Posted by Wade on January 08, 2004 at 11:53:56:
In Reply to: What should i do?! posted by Jacob on January 08, 2004 at 08:43:25:
Right now, you are able to treat everything in your life as though it were the most important; this is one of the major differences between being a child or a student versus an adult or a professional.
What I would have done in you case when I was you age would be totally different than what I would do now.
Back then, I would have tried to do everything. I would have been unwilling to give up any of my activities for both my own reasons and for the "good of the program".
Now I would set my priorities and treat things with the importance merited by the situation.
Auditions are an individualistic activity that reward an individual's efforts.
Both band and team sports are group activities. Unless your band has only one on your instrument or you soccer team has only one to play your position, I would be willing to let either go if a big conflict arose. Whereas an audition only really matters to the persons in the hot seat. The judges are really too busy to worry about whether or not that tubist from Central High showed up.
So, what would I do?
I would start by rubbing lots of vitamin E on my busted lip and take it easy on the tuba for a few days. I would approach my coach personally (not through my band director - but that is just me) and explain about my face and that I cannot play in that condition. I would explain exactly how important the audition is to me and how it might affect my future. Next I would express that I am not afraid to get hurt some in the course of playing sports, but that I do not want to jeopardize my chances at the audition any further; that I will need some time off to avoid any further injury. I would further explain that I would be more than willing to come in for extra practice with the coach to get caught up on my playing fundamentals as soon as the audition process is over and the risk of further facial injury becomes less of a problem. Then I would seriously discuss his locating some sort of facial protection for me, even if I must provided the money for it. (I am the one with the unusual restrictions in my life, not him. If I want to participate in an activity that, through injury, could jeopardize my participation in another important activity, then I need to cough up the bucks to get whatever equipment will minimize the risk that I am choosing to take.)
Again: Set priorities. Enforce them. That is what an adult would do. And these are the types of decisions that you will have to make more and more often as you grow up.
Sometimes you just cannot participate in everything that you want. (And sometimes, with planning and discipline, you can.)
Good luck, and I hope that your face heals nicely and that you do very well in your auditions!
Wade "Went through almost the exact same thing when I was 17" Rackley