#and. greens voice is a clarinet. which is a woodwind instrument

[storgicdealer]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SKIPS AND HOPS AROUND

HELL YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

oh my god. it will be the first time ill ramble RIGHT after an episode releases.

[dustedmagazine]

Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection — Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 2 (Full Time Hobby)

https://spencercullumscoincollection.bandcamp.com/album/spencer-cullums-coin-collection-2

Spencer Cullum’s first album with his band Coin Collection was released back in late 2020, and a year later it was deservedly re-released on a bigger label with a bonus track. Jennifer Kelly reviewed the original release for Dusted, praising the music as “lovely, intricate and full of ease.” The same most certainly applies to Cullum’s new album, which arrives seemingly unaffected by the pandemic, bearing a bucket-load of charm, a playful demeanor, and an unashamedly retro sensibility that feels both genuine and deferential.

The most immediate sign of this album’s retro leanings is the way in which the majority of the instruments (drums, guitar, piano, voice, woodwinds) are either panned hard-left or hard-right, leaving the bass in the center to anchor the music. Modern production has largely abandoned such an approach, which only underlines how the music feels like it’s been unearthed from another time. This feeling is only intensified by Cullum’s voice as he speak-sings his way through the songs, his Romford, East London, accent to the fore.

Given Cullum is an Englishman living in Nashville, it’s unsurprising that the record’s two singles are about the weather. “Kingdom Weather” is a beatific celebration of care-free sunny days, with some gorgeous interplay among  bass, electric guitar, and flute. While the music of “Cold Damp Valley” is lighthearted and playful, much like the theme tune to a long-lost children’s TV show, the lyrics survey England’s seemingly endless overcast skies: “It’s always bloody freezing / There’s mist in the corners of the ceiling.” Other highlights include the serenely bummed-out jazz-folk of “Green Trees,” and “Out of Focus,” which revisits the Olivia Tremor Control sounds that emerged on Cullum’s debut thanks to some strident clarinet lines. 

To underline the retro vibes of the album being a two-sided experience, best suited to listening on vinyl, Cullum opens Side B with a loose, exploratory instrumental entitled “The Three Magnets” (the title perhaps referencing the three single-coil pickups of the Fender Stratocaster, the tones of which are all over these songs). Whereas the motorik-leaning “Dieterich Buxtehude” played a similar role on Cullum’s debut, “The Three Magnets” focuses more on textural guitar work and the liberal application of echo effects. It certainly invites the listener to reflect on what it might be like as a fly on the wall during the band’s more out-there jam sessions.

This is largely what makes Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection so alluring: they’re a gang of skilled musicians gathered to execute Cullum’s charming folk-rock vision, but they’re perpetually poised to launch into more explorative realms.

Tim Clarke

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV: A Synthesis of Aether

#FebHyurary Day 17: Food + Day 18: Music

A/N: So I had too many ideas for yesterday, but knew for today touching on Synnove’s aether synesthesia would work well, and then I said, “DT YOU FOOL YOU CAN COMBINE BOTH DAYS FOR HER AETHER SYNESTHESIA.” And lo: a fic! Mostly dialogue, I haven’t done a dialogue heavy ficlet in a loooong time so I feel a bit rusty, but this was a fun exercise!

RATING: T WORD COUNT: 1455 WARNINGS: None!

---

[Installing SCAEVAN SYSTEMICS operating software.]

[Installation successful, running update cycle.]

[Updates complete. Archive Node Unit 453 now online. Please specify primary user.]

“Synnove Greywolfe.”

[USER: SYNNOVE now registered. How may I assist you today?]

“Please stand by for audio recording.”

[Standing by.]

The node’s lights dimmed from bright grass green to soft seafoam as it partially powered down, its northern and southern hemispheres slowly rotating in opposite directions.

Synnove lowered her hand and glanced over at Rereha. “All right, you can babble now,” the Highlander said.

Rere took her hands off her mouth to tug at her braided pigtails and beamed at her. “Whatcha doing?” she said, in the sing-song tone of someone feeling exceptionally nosy, rocking back on her heels.

