Well– I’m in Indy still, so I won’t be at rehearsal tonight. Which I’m kind of glad about.
This year has been sort of a goat fuck.
Weather has (again) been a challenge. But at least I have come to expect that and can prepare for the shittiness.
The shittiness I can’t prepare for involves our staff and organization in general.
I think I expressed my frustration earlier at the lack of preparedness being exhibited going into this season. It’s like everything was adrift.
Schedules and locations were not finalized or in limbo. The leadership team wasn’t set until late. We didn’t get music very early and we’re STILL waiting on a final version of our closer. Membership is low. People are blowing off rehearsals.
Commitment just isn’t there. On any level.
Half our staff has basically evaporated– they all seem to be helping Junior corps. And seeing this lack of commitment makes the horn line members not care.
And then the staff that IS present yells at the horns that are ALSO present for being slackers and not practicing enough and fucking too much up.
And THEN we’re told that the music is basically taking a back seat to design this year, and focus is percussive, not brass.
It’s been very disheartening. It’s like we’re being set up to fail at every turn.
Everything just has a real shoddy feel this year, which is exactly the opposite feel from past years. And we have just about run out of time to turn the ship around.
Case in point: two weeks ago we got a version of our closing tune. Which was an extensive rewrite of the first version we only received the week prior. Only it was fraught with errors and fucked up rhythms/time signatures.
Normally all the music is out in march and fully memorized by now.
Yet this year we still haven’t received a final version of our closer– and we are supposed to play this tune in a parade.
Next fucking week.
I haven’t even begun to memorize this piece BECAUSE WE DON’T EVEN HAVE ACCURATE MUSIC FOR IT!
Things are circling the drain rapidly and I don’t know what I can do about it. I’m not sure there is anything I can do.
The only thing I know for sure is that this will be my last year marching. And if things don’t change, my career is going to end on a downer.