute of it. Everyone was surrounded by our goal, and the goalie lost sight of the puck for less than half the second. Once he found it, you can guess where it was. In the fine netting of our goal. It was really quite disappointing, but good job Park City! It was close and we played well. Until the very end. But we can forget that.

Mayo is from our hockey team

Sore Throats and Snooze Buttons

I've been really stressed lately and one night pushed me over the edge so now I am sick. Like I have one of those colds where it feels like your head is about to explode because of the pressure, where your throat feels like someone is dragging a dagger down the middle of it, you can't breathe hardly at all because your nose and throat is blocked up, and where it feels like your whole skeletal system might just collapse into powder because your own weight is too much. Anyone know the feeling? Most of  you probably do. Let's just say a few mornings this week I managed getting out of bed at the fourth time of my alarm clock ringing, but one morning I think I broke my alarm clock by hitting the snooze button too many times that I just stayed home.

Yep, this is my week in a nutshell.

As well as being sick, let's just say a few of my teachers have given us maybe a little more work than we bargained for. I mean, from the tests, essays, science fairs, math finals, makeups, and missing out on the barn, I'm done with this week.

During French class, my teacher sent me outside because I was feeling so awful. I felt so bad so I was thankful that I was released but I almost started crying in front of the class. And I didn't even know why. I mean I was really miserable, but not that miserable to start crying in front of a bunch of guys. Like, c'mon Pauline! Really?

Tonight, on a completely different topic, was amazing! And then I had to write an essay. Tonight was the Sweetheart Gala which is a fundraiser for Park City Bands and the Varsity Jazz Band plays three hours of music while anyone who buys a ticket enjoys the night. All of the band kids work the program, and we cater to the people so they have a wonderful night of food, socializing, music, and dancing. It's also a blast for us kids! Any of you fellow band kids would know! ;) I will go more into this later, as well as my thoughts on Valentine's Day, more school complaints, new ways to describe the taste of cold medicine, and more! Sorry for such a boring and informative blog post (I was totally crunched for time), I will try to keep these to a minimum! Night, y'all!

Butterfingers

Hey guys! If you read the title (which I am expecting you did, because that would just be silly not to read a title), sorry, this post isn't about my favorite candy, which by the way, is swedish fish.

The reason the title is what it is, is because that's the only way I could describe the varsity girls' team tonight. Butterfingers. Normally we’re not that bad (I don't think we could be necessarily called good...) but tonight was just a fail. A big fat one.

Pause

I play in pep band, and it's absolutely a blast. We get the game 10 times more riled up than it ever would be with just basketball, and we encourage some... Uhhhh... Not-so-friendly confrontations with the other team. But yay! We get the people to focus more on us than they were focusing on the game! One point to the Park City pep band! Anyways, we watch the whole game, and provide the real entertainment.

This would be us, except we had a lot less people

Un-pause

Since we were up in a loft watching the game, we had a nice easy view of the whole court. So basically, we had our losing team up in lights being displayed very nicely for us. How thoughtful. Plus, barely any people come to see the girls’ games, so it’s almost depressing.

Mmmhmmm, yeah no.

You think it would be easy to always play and sound happy, but playing for a hopeless cause game, it's very draining, it's more like a chore, and there isn't nearly as much energy behind it as there should be. On the girls' team, everyone just had butterfingers (thanks Amelia and Morgan for the term ;) ). They always lost the ball, couldn’t make any free throws, their defense wasn’t prime, and to top it all off, the other team was having a really good night.

Well we lost that game by I think at least  28-44 (or something like that. I stopped paying attention and I don’t remember the score, I just know it was in that range and we were losing badly).

When it came time for the boys' varsity team, well that was a blast! The team was so pumped when the first quarter started, that we couldn't help but play stronger than before. Plus they had tons of people show up too, which helps. The game was really intense and everyone was riled up. In the fourth quarter of that game,  the lead switched teams, and within the last two minutes, we got up one, and we held it the rest of the game. 

Very intense game, with lot's of this

You can imagine the screaming, stupid uncalled for moves by the players, fouls, sore throats, and angry coaches and refs.  Basketball games are fun. Especially when you’re in pep band. Yay band!

We saw this a lot too

Band Concerts! Yay!

Rockin' On Top of the World! That's how I feel right now! We had two band concerts in a row. Let me repeat myself, TWO! I'm like super duper excited and I'm feeling really rejuvenated (and nap-worthy). I feel so Christmas-y right now because of listening to so much Christmas music and seeing so many Santa hats! I didn't get to go to the barn again (ug!) but the band/orchestra/choir festival and smooth performances more than made up for it! By the way, when you put a good orchestra, a good band, and a good choir together, it is the most heavenly sound and music you will ever hear.

There was a "little" incident in our band concert. First of all, let me explain that the whole two days were pretty much complete chaos because we've never done a concert like this. The bands playing were just as confused as the audience. Mr. Taylor, our band director, told us to not do what the eighth grade band did. And that was to not go on stage too early and sit there without any idea what to do. Anyone, can you guess what we did? Yup! We got on stage too early **facepalm.** Even earlier than what the eighth grade band did. We can skip the fact that we were all sitting in our spots on the stage, cracking up and sharing equally puzzled looks with our fellow band people.