Synnove rolled her eyes and set her hands on her hips. “Y’shtola’s working on a compilation of aetheric synesthesic perceptions as a downtime project,” she said. “She asked me if I was willing to contribute, to which I obviously said ‘yes.’ But because I’m not often able to spend much time in Revenant’s Toll that doesn’t devolve into Warrior of Light or Ironworks business—”

“—audio recordings you can send or give her are more convenient.”

“Careful, Rere, or other people will begin realizing you’re smarter than you pretend to be.”

The lalafell gasped. “Madam, you wound me!”

She received a satisfied smirk in reply as Synnove added, “And what better way to create an audio recording than with my new archive node?”

Rere pulled herself up onto Synnove’s desk, sitting on the edge and kicking her feet back and forth as she leaned back to rest on her hands. “Did you liberate it from the Ironworks?”

“I purchased this fair and square, I have a bill of sale from Jessie herself.”

“Nero’s OS?”

“The fact you know that term is vaguely frightening, but the man does have an unparalleled understanding of Allagan technology and if you tell him I said that, I will hang you by your toes from the edge of the Steps of Faith.”

Rere mimed locking her lips.

“Hand me that stack of paper, please.” Synnove pointed to Rere’s right. The lalafell snagged it and dutifully handed it over.

The arcanist shuffled through them, humming tunelessly as she did, before she came across the correct page. “All right,” she said, mostly to herself. “Start with Y’shtola’s list of baseline sensations today and go from there.” Louder now: “Begin recording.”

[Audio recording now live.]

Synnove automatically straightened her spine and rolled down her shoulders in the same way she did before she began a lecture for the fourth-year arcanist students. In a clear, strong voice: “Synnove Greywolfe recording for Y’shtola Rhul on the 18th day of the Second Umbral Moon, 11 Year of the Seventh Astral Era, on the subject of synesthetic perceptions of aether. I personally perceive aether, in addition to visual manifestations, as both taste and sound. Occasionally, one sensation will dominate the other, and certain sounds and tastes aren’t exclusive to one elemental type.

“For this recording, I’ll describe the overall generalities I associate with different elemental aether; variance is high depending on factors such as location or origin, in terms of ambient or crystallized aether, or in the case of spells, if they are being performed correctly or are altered in some capacity.”

“How to spot the catastrophic boom just before the boom becomes catastrophic and it’s too late to do anything about it.”

Synnove sighed. Rere giggled.

“Y’sthola, remind me to recalculate the angle needed to ensure Rere lands in Silvertear if thrown from the highest tower in the Toll.”

“Hey!”

“You’d be fine, Hydaelyn likes you best.”

Rere pouted, lower lip pushed out to the point of exaggeration, which meant she wasn’t actually offended.

“To get back on topic: fire. Fire aether most frequently tastes like hot spices, such as peppers; coffee; red meat, such as buffalo; bitter chocolate; cherries; wine. Sound tends to be uniformly brass instruments such as horns and trumpets; very occasionally it can sound like metal striking metal.

“Earth aether is auditorily simple and gustatorily complex. The sound of earth is always rhythmic and steady, if not outright drumming; the sensation of it echoing follows fairly often, too. Taste runs a huge gamut: savory or sweet seasonings, such as cumin or cinnamon; white meat, such as pork; most vegetables, particularly green or starchy vegetables; certain fruits such as apples and figs; bread; cheeses; stews; whiskeys.”

“I’d call most of those foods ‘homey.’”

Synnove frowned thoughtfully. “That’s a fair assessment,” she said after a moment. “Earth aether tends to ‘taste’ comforting.”

“Does that mean Tyr is the ultimate comfort food?”

“Does that mean you want to go flying out of my office window into the harbor?”

“I’m going to shut up now!”

“See how long that lasts,” Synnove said under her breath while her sister smiled beatifically. “Where was I… Ah, wind.”

The Highlander frowned. “Wind aether is another oddity, taste-wise. Mint tends to present quite frequently, along with sweet chocolate, white grapes, vanilla, white wine, arak, olives, and scallions. Thankfully when it seems to be a combination of flavors, it’s complimentary…” She shook her head. “Sound is similar to flutes, chimes, whistles. Bit stereotypical, honestly.

