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Thread: Help???

  1. #1

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    i think that my band teacher is sexist against girls. i tried out for snare and everyone said that i had the best tryouts but then my band teacher put me on a bass and a beginner percussionist on snare that just happened to be a boy. when i asked him about it he just said that i didn't look right for the snare drum. should i tell someone about it??????

  2. #2

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    Out of the few drummer chicks I've seen, there is no reason to think that female drummers are any worse or less capable of drumming than male drummers.

    That being said, I would raise as much Kane as I possibly could.
    "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer."
    - Henry David Thoreau

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  3. #3

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    Welcome to Drum Chat F H N Drumline! You won't find sexism here. We love our sister drummers! It's too bad that you have experienced it at your school, but I would probably tell your band director that you are confused by what he meant when he said that you didn't look right. Give him the opportunity to explain himself. If necessary, then, you can go to a guidance counselor, or directly to the principal. You may not get your snare position right away, but at least you might shed a light on this and keep it from happening again.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  4. #4

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    I agree with PB.

    Welcome to Drum Chat F H N!

  5. #5

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    Cool Help???

    Quote Originally Posted by f_h_n_drumline View Post
    i think that my band teacher is sexist against girls. i tried out for snare and everyone said that i had the best tryouts but then my band teacher put me on a bass and a beginner percussionist on snare that just happened to be a boy. when i asked him about it he just said that i didn't look right for the snare drum. should i tell someone about it??????
    You're darn right you should...go to the superintendent of your school district and tell them exactly what you told us. Not the teacher, not the principal of the school--go to the top of the food chain, so to speak.

    Not letting you appear on the snare because "you didn't look right for the snare drum" is sexism in its most blatant form...and you might notify your local TV station about this...it could make a most interesting story for an investigative reporter...
    keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!

    Charlie

    "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854

    "There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi

    "Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck

  6. #6

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    High school band tryouts should be about ability. The best performance on the instrument should get the slot. I agree with Bongo Bro if you go to the band director or the pricipal they may try to cover their buts, I would complain to the superintendent of schools, start at the top.
    Gretsch Catalina Birch 6 piece fusion set (10,12,14,16in. Toms, 22 Bass). Sabian 20" HH Classic Ride, 16" Istanbul Agop Dark Crash, & Zildian K 13" Hi-hats.

  7. #7

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    Good idea BB & CD! I stand corrected. I have experienced a principal covering for a teacher before. I guess I had forgotten how that can work.
    Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.





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  8. #8

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    Dont start pulling the sexist card right away, theirs nothing wrong with the bass, especailly if your a tonal bass drum line, thats harder than snare any day

    and i can relate with that entire dosnt look right for snare thing, i know a few kids on the bass who look more like snare, and a few snares who look more like bassists

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by bongobro View Post
    You're darn right you should...go to the superintendent of your school district and tell them exactly what you told us. Not the teacher, not the principal of the school--go to the top of the food chain, so to speak.
    i agree sexism sucks.... i'm the only freshman girl on our line this year and only 3 girls total... i know the feeling...

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by tenordrummer07 View Post
    i agree sexism sucks.... i'm the only freshman girl on our line this year and only 3 girls total... i know the feeling...
    Lol try being the only girl on the line...One of our instructors was sexist until I proved to him that I had earned my spot on the line. But ya. It really doesn't bother me a whole lot, tho. They usually come around after a while.

  11. #11

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    Their not sexist, Why are girls on the drumline so quick to pull the sexism card if they dont get the spot they want, Some may be, but their not all, boys have to fight just as hard, and fail just as much as girls do

    Shoot, Most directors are smart enough to WANT girls on the line, Girls dont showboat, and they have more of a work drive then the boys (usually)

  12. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by f_h_n_drumline View Post
    i think that my band teacher is sexist against girls. i tried out for snare and everyone said that i had the best tryouts but then my band teacher put me on a bass and a beginner percussionist on snare that just happened to be a boy. when i asked him about it he just said that i didn't look right for the snare drum. should i tell someone about it??????
    Welcome to Drum Forum. I am a former high school band director and DCI Drumline instructor. My best snare drummer was a little red-haired girl that just knocked the socks off everybody else with her technique. The guys were good but this girl just worked harder at it. When a Director says that someone may not look right in a part, it may be for a look of continuity that is always being "Judged" at band competitions. I would want to know if the Drumline is a competitive unit. Stick height, rebound and visuals are very important and something that would distract from that can cause loss of General Effect scoring. I'm not saying that this is fair but, I am saying that you should ask your Director if he can explain more fully what he meant by what he said. Don't be to quick to yell "Sexist." If that's what it truly is, it will come out in the end anyway. My best Drum Majors, by the way, were the Girls, too. I used to say that if I wanted the job done right, I got a girl to do it. good Luck and keep drumming.

  13. #13

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    Not all girls are that quick to pull the sexism card... At my school, its the opposite of your problem. The guys constantly think that our instructor is sexist... But our instructor is a GUY!!! I agree that you shouldn't be so quick to pull the sexism card, but if that's what it is then you need to report it. the teacher could be giving spots to people that don't deserve it. My instructor hold auditions for spots and he interviews us to make sure he gets the right people on the right drums cause we are really competitive (Our band has won the state marching competition 2 times out of the 3 that we have gone. we have only been a program for 7 years) Some guys think our director is sexist cause we have only had 1 guy play tenors the whole time we have been a school. But whenever they play that card he tells them to step it up in the auditions so they can get the spot they want. Good luck with everything!!!

  14. #14

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    I have a little different take on it then some of the other posts. My experience in drum lines is that we/they are a very tight group, club, Gang. If you go over the heads of your superiors you may get some backlash from the rest of the line "she only got her spot cause she cried about being a girl etc." You do not want to play in those kinds if conditions. Your peers will do everything they can to see you fail in this kind of situation.

    An alternative is to play the heck out of your bass part. Take a lead role in your bass line. Know all the parts well enough to help other struggling bass players in your line. Help them with there parts. If you have the chops to play snare you probably can work up/lead your bass line. May want to find someone else in your drum line who wants a bass spot and teach them your part. Know the snare part also. Any chance you get ask for feedback from the Snare line lead on your playing of the snare parts (during breaks etc.) Blow his doors off along with others on the line! When one of the snare players goes down, and they will, something always comes up. You may get a chance. Nothing more inspiring than an underdog digging in and conquering against all odds. Your hard work will get noticed.

    Its not fair but if you are being discriminated against you will have to work harder than others. African Americans have been up against this very same thing for years.

    Make sure you are focusing your energies on your goal and be careful not to get caught up in any kind of victim thing as that will take a lot of energy and effort and in the end may not yield you much in return.

    I can't claim this approach as 100 percent my own. I just finished Tony Dungys Book Quiet Strength. Tony was the first Pro Black Head Football coach to win a Super Bowl. He faced many situations like yours.

    My suggestions have no guarantee of results but I think they leave you a much better drummer and person in the long run.

    If your a Christian bring it to God in prayer.

    If that doesn't work Lawyer up and sue the pants off them. (just kidding) Good luck
    Pditty
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  15. #15

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    ha ha pditty i like that art about the sueing the pants off them

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