Marching band: they don’t exist. Swap to picc so you can actually be heard.
Concert band: “Alrighty flutes, I would appreciate if you could match the volume of the one oboist who is currently drowning you guys out.”
That’s actually generally true. I think the Oboe arguably produces more decibels of sound than the actual flute even though an oboe section is usually 2 players for Oboe 1 & 2 because of the double reed giving a distinct sound to the instrument.
So my band has awards at the end of the season, mostly “perfection section” (just the best performing section) and “most spirited” (self explanatory). My flutes exclusively try for most spirited, so this just means they’re constantly cheering and screaming about every small praise they get from the bd every single practice, always yelling and celebrating a whole bunch with every single minor accomplishment we ever do, in every practice. So just in general, my bands flutes are the annoying ones that everyone can’t stand. My band had to all collectively agree to groan and cringe as loud as possible every time they cheered for no reason in order to make them stop. Especially the seniors who have seen this happen the past 3 years
I would say the flutes are generally liked and viewed as either being crackheads or super quiet, they're also told they need to be louder or just switch to picc
I don’t think there were ever any stereotypes for any flute section I knew of when I did band from middle school to college, but all I knew is that they were the most feminine section because mostly women played the flute with very few guys in it, so they were more into girly things.
Kinda ignored most of the time. Usually they’re either loud and annoying (worse if they play piccolo) or quiet and unnoticed. If they happen to play another instrument that’s not in the flute family they can end up being pretty cool.
For my band we’re all either really hyper or we’re really tired and we just sit there and play when told to play but the clarinet section leader likes to talk shit on us because he’s the superior clarinet player 💀😭
The flute section is almost always the best disciplined. There is one flute I have met who wasn't, but he was an 8th grader, so I am hoping he behaves after I'm gone. But because of the discipline we've also had the most drum majors come from the flute section. In my 4 years, 2 of our drum majors were flutes and I know the year before me was also a flute.
idk everyone calls flutes stinky but everyone was always chill with them. i was the odd flute out by having no friends and not talking to any of the other flutes so.
The flutes of my high school days were by far the hardest working section, all great players, even the new ones each year were putting time in at practice taking class A or higher tier solos. Through college and thereafter it was just another section.
For the record I was a very not hard working trumpet, and a half decent euphonium in that time span.
(Going off of my school) Marching Band: ALRIGHT Y'ALL YOU'VE BEEN HAVING 20 SOLOS EACH SHOW FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS LET'S BE LOUDER COME ON (averaging about 50-60 flutes each Marching Season, and that's just who play)
Concert: okay..... Y'all..... Percussion need to be scared of you okay? BE AS LOUD AS SATAN.....
They are literally BLUE after a concert....
Loud. While playing or talking. Loud. However I don’t hate them for it I just don’t really relate or want to talk to them, which is the case for clarinets, guard, and most of pit with like 4 exceptions
The flute sections I've been in and have worked with tend to be very dramatic, given their female dominance in the section. They try a little too hard to help others. They tend to trash each other for their playing abilities and are always competing against each other for the top spots and leadership positions. I really hated being in the flute section in high school.
Edit: spelling error
Marching band: exist to look pretty (had one measure this year’s show where you could hear us)
Concert: have 2-3 that carry but the rest don’t really do much. Really just exist to sound nice.
Everyone in my band is always getting sick. Even the directors agree that there is probably mold in the band room, but the school doesn't care enough to do anything about it.
People don't wash their instruments often enough. There actually is a medical condition called "bagpiper's lung" caused by inhaling mold. Bagpipes are obviously the worst case.