“Lightning…” Synnove paused, frowning again. “Sound tends to be similar to specific string instruments such as violas and cellos; deeper sounds. Low notes on a piano or harpsichord, sometimes simple humming or vibrations. Taste does not tend to be strong, but most frequently has manifested as berries and/or stonefruits. Alcohols such as gin, palm wine, ouzo, and brandy.”

“That is not the element I’d consider boozy,” Rere said idly. She had lain back on the desk and was staring up at the huge arched ceiling of the tower office, twiddling her thumbs.

Synnove shrugged without further comment, already looking at the next item on the list Krile had transcribed on Y’shtola’s behalf. “Water is what one would think would be boozy but I have legitimately never tasted ‘boozy’ water aether before. Tropical fruits dominate; in terms of savory, as horrifically stereotypical as it is, seafood. But almost never in a way that makes sense, I once found a water cluster in a bluefin tuna’s belly that tasted like Coerthan oyster confit.”

“I remember that, you made the weirdest face.”

“I still can’t find the words to describe just how fucked up that taste versus visual dichotomy was. In any event, water aether also sounds like string instruments, mostly harps, dulcimers, and brighter pianos. Also, a very specific drum… Rere, what’s that staccato-sounding drum the Flames have been using in their parades of late?”

The lalafell picked her head up. “Snare drum?”

“That’s the one. Timpanis on occasion, too. And finally…ice. Sound leans towards woodwind instruments like the clarinet and piccolo, as well as bells. Any bell. Taste…hmm. Slaw, fruits that freezes well, fruit juices, Thavnairian sweet tea—”

“That is not tea, that is an abomination.”

“—some melons, cucumbers, white rum, wintergreen.”

“I still can’t believe you’ve never come across ice aether that tastes like the Bismarck’s root beer float.”

“They introduced it to the menu last year.”

“So?”

Synnove sighed that heavy, gusting sigh everyone who spent longer than thirty minutes with Rereha learned. “Y’shtola, I see a note here about Primordial Light and Dark, but I’ll do that in the next recording along with variations and discrepancies, as first, I need to beat my sister over the head with a grimoire—”

Rereha hopped down from the desk and ran for the office door, shouting BYE Y’SHTOLA I LOVE YOU BEST over her shoulder as she did.

“—and second, I’m hungry and now is a good time to break for lunch. Recording end.”

[End of recording. Is there anything else on which I may provide assistance?]

“No, that will be all for now—ah! Before I forget. Please create new nodal designation of own choice.”

[Clarification requested.]

“Pick a name for yourself.”

[…]

[Accessing imperial Allagan databases for repository of birth certificates. Scanning records.]

[Archive Node Unit 453 rename complete. Archive Node Unit 453 is now Kleio.]

Synnove smiled, pleased. “It’s nice to meet you, Kleio.”

[…Thank you. Database scans are currently inconclusive as relates to instruments in modern usage versus those of Allag. What samples are available to provide edification?]

The Highlander cocked her head, staring at the silver-and-green node for a few long moments, before another smile, this one slow and delighted, crossed her features. “I have a few orchestrion rolls that include solos and chamber music that you could listen to while I have lunch, and I can provide lists of which instruments are used in each piece.”

[That would be satisfactory.]

“Perfect! Let’s get you set up…”

[thebuckblogimo]

My Ten All-Time Favorite Albums.

July 17, 2020

I’ve previously written that one of my roommates during senior year in college was a very musically-oriented guy. Rick, the original “Buddman,” Budd was from Pittsburgh, PA. As a kid he learned how to harmonize from his Dad who was a totally-into-it barbershopper. In high school the Buddman sang in a doo wop group called the Del Renos. In college he played the Hammond B3 organ for the Paramounts, the only soul band on the Michigan State University campus during the late ‘60s. Later in life he helped form a doo wop group, Deke and the Blazers, that did some national touring. It also bears mentioning that Rick could play the piano by ear. After downing eight or ten Rolling Rocks, he would fall forward, bang the keyboard with his head, and play those 88s with his ear. Just kidding, folks. Kinda, sorta...

