<p>Any experiences on making or not making the Blue Band as a frosh? This is my son's first choice school - mostly because of Blue Band and I hear only perhaps 50% of frosh make it to the band after band camp..true?</p>
<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Can’t offer advice - just support. The Blue Band was also a major draw for my son. We are hoping he makes it, but also trying to prepare him in case he doesn’t! </p>
<p>What does your son play?</p>
<p>My ds is a rising senior, myopically focussed on PSU…plays alto sax and 2 yrs as drum major (although he doesn’t think he can manage the front tuck required of a PSU drum major!)</p>
<p>My son and I will be going up for orientation next week and we will be meeting with someone from the Blue Band to ask some more questions. I’ll see what I can find out.</p>
<p>I friend of mine plays trombone for the Blue Band. From what I can scope, if your sons were considered some of “the best” in their instrument sections in high school, they have an excellent shot.</p>
<p>That’s good info, stealthx. </p>
<p>My son’s 280+ member marching band, with about 40 trumpets, was divided into 5 different concert bands. He was 4th - or maybe 3rd - chair in the top performing concert band. Plus he was part of the Jazz Band (audition only) and was asked to be part of the Symphonic Orchestra. I’d say the 2 best senior trumpet players were DS and his girlfriend! So - fingers crossed - that will work in his favor!</p>
<p>To be honest, if you’re from the South, I think those marching band kids have an advantage. I’m originally from the south and I moved to the northeast halfway through high school. From my perspective, the band programs from the south are much larger and dedicated than a lot of northern schools. If I had to compare my old school’s marching band to my recent school’s band, the southern band would tear apart the northern band. That’s not to say that every high school in the north is like this, but for my particular area, none of the local schools could compete as well as bands from my southern town. I think it has to do with football (the football teams in my northern town are small and lackluster) In turn, you may have an advantage since your son is from a large band and likely has experience playing for a large football crowd, which will help.</p>
<p>LOL!!! stealthx - I think you are probably right! And we now live in Texas (Houston) where football and marching bands are taken VERY seriously!!! Our rival district HS is a 6x state champ and an 11x runner-up. It’s serious business here! (Uh…we have the best band! 
)</p>
<p>Of course, DS came to this school as a junior, after many years overseas, so all this was VERY new and “foreign” for him. Poor boy didn’t even know what a pep rally was!</p>
<p>For your enjoyment - this is the 2009 marching show (and the first marching he had EVER done!)…
<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0irsTe02Go&feature=related[/url]”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0irsTe02Go&feature=related</a></p>
<p>Wow! The band is very impressive. And the stadium looks like a football stadium! I’m sure with only two years experience in performing with a great band, he will do fine in the blue band because he can adapt quickly.</p>
<p>The difference in band programs from region to region really shows! lol</p>
<p>I see the video is from a high school in Katy. My cousin goes to Seven Lakes.</p>
<p>stealthx - We LOVE the Seven Lakes Band!!! Our band and the Seven Lakes band have a great relationship.</p>
<p>Here is video from the Seven Lakes Homecoming. It was a joint show between our 2 bands and was in honor of the young SL band member who had been killed in a car crash a few weeks earlier. It was a phenomenal show!!! </p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - SLHS Band & JET Bands’ PART 1 Joint Halftime Performance 11-6-09](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGBRPH0UeNc]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGBRPH0UeNc)</p>
<p>(Note: the “Michael Jackson” dancer was one of our drum majors.)</p>
<p>Oh - and at the end of “Thriller” is “When a Man Loves a Woman” and DS is one of the featured trumpet players! It is STILL his best memory of high school! What a fabulous night!
(Note: you don’t see the trumpet players because they are playing to the “visitor” side)</p>
<p>WOW! I thought we were good, but…damn now THATS a marching band!</p>
<p>^^Thanks! Watching that performance still gives me chills!</p>
<p>Wow, now that’s a performance!</p>
<p>amandakayak - just to get back to you with some info…</p>
<p>We met with the main assistant for the Blue Band and she gave us a lot of great info. There were no stats for how many freshman make the band. But she said the most important part of the music audition is sight reading. Then the prepared piece, then marching.</p>
<p>My son has the details on the average # of students who have auditioned during the past 10 or so years (by instrument). I will have him dig that out of his stuff and find the stats on alto sax.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! I actually went ahead and ordered that “making of the blue band” documentary and that was really interesting. Have you seen that? Gave a real timeline for my son about what goes on before you get to know whether you make the cut…and that you audition music first. Helps to see the band staff being pretty nice though, no scare tactics! What also hit my son from that was one kid who made it, had to quit after a month because he wasn’t able to balance the schoolwork…and some comment one kid made about “yeah, I guess some people do come to college for reasons other than the blue band…” Funny!</p>
<p>Some years the Blue Band loses more members from certain sections than others and it’s easier for freshman to get into these sections. Some who didn’t make it freshman year came back and made it as sophmores. Somethng to keep in mind. Good luck to everyone. It’s a grueling try out.</p>
<p>Sax - Any idea if alot of altos will be graduating this year?</p>
<p>amandakayak - I was just going through a bunch of papers and found some stats for you for saxaphone.</p>
<h1>“rookie” auditioners</h1>
<p>2009 - 20
2008 - 23
2007 - 24
2006 - 26
2002-2009 average - 20</p>
<h1>“returnee” auditioners</h1>
<p>2009 - 19
2008 - 18
2007 - 12
2006 - 19
2002-2009 average - 17</p>
<h1>of saxophone spots in 2009 - 26</h1>
<p>So, if you “assume” that in 2009 all the returning players made it, that left 7 for newbies.</p>
<p>Fyi, went to “Spend a summer day” open house with son last week and was lucky to find that they were offering tours of the Blue Band Bldg. during the day. Headed out there right before leaving and were given a personal tour of the entire building, DVD of past performances, stats on auditions… Son’s jaw dropped at the uniform room and instrument rooms…got introduced to the director, asst director…it was the cherry on the top of the Penn St. creamery sundae. When we mentioned we were going to Michigan and Pitt in the next few days, she only had the nicest of comments about Michigan (no bad-mouthing the competition, which I really respected). I was really impressed by the personal attn.</p>
<p>Awesome to hear, amandakayak. My son had nothing but great words for directors of the program. </p>
<p>I did ask son on returning # of saxes but he had no idea. Sorry.</p>