Try-Outs

The drumline was starting to feel the effects of a new director. He wanted us to try out for each instrument. None of us had ever tried out for the line before...the section leader would place us on the drum he thought would best suit us. I was happy on the bass drum and really wanted to stay on that drum. I hoped that's where I would be placed.

We all waited in the drum room, a room that the drummers had set up with speakers and 'funny' pictures and a room that the new director was trying to change (yeah right, good luck with that!). We were called onto the stage one by one, and as one left, we sat in silence...a sound I had never heard the drumline produce before. When the first person came back shaking their head, we were all apprehensive and anxious to just get it over with.

Finally, my name was called. He called me out and had me stand behind the snare, like every other drummer. I hoped that wouldn't be my permanent place. He put a piece of music in front of me and had me play it. I played until I got to a note I didn't know and stopped. "I've never seen that note before and I don't know how to count it and play it," I said. He showed me and helped me count it through, and I soon got it. "You're a fast learner," he said as I left.

We I went back to the drum room, they all came to the door to ask how it was as another was called out. I told them as we all lapsed into silence again. Finally we were all done and he started to say our names and the instrument we would be on. I stood there, waiting for my name. "Kim...snare." My heart dropped. I loved my bass drum and I didn't think I was anywhere near good enough to play the snare. There was a new grip to learn, traditional, that I had never done before and takes time to get used to and perfect. The other snare player had been training all year and knew the grip well...I had until the first game to get the grip strong enough to play the show. Oy vey...