The Buddman recently listed his ten favorite albums of all time on Facebook. He included some interesting background and personal insights with his selections. He then suggested I do the same. I took him up on the challenge, but it turned out to be a more difficult task than I had anticipated. It was hard for me to compare music from the ‘50 and ‘60s to music recorded many years later. And it was not easy to narrow my list down to ten. Nevertheless, I finally did so. I’m not on Facebook, so I’ve listed my top ten here:

1) A Package of 16 Big Hits (Motown)--This 1963 release was Berry Gordy’s very first compilation album. I associate many of its tracks with getting my driver's license at 16 and bombing around Detroit in my Dad's new Pontiac Bonneville. I think it's so good because all of the songs were recorded before Motown began to rely on a formula that employed funk brother Jack Ashford's incessant tambourine. Almost every tune on this record sounds different from the next. For example, Marvin Gaye's "Stubborn Kind of Fella" showcases the Vandellas singing background vocals and flautist Beans Bowles playing a distinctive solo. While Mary Wells' "The One Who Really Loves You" features an arrangement that includes a hint of vibraphone, some sweet piano, a syncopated conga drum and background harmonies provided by an obscure group called the Love Tones. Another unique cut is "Come and Get These Memories" by Martha and the Vandellas. It sounds unlike any other tune the group recorded after it. The LP's original cover graphic is really cool, too--a package wrapped in kraft paper and "stamped" in postal fashion with the names of the tunes and the artists who performed them. 2) Live at the Apollo, Volume II (James Brown)--It was Rick Budd who first took me to the bridge and dropped me into the funk of James Brown, the "godfather of soul" and the "hardest working man in show business." I know that the Buddman favors Live at the Apollo, JB's first live album from 1963. But I put my money on this 1968 two-record set. When I was living at Water's Edge apartments during my senior year in college, we'd play Side 2 at Saturday night parties, get up to dance, and not sit down until it came to an end--19 minutes and 37 seconds later. The live versions of "Let Yourself Go," "There Was a Time," "I Feel All Right," and "Cold Sweat," are amazing. The set also includes renditions of such pre-funk Brown ballads as "Prisoner of Love," "Try Me" and "Please, Please, Please." The 2001 Deluxe CD Edition includes a tantalizing 23-second "My Girl" musical interlude. All I can say is "...good gawd...uhh...ooh ahh...hah..." 3) Hot Buttered Soul (Isaac Hayes)--Released during June of 1969, this four-track album put Isaac Hayes on the R&B map for Stax-Volt. When I returned to MSU for my final quarter of school in the fall of '69, Hot Buttered Soul supplanted the Beatles' Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band as my favorite pot-smoking album. It should not, in my estimation, be played in the background or listened to while idly vacuuming the living room rug. The only way to truly appreciate this masterpiece of Memphis soul is to "actively" listen to it--with the volume up, the lights low, in an altered state of mind, on the couch. Let Hayes, with his deep-baritone rap; the Bar-Kays, delivering some twangy, psychedelic guitar riffs; and the plaintive sound of violin strings, which were added to the mix in Detroit (presumably by musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra), take you on a journey that starts low, aims high and hits bone-jarring crescendos on Hayes' interpretations of "Walk on By" and a 19-minute version of "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Listening to this album can be damn-near orgasmic. 4) Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago)--Although this eponymous album was released in 1969, I did not come to truly appreciate it until a couple years later. (The group, by the way, was sued by the CTA and soon changed its name to Chicago). I practically wore out my copy--or at least Side 1 of this two-album set--at my first apartment as a single guy on Appoline in Dearborn. I love the way these Windy City guys meld jazz, rock. soul and orchestral influences to produce a sound in a category with Tower of Power, as well as Blood, Sweat & Tears. Besides lead guitar, bass and drums, you can hear the "pow" of brass and the serenity of woodwinds on this production, provided by a saxaphone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet and flute. You can also hear an array of percussion instruments such as cowbell, claves, tambourine, etc. I'd kill to have any one of the three distinctive voices possessed by Robert Lamm, Peter Cetera and Terry Kath as they take turns on lead vocals. The six-minute instrumental "Introduction" on Side 1 takes the listener on a journey that climbs hills and descends into valleys. It then transitions into the rock classic "Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is?" which, in turn, transitions into "Beginnings," yet another rock classic. The first cut on Side 2 features the underrated "Questions 67 and 68." While on Side 3 you'll find the self-indulgent "Free Form Guitar," which I hate, frankly, because it's "noise music" to my ear. There's also an excellent cover of the Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man." Best Chicago album of all time, in my opinion. 