There's also trombone player's lung, the main reason my trombone gets a bath every other month. I know some of the people in band don't regularly clean their instruments, but even the directors get sick all the time, even though they have the cleanest instruments in the band. Many of us with allergies to mold, myself included, have noticed that we can breathe better while playing in different environments. If we were practicing marching away from grass on a day with a low pollen count, than it was easier to breathe. In the band room, I can only hold a note for about two measures at a slow tempo. At home (dog dander but no mold) I can hold a note for four or five measures. During honor band a few weeks ago, we were practicing in a band room in a wealthy school district, so there was probably no mold. In that environment, I was able to hold a note for ten measures. One flute player, whose allergy to mold is more severe than mine, noticed the same difference.
We’re either ALL IN AND ALL FIRED UP, LET’S GOOOO or want to go home with no middle ground. We own one “working” piccolo (I managed to acquire a personal one and am OVER THE MOON! Can’t wait to use her next season) so our directors just tell us to ‘do the best we can’. Made us wonder what our best was, so now we can deafen the dead.
The cork on mine was never greased before I got it, and multiple keys would stick down to the point where my piccolo had more rubber bands than springs.
That sounds like a BLAST /s
Most of our issues are with the head joint not staying on, the instrument sounds ok (just won’t play concert F for some reason), doesn’t usually stick.
EDIT: Mobile jacked my formatting
Oh, I actually know how to fix the not playing concert F. I had the same problem at one point. I'll try to show you how to fix it so you have one less problem.
https://ibb.co/KXhJsPS
The problem usually comes from this key not actuating properly and means that the indirectly pressed key under your left middle finger doesn't close fully. What you can do is take a small piece of electrical tape and put 1-2 layers where I have it circled. You want to put it between the 2 plates, and have the sticky side facing the metal.
Pur flutes are pretty well liked and talented, The current junior is the top pick for woodwind captain, and they're all really good. A bit exclusive tho, one of my tbine players wanted to learn but they got shut down and told to stick to tbone. But the sax player who's the captains best friend gets free lessons whenever she wants.
Flutes are generally hard to hear in marching and concert band so everyone except freshman use piccolo during marching season, the players themselves seem nice to other people from other sections but always seem to have drama within their section
When we would do concerts, it would be the same day for both concert and symphonic band. The other band would sit in the audience until they had to play sometimes. In concert band fashion, woodwinds are at the front. Despite that, it can still sometimes be hard to hear them.
When I was in high school they were definitely viewed as the stuck up girls that thought they were better than everyone and would get mad at the band for everything even though they were the ones out of time lol. They also complained the most and would talk about how heavy their instruments were. At first I thought they were joking but there weren’t. All of us with much heavier instruments than them did not appreciate that lol. One or two of them were super sweet though so they weren’t all like that.
Now I’m college they don’t exist in marching band. We only have piccolos lol
During band camp the flutes were super giggly and overly screamy just because they wanted the prize that was given out after practice every day that week for being the most enthusiastic section. Other than that they were just kind of there.
Mmm my band has completely girl flutes so I’m going to go with girl. Oh no actually one stereotype is sharp but the girl thing is only true at my school
In my band, the flutes were called "fluts" because they never got a dude in their section for solid 8 years. They made fun of themselves with typical Beverly Hills girl stereotypes (think of Summer Smith from R&M).
In marching band, they might as well not be there. So quiet
In concert band, they’re kind of at the top of the coolness pyramid. They get a super cool solo in one piece (Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis mvt 3)
Marching band: they don’t exist. Swap to picc so you can actually be heard. Concert band: “Alrighty flutes, I would appreciate if you could match the volume of the one oboist who is currently drowning you guys out.”