As things got even more awkward, someone stood up to tune us because it could be pretty nasty playing without tuning. We then tried to do an exercise to check if we were in tune. Well, the person who tuned us had no idea how to conduct (it's easy! Floor, door, window, ceiling, people! Floor, door, window, ceiling!), but thank goodness for him anyway. If he hadn't shown up, it would've been a multiple-train-trainwreck rather than just a singular-train-trainwreck. After we tried to tune, someone gets up to apologize to the audience for our band director not being there yet (he was still conducting another band in a different room). He starts his very speech with, "Well I'm probably going to flunk this class for doing this..." Classy. What was even funnier, no later than thirty seconds after that person sat down, someone else came from the hall and apologized to the audience, again. Once Mr. Taylor walks onto the stage, he looks to us, laughs and smiles, then shakes his head. Go Thursdays!

One last thing, my good friend, Molly, well she and I listened to Varsity Jazz Band (they are amazing) together on Wednesday. When they started their last tune, Baby, It's Cold Outside (probably our favorite tune), she and I turn to each other and give each other the most priceless looks of creepy happiness.

We smiled smiles very similar to this one.

I hopefully will be posting a video of me on Gambit on Saturday so you can finally see me ride!

I Can Breathe through Squeaky Reeds

 I didn't end up jumping out of a window before the concert, no car crashes, I actually survived the concert. But barely. You know how for a saxophone, clarinet, or some instrument like that, there are these reeds that you put on the mouthpiece so that when you blow into it, it makes a sound. Well when those reeds break or are dry, they squeak. And guess what happened when my part was featured and when I had a solo? My reed dried out. So "SQUUUEEEEEAAAAKKKKK" was a common sound heard during that song. After my reed failed in me and I was totally humiliated, there was still applause as to say, "Ladies and gentlemen, Song for My Father featuring Pauline and the squeaky, uncooperative reed!"

"Yes, thank you, because I'm not already embarrassed enough without the pity clap..."

Well it wasn't that bad, I worked through it, and I did have some pretty good note choices. I just had some major technical difficulties... But afterwards we went to Cold Stone and got ice creams and smoothies. The best part is, like half of the jazz band was there. It was like an after party! While the poor ladies wanted to close up shop, all of us band geeks were talking together.

And the best part of this is?! I got to go to the barn today! And let me tell you, that helped me so much. Funny how spending time with four-legged creatures that weigh ten times as much as you helps. That is my definition of therapy.

But guess what? It's almost Halloween! My (wait a moment.... first, second, third, oh I got it!) fourth favorite holiday of the year! Well I will go more elaborately into this in a later blog post! See you around!

To Do or Not to Be

Well you are probably thinking, "Now that ain't right." And no it ain't. Okay, I'm done with the bad grammar. Well to do or not to be, that is the real question. Back to my little issue, music or horses? Well, I'm still figuring it out, but I haven't had a horseback lesson in now three weeks. That's awful for me. Think of something you really love. Reading, video games, art, sports, chasing children, whatever makes you happy. Now think about not doing that for THREE WEEKS. Or for any of you music people out there, imagine not going to band or a lesson for three weeks. Well now you feel like me.

I'm shaking out of my own skin, wanting to have a dinosaur step on anything that comes in my way of the barn, etc. Oh and look, what conflicts with the barn? Music. Hey look, I like music. Wow, this is just dandy. I have two band concerts, two weeks in a row, ON THE SAME DAY I'M SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BARN! So now, the question, to do or not to be? Or to be and not to do? I'm either going to do band and music lessons, and not be at the barn. Or, I will be at the barn and not do band.

Well the answer ended up being to do and not to be. I'm going to the concerts. I love music. I love band, most of my friends in school are from band, and my grade depends on it. So music ends up being my Wednesday plan for the next two weeks.

I have a solo at my jazz concert (if you go to this link, they might have videos of the concert) tonight (which I am planning on jumping out a window before so I can have a reasonable excuse not to go). I'm terrified. The only other times I soloed in front of everyone was the last jazz concert. Most people you would expect a solo to be like "Ba da ba da ba da ba da ba doo waat. De be da bah da doowat-doowat doo ba da doo wah-daht," and so on. But I was like "Garble de farble de doowat garble, squeak, breathe, garble dee," and so on.

The irony is, I'm much more comfortable on a horse that ways at least ten times as much as I do, jumping over things that are 1/2 to 3/4 my height, speeding 25 mph towards a gate and doing everything I can to not slam into it, than I am standing up, playing about a minute of improvised music to people, and sitting back down.

This is 2 feet six inches...  Back when I used to go to the barn..

Don't get me wrong, I love, love, LOVE music and jazz, but it's easier to listen to it than it is to play. I just scare myself by inadvertently comparing myself to people way better than me in music. On horseback, people dare to compare to me.