5) All Day Music (War)--I was in my first big-boy job at AAA when one day in 1971 I was knocked out by the title song from this album and walked over to Grinnell's music store after work to purchase it. There is no mistaking the unique sound of War as the group fuses elements of low-rider soul, rock, jazz and Latin rhythms. My main man Joe McCracken, some of the pals and I would invariably "tune up" singing "All Day Music" at "the pit," another name for my basement apartment, before heading out to Your Mustache, a raucous music room just two blocks from where I lived. I like all of the tunes on this album and want to give a shout-out to "Slippin' Into Darkness," but I can't lay enough praise on the title cut. It remains one of my all-time favorites, a true "nugget" that I never get tired of listening to. 6) The Best of The Guess Who Volume II (The Guess Who)--I'm not easily sold on groups with three guitars and a set of drums. I generally prefer rockers who add horns or a piano to the mix. It is particularly because of the skillful keyboard-playing ability of Burton Cummings, as well as his distinctive voice, that I love the work of these fellas from Winnipeg, Manitoba. In fact, before I lost my music collection in our fire of 2010, I owned more LPs by The Guess Who (probably 10) than any other group. This compilation was released in 1974. The track listing includes 11 tunes recorded between 1970 and '73, all written or co-written by Cummings, after long-time lead guitarist Randy Bachman left the group to form Bachman-Turner Overdrive, aka B.T.O. I absolutely love eight or nine of the cuts--"Albert Flasher," "Guns, Guns, Guns," "Sour Suite," "Glamour Boy" and more. But for my money this album's piece de resistance is "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon" with its building, straight-ahead momentum. M’boy Burton sings of hanging out in such Canadian prairie towns as Moose Jaw, Moosomin, Red Deer and Medicine Hat. How many times did we slam beers at the Phase 1 in Dearborn with that tune blasting on the juke box? After which we'd cruise back to my house on Rosemont in Detroit and blast it some more on the stereo. If "American Woman" is all you know about The Guess Who, make time to discover this Canadian group's north-of-the-border interpretation of rock 'n' roll. 7) Street Corner Symphony--(The Persuasions)--As I mentioned earlier, we'd tune up on "All Day Music" at my first apartment, but before we headed out the door for the "Mustache," we'd pull out this 1972 a cappella album, fire it up--along with a couple of jays--and sing some of its best tunes: a medley including "He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother" and "You've Got a Friend"; an upbeat version of the Temptations "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)"; "Temps Jam,” a medley of Temptations classics; a superb rendition of "So Much in Love," originally done by the Tymes; and "People Get Ready," the old Impressions chestnut. Only then would we be truly ready to hit the bar. This album sparked my initial interest in music made with nothing more than the human voice. I eventually purchased four or five Persuasions albums and several by other popular a cappella groups. An aside: One summer during the early '70s there was a lengthy beer distributors strike in Detroit. Luckily, in those days, we could easily cross the Ambassador Bridge or go through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel to get to Ontario to purchase Canadian suds. It was a sweltering Sunday afternoon when we picked up a case of LaBatt 50 Ale in Windsor and drove to some outdoor venue to see a concert featuring The Guess Who, the Persuasions and the Sun Ra Arkestra. Talk about an eclectic lineup of artists. To this day I consider that beer to be some of the tastiest I have ever swallowed, and that concert to be one of the best I have ever seen. 8) Crystal Green (Rainbow, featuring Will Boulware)--By the mid-to-late '70s, my musical preferences had started to take a turn. From then through the early 2000s I bought mostly what I call "WDET music," less commercially popular vinyl and CDs that I heard on Detroit's world-class (at the time) public radio station, as well as lots of jazz and fusion. The 1977 release of the rareish LP, Crystal Green (not to be confused with the group's similarly titled album, Over Crystal Green), is unquestionably my all-time-favorite jazz/fusion record. After I first heard the upbeat, six-minute "I Like It" on the radio, I knew I had to have the album for my collection. After I bought it and put it on my turntable at home, the mellow groove of the very first cut, "Hossan," knocked me off my feet. In fact, I love all six cuts on this album. I regret that Rainbow, featuring pianist Will Boulware, is not available on Spotify, my go-to music source these days. 9) Meet Me in Uptown (The Mighty Blue Kings)--I recall driving down Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak on my lunch hour one day in 1996, listening to WDET on my car's radio, when a raucous tune began to play. It immediately hit me. Bam! Right upside the head. I'd never heard anything quite like it before. When the deejay finally identified the hall-party sound from the set he had just played, it turned out to be "Jumpin' at the Green Mill" by the Mighty Blue Kings, a "jump blues" band out of Chicago. The seven-piece group with horns, piano and a stand-up bass features the "ballsy" baritone of Ross Bon. This unpretentiously produced CD was ahead of its time, recorded before Brian Setzer resuscitated swing music in the late '90s. "Jumpin' at the Green Mill" remains my favorite cut. Of the 13 selections on this album, here are the ones I'm partial to: "Loose Lips," "Cadillac Boogie," Big Mamou," "Meet Me in Uptown," "Rag Mop" and "Pink Cadillac." Kudos to WDET for opening my ears to this and other diverse types of music such as bluegrass, ska, world, Cajun, zydeco, Tex-Mex and sophisticated forms of hip-hop. 10) The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon--I'm old enough, and bought records early enough, to be able to say that I purchased three 78 rpm discs in 1956 at the Two By Four Record Shop in Dearborn: "I Want You to Be My Girl" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers; "Stranded in the Jungle" by the Cadets; and "Priscilla" by Eddie Cooley and the Dimples. But it was the summer of that year when my Auntie Julie surprised a then-nine-year-old "little Lenny" with his first 331/3 rpm "long play" album. This platter on the dark red GEE label sparked my lifelong love affair with doo wop (although I don't recall the music being called that in those days). Young Frankie's 13-year-old soprano had a far sweeter sound than Michael Jackson's shrill voice at the same age. And the Teenagers 17-year-old Sherman Garnes edges out Melvin Franklin of the Temptations as my all-time-favorite bass singer. I almost slipped the 1998 release of Trampoline by the Mavericks, featuring the catchy and energetic "Dance the Night Away," with the soaring tenor of lead singer Raul Malo, into the number 10 slot here. However, I couldn't turn my back on the kid group that is at the foundation of every musical emotion I have ever felt.

The end.

[dyde21]

Beacon High 1: The Announcement

I finally finished it! This will be the next major series I will be writing, and it’s setting up to be significantly longer than the mechanic one. This was partially inspired by a story called Game On over on Archive of our Own by Soulfulbard. It’s a different setting, but it kinda prompted this. I’ll explain some important points after! I hope you enjoy!

XxXxXxXxX

Jaune opened the old, heavy door with a yawn. It was finally time for his favorite, and last, class of the day. Band. As soon as the old, mostly sound proof door opened, the cacophonous roar of some ungodly mixture of instruments as they warmed up and made sure they had all been assembled correctly, blasted his eardrums. Yet to him, it as if it was a warm welcome.

Some of the other students waved or smiled as they saw who had entered, others were busy with their own devices. Some ignored him. Such was band class though, one great big family formed through years of hard work, wrought with drama and infighting. He wouldn't have it any other way though.

Opening one of the lockers littering the wall, he shoved his backpack in there and pulled out his music folder, mallets, and drumsticks.

He closed the door to his little cubby with another yawn, struggling to stay awake. Having math after lunch was just a recipe for disaster. Luckily being in a classroom full loud horns was a perfect wake up call. As the door to his little cubby was closed, he was met by a pair of friendly green eyes looking back at him, a warm smile making him feel at ease.

“Hey Pyrrha.” He offered.

Pyrrha just grinned, holding up a small little plastic container full of apple slices to him. “Some healthy fruit snacks to wake up?”

Eagerly he took one, chewing it happily. “You're the best.”

Beaming, Pyrrha took one herself before depositing the container back in her own cubby next to his, withdrawing her own mallets and drumsticks and folder. “I know.” She chirped happily.

Jaune could always count on Pyrrha to have some sort of snack if he needed one, even when he didn't. She always seemed to have food around her, a fact that made him overjoyed.

Knowing hunger can be distracting, and enjoying seeing Jaune smile, she found it no hassle to always just have simple snack on hand, plus she preferred eating in smaller meals rather than three big ones. Though Yang liked to tease that she took the phrase “The fastest way to a man's heart is his stomach” too seriously, she'd tirelessly deny it.

They both just laughed as they made their way to the back of the room to begin setting up the percussion section.

Across the room, Yang closed her own locker watching them. “He seriously has no clue. She seriously has no spine. This is maddening.” She complained to her best friend Blake.

The raven haired girl just let out a simple. “Mmm.” at her friend's usual complaint. She was still engrossed in her novel, determined to use every last second until class started to continue reading it.

Glancing over at her friend, Yang was mildly annoyed she wasn't being very fun today. “You have a lot of courage reading smut in the middle of class.”

Blake's book snapped shut as she turned to Yang, who could have sword she heard a hiss. “It's not smut! It's just a romance novel!”

There was the fun. “Sure. That's just a romance novel, and Weiss's house is only a modest sized apartment.” Yang remarked, rolling her eyes.

Across the room, said girl scoffed, having overheard the quip. Before she could set her friend straight, her other friend bounced into the room. “Weiss! Thank you for letting me borrow your notes.” Ruby chirped happily, handing her back the notebook she had borrowed, surprisingly still in pristine condition. Better than it was usually returned.

“You can't properly practice for our next concert if you're trying to play catch up in history. It's the least I can do for the band.” She offered, looking away.

Ruby pouted for just a moment, before grinning anyway and pulling her friend into a hug. “You're the best Weiss.”

Weiss just rolled her eyes, before returning the hug for the briefest second.

“What? You're too old to hug your big sis too now? You can only hug your girlfriend?” Yang interrupted suddenly, wrapping Ruby in a bear-hug and spinning her around.

“She's not my girlfriend!” Ruby responded suddenly, pushing against her sister's shoulders. “And you're going to break my spine!” She snapped, flailing as she tried to free herself from her sister's monster grasp.

“Did someone mention breaking bones?” A new voice chimed in happily, as the doors exploded open as Nora marched in, grinning. “I'm in!”

Ren managed to catch the door handle just before it would have slammed against the frame. He quietly closed it. “Perhaps we should wait to see who we're attacking before we join in.” He offered to Nora.

“But that's no fun. Besides, Ruby mentioned it! Any enemy of Ruby is an enemy of mine!” She said determinedly, glaring at Yang. “Xiao Long! It is on!”

Yang unceremoniously dropped Ruby, turning to Nora with a smirk. “Feeling tough today, Valkyrie?” As she dropped into a wrestler's stance.

In the back of the room, Jaune had stood up. “We should probably stop this...”

Pyrrha just grabbed his hand, holding him in place. “I don't think we could if we wanted to.” She remarked, before blushing and dropping his hand, though Jaune had hardly noticed.

“What brutes.” Weiss said with a scoff, flipping her hair over her shoulder, though her eyes remained glued to the pair, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Jaune! Sound the bell!” Nora ordered as she began to circle around Yang, grinning.

“I don't want any part of this!” He called out, crossing his arms.

“If you don't do it, you're next.”

Jaune's face paled as a moment later he rang the gong.

Before either Yang or Nora could launch themselves at the other, the door opened and Professor Ozpin had walked in with a fresh cup of coffee, behind him his assistant Glynda cleared her throat.

Everyone froze, and in a minute's time everyone was seated in their proper seat, paying attention to the front obediently.

A small smile graced Ozpin's lips as he set his coffee down on his music stand. “I'm glad to see everyone is so lively today.”

“Though I must remind everyone, fighting, whether friendly or not, is off limits on school grounds. If you feel the need to rough house, please take it somewhere else.” Glynda scolded, making Nora and Yang flinch, before shooting a glance at each other and snickering. Everyone knew the two girls got along just fine, but also knew they liked to butt heads and never to get in-between them.

Ozpin looked over the class with a content smile. “Now then, we have an important announcement to make after class today. But for now, we'll start with our warm ups. #17 please.”

Everyone settled into their places, flipping their books to the right warm-up they all practically knew by heart by now.

Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune were all nestled in the percussion section along with a few others. Yang was at the Xylophone, pouting because she hated mallet instruments, but a drum set was hardly good at harmonizing to help everyone nail down their pitches. Jaune and Pyrrha, as usual, were sharing the large marimba in the back. Pyrrha was a sort of prodigy when it came to percussion instruments, and actually had attended a national competition for high school marimba players. When Jaune had joined, he had struggled a bit to keep up with the rather advanced band, but Pyrrha had taken him under her wing and gave him extra lessons on the mallets to help him catch up.

Just in front of them was Nora who was sitting in the trombone section, wielding the large instrument with ease.

In the row in front of her, Ruby sat on the far side with her alto saxophone. She was still a bit of a beginner when it came to the instrument, but she was a faster learned and had received help from her dad. Yang had suggested she joined band, in order to fit in a little more despite her unusual enrollment. That way, she'd at least find a family in the band.

A little further down the row sat Ren, adjusting the reed on his oboe. Ren was talented in both the Oboe and Bassoon naturally, a mystery to most people, yet envied. Music colleges craved Oboe and Bassoon players, the instrument proving a challenge to play well, and hardly the one with the most interest. Yet Ren seemed to manage just fine. Nora said it's cause he's just amazing, but others looked for a more helpful explanation.

In the front row, Blake and Weiss found themselves on opposite ends. Blake was patiently waiting to begin, her clarinet ready. Weiss, of course, had already memorized the warm-up but was still turning to the page anyway after Ozpin had insisted it was always helpful to have a reminder. Weiss still hardly looked at the page, she had it down to a perfect muscle memory on her flute after all.

Ozpin raised his hand as everyone blew the first note. He sighed, cutting them off with a flick of his wrist. “We're not here to play around. We do have a concert in a few weeks. While I certainly do wish this to be a class that you all look forward to, and you have fun here,  but we must give it our all. So now then, again.” He lectured as he motioned for them to begin again.

Satisfied with the opening note, he conducted them through the rest. Soon enough, the warm-ups had been stumbled through and they were moving on to their music.

“Now then, our first song.” He started off. Instantly, all the percussionists dropped to the ground.

Nora looked back and snickered, seeing their defeated faces.

Yes, the band practice had a sort of hierarchy. When it came to review, the process was rather routine. It started off with the woodwinds, until they could play it comfortably, then the brass, then finally the percussion had their chance. Which meant a lot of downtime for the poor students stuck in the back of the class.

It wasn't necessarily from malicious intent that Ozpin had delegated the percussionists so much downtime, but rather it was the nature of band practice. Woodwinds and Brass required players to harmonize notes, while percussion needed only correct tempo, and to hit the correct spots, or keys, in order to play their part correctly. Plus, much of percussion was so sporadic, it was hard to practice on their own. A cymbal crash here, followed by 24 measures of rest until Jaune would have to play a few bars on the marimba was hardly something that was reasonable to hold up class to practice. No, they would have to learn as they went, with outside practice, careful counting, and the occasional actual stoppage of class when a particularly important or difficult part required attention.

So as Ozpin began to drill the woodwinds, Pyrrha shuffled over next to Jaune. She saw him staring at his sheet of music intently, drumming on his lap with his hands to make sure he could get the rhythm right. Watching him careful, she hummed in approval, noticing he was spot on. His practice must have been paying off finally.

Boy, did he practice. That was one of the many things Pyrrha admired about her friend. She knew how often he would spend an hour or two after school in the practice room, running over whatever piece of music he was struggling with. Often times she stayed to practice with him, helping with anything she had learned from her years of experience. He always asked if she was sure, feeling guilty about taking up her time but there was nothing Pyrrha would rather be doing.

Both Pyrrha and Jaune had transferred to Beacon High last year, their junior year. Pyrrha's parents, while incredibly doting and supportive of... well... anything she did, had found a better job opportunity in this city. They had felt bad about moving her away from her friends, but Pyrrha was determined to make sure her parents wouldn't pass on a good opportunity for her sake. Besides, she had felt a