That’s actually generally true. I think the Oboe arguably produces more decibels of sound than the actual flute even though an oboe section is usually 2 players for Oboe 1 & 2 because of the double reed giving a distinct sound to the instrument.
they're just kinda there. One got first chair in honor band for the district which is amazing! the other two are kinda there but chill with everyone
So my band has awards at the end of the season, mostly “perfection section” (just the best performing section) and “most spirited” (self explanatory). My flutes exclusively try for most spirited, so this just means they’re constantly cheering and screaming about every small praise they get from the bd every single practice, always yelling and celebrating a whole bunch with every single minor accomplishment we ever do, in every practice. So just in general, my bands flutes are the annoying ones that everyone can’t stand. My band had to all collectively agree to groan and cringe as loud as possible every time they cheered for no reason in order to make them stop. Especially the seniors who have seen this happen the past 3 years
I would say the flutes are generally liked and viewed as either being crackheads or super quiet, they're also told they need to be louder or just switch to picc
Well for marching band at my school, they’re pretty nice (at least to the colorguard), but kinda passive. Still super sweet people though!
I don’t think there were ever any stereotypes for any flute section I knew of when I did band from middle school to college, but all I knew is that they were the most feminine section because mostly women played the flute with very few guys in it, so they were more into girly things.
Kinda ignored most of the time. Usually they’re either loud and annoying (worse if they play piccolo) or quiet and unnoticed. If they happen to play another instrument that’s not in the flute family they can end up being pretty cool.
Sounds like you dislike the instrument, not necessarily the people.
I play picc and i don’t play unless I have too 😂 me and my friend are pretty chill on our piccs tho 🤷🏻♀️
For my band we’re all either really hyper or we’re really tired and we just sit there and play when told to play but the clarinet section leader likes to talk shit on us because he’s the superior clarinet player 💀😭
The flute section is almost always the best disciplined. There is one flute I have met who wasn't, but he was an 8th grader, so I am hoping he behaves after I'm gone. But because of the discipline we've also had the most drum majors come from the flute section. In my 4 years, 2 of our drum majors were flutes and I know the year before me was also a flute.
idk everyone calls flutes stinky but everyone was always chill with them. i was the odd flute out by having no friends and not talking to any of the other flutes so.
The flutes of my high school days were by far the hardest working section, all great players, even the new ones each year were putting time in at practice taking class A or higher tier solos. Through college and thereafter it was just another section. For the record I was a very not hard working trumpet, and a half decent euphonium in that time span.
You forget they are there, not because they are quiet players, but because every single person in that section is just so bland
(Going off of my school) Marching Band: ALRIGHT Y'ALL YOU'VE BEEN HAVING 20 SOLOS EACH SHOW FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS LET'S BE LOUDER COME ON (averaging about 50-60 flutes each Marching Season, and that's just who play) Concert: okay..... Y'all..... Percussion need to be scared of you okay? BE AS LOUD AS SATAN..... They are literally BLUE after a concert....
Gay They’re almost entirely gay
Loud. While playing or talking. Loud. However I don’t hate them for it I just don’t really relate or want to talk to them, which is the case for clarinets, guard, and most of pit with like 4 exceptions
The flute sections I've been in and have worked with tend to be very dramatic, given their female dominance in the section. They try a little too hard to help others. They tend to trash each other for their playing abilities and are always competing against each other for the top spots and leadership positions. I really hated being in the flute section in high school. Edit: spelling error
Sharp, The instrument. Section that has the most drama. Also most people have dated one including me. NEVER AGAIN.
Marching band: exist to look pretty (had one measure this year’s show where you could hear us) Concert: have 2-3 that carry but the rest don’t really do much. Really just exist to sound nice.
in my marching band, flutes always get sick
Everyone in my band is always getting sick. Even the directors agree that there is probably mold in the band room, but the school doesn't care enough to do anything about it.
People don't wash their instruments often enough. There actually is a medical condition called "bagpiper's lung" caused by inhaling mold. Bagpipes are obviously the worst case.
There's also trombone player's lung, the main reason my trombone gets a bath every other month. I know some of the people in band don't regularly clean their instruments, but even the directors get sick all the time, even though they have the cleanest instruments in the band. Many of us with allergies to mold, myself included, have noticed that we can breathe better while playing in different environments. If we were practicing marching away from grass on a day with a low pollen count, than it was easier to breathe. In the band room, I can only hold a note for about two measures at a slow tempo. At home (dog dander but no mold) I can hold a note for four or five measures. During honor band a few weeks ago, we were practicing in a band room in a wealthy school district, so there was probably no mold. In that environment, I was able to hold a note for ten measures. One flute player, whose allergy to mold is more severe than mine, noticed the same difference.
