Name of instrumental band where 3 girls playing flute, violin and drum?

Should I quit marching and concert band?

• I'm at the end of my freshman year and this year I've distinguished the good from the bad-- the teachers who enjoy teaching and want to see their students grow and the teachers who are just there for their paycheck. I play the flute (since January 2011) in concert band. We really didn't get that much done in band class this year. Our classes are roughly 40 minutes long-- on average, my teacher spends about 20 making announcements, 15 minutes playing scales, and about 5 minutes playing our actually concert songs. We get off topic so much. I can tell you my teacher's husband's name and that he once hit a bunny on the way home from church. I can also tell you how old her nieces and nephews are, but I can't tell you why music is important. I didn't really grow as a musician this year. If I compare my musician self in September to who I am now, my ability has stayed the same (if not gotten worse). I am also in colorguard (since July 2010). I spin flags (we only have flags since we're a small school). I always spin my flag at home and love teaching myself new tricks and perfecting every move. I really dred going to the practices, though. Sometimes my instructor doesn't even show up. When she does, she always singles me out when I make one mistake, but she doesn't yell at the other girls for when they don't know the routine. She and the other girls always mock me because I put too much "oomph" into my moves and smile too much. (Our band needs oomph, trust me.) I have been dealing with this issue since a few months after I joined and it got worse gradually. Now honestly, it's at the point where it makes me want to kill myself (I would never do that, though, because they would probably be happy with me gone forever). At the practices, my instructor always tells us inappropriate things (like she said she forgot to take her birth control one day and that's how she got pregnant). When I come home from practices, I expect to be a better musician and performer. I shouldn't be coming home bawling my eyes out. If I would quit, I would still practice my flute and flag on my own. (I want to be a colorguard instructor one day and watch the girls get better and better each time.) Should I quit or what? Thanks for reading this! I know it was long.

• Answer:

  Don't quit! Just keep practicing on your own! As a bonus it REALLY helps with college applications. Complain to your principal if need be. Or the board of Ed. I did band/guard also.