(looking around) I played trumpet and french horn... ssshhh.. also played guitar in the jazz ensemble.

I played french horn (very poorly, mind you---only made it to third chair) and mellophone (better because you can wail outdoors)...I was only in it for the parties and cute boys.

It's okay, Jill. I was a drummer in band too. I also thought it was cool. Then, after a total of one year doing it, I realized that being in band was equivalent to having typhoid when it came to girls. So, that was the end of that.

Rilly?? I'm tellin' ya; some of the cutest and "cool" boys in my HS were in band (amongst other things)---maybe it was an eighties thing....

Steve, that's the difference.

Being in BAND, you're a nerdpack geekazoid from Mars.

Being in A BAND - Hellloooo Ladies....

I got all sorts of attention from the cheerleaders and girls who would never give me the time of day otherwise when I was in A BAND.
Although, all the Rush tunes we played never really got them swooning too much... But Billy Squier? Hellooo Ladies...

I'm soooo jealous... I desperately wanted to be in Band, but my parents wouldn't let me join, thush ruining my social life.

All my friends were in Band and when they went on Band trips I had to eat all alone in the lunchroom. Oh the shame... the pain, it still haunts me today...

I don't see any shame in being in band.

I am 25 and I teach high school band and consider myself one of the cooler teachers in the building. What better way to influence the future of music. I train them classically and play the Current in my classroom before and after class somedays.

I have turned on a lot of students to GOOD music. Where else are they going to learn about Spoon, Wilco, The Hold Steady and tons of great local music.

And I bet if you start asking, most rock musicians can trace their love of music and early training back to high school music.

Have you thanked your band director lately.

Although I keed before, I had a great time in
band/jazz ensemble. I never used my locker my Jr./Sr. year as a core group of us (the rhythm section for the JE) lived out of a practice room. We stored our books and junk in there, had a coffee maker and snacks. Our band director let us jam at lunchtime and endured our 1/2 hour Rush "Medlies", and learning how to rock out on Who, Queen, Zepplin, and whatever else we felt like playing. It was the best musical training/time I've ever had in my life. We also learned how to be pretty darned good jazz players. He was strict and taught us a lot, but he also gave us the freedom to find out what we could do.

Kudos to you, Lukk for taking up the mantle. You sound like a cool band director.

So, Thank You, Don Bates (retired) of Hopkins High School for being a kick-a** band director. I learned a lot from you. Your sons (JT and Chris) are helping to keep the jazz you love so much alive and well.

Band is for nerds. start a garage band, party, have groupies.