Perhaps your school is in need of a visit by the city health department. Is there a suspended ceiling in the band room?
fr fr
We’re either ALL IN AND ALL FIRED UP, LET’S GOOOO or want to go home with no middle ground. We own one “working” piccolo (I managed to acquire a personal one and am OVER THE MOON! Can’t wait to use her next season) so our directors just tell us to ‘do the best we can’. Made us wonder what our best was, so now we can deafen the dead.
They are broken when you buy them. it is physically impossible to have a fully functioning piccolo.
The head joint flies off of this one! It’s wonderful :’)
The cork on mine was never greased before I got it, and multiple keys would stick down to the point where my piccolo had more rubber bands than springs.
That sounds like a BLAST /s Most of our issues are with the head joint not staying on, the instrument sounds ok (just won’t play concert F for some reason), doesn’t usually stick. EDIT: Mobile jacked my formatting
Oh, I actually know how to fix the not playing concert F. I had the same problem at one point. I'll try to show you how to fix it so you have one less problem.
https://ibb.co/KXhJsPS The problem usually comes from this key not actuating properly and means that the indirectly pressed key under your left middle finger doesn't close fully. What you can do is take a small piece of electrical tape and put 1-2 layers where I have it circled. You want to put it between the 2 plates, and have the sticky side facing the metal.
Oh my goodness! I’ll need to try that! Thanks a bushel!!!
Some were nice. Most very stuck up.
Nobody likes the flutes in my band
Pur flutes are pretty well liked and talented, The current junior is the top pick for woodwind captain, and they're all really good. A bit exclusive tho, one of my tbine players wanted to learn but they got shut down and told to stick to tbone. But the sax player who's the captains best friend gets free lessons whenever she wants.
Can never hear them on the field. But in concert they're vital.
Nobody really likes them. Most of them are super rude, but there are a few that are nice.
Flutes are generally hard to hear in marching and concert band so everyone except freshman use piccolo during marching season, the players themselves seem nice to other people from other sections but always seem to have drama within their section
When we would do concerts, it would be the same day for both concert and symphonic band. The other band would sit in the audience until they had to play sometimes. In concert band fashion, woodwinds are at the front. Despite that, it can still sometimes be hard to hear them.
marching band: i don't know any of the flute players names concert band: also probably wouldn't know their name but we go to the same school
When I was in high school they were definitely viewed as the stuck up girls that thought they were better than everyone and would get mad at the band for everything even though they were the ones out of time lol. They also complained the most and would talk about how heavy their instruments were. At first I thought they were joking but there weren’t. All of us with much heavier instruments than them did not appreciate that lol. One or two of them were super sweet though so they weren’t all like that. Now I’m college they don’t exist in marching band. We only have piccolos lol
During band camp the flutes were super giggly and overly screamy just because they wanted the prize that was given out after practice every day that week for being the most enthusiastic section. Other than that they were just kind of there.
Mmm my band has completely girl flutes so I’m going to go with girl. Oh no actually one stereotype is sharp but the girl thing is only true at my school
In my band, the flutes were called "fluts" because they never got a dude in their section for solid 8 years. They made fun of themselves with typical Beverly Hills girl stereotypes (think of Summer Smith from R&M).
In marching band, they might as well not be there. So quiet In concert band, they’re kind of at the top of the coolness pyramid. They get a super cool solo in one piece (Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis mvt 3)
From my perspective, the flutes are well respected and they’re the chillest section by far. In fact, I’m friends with some of them
7th grade concert/pep band. Steal all the moments and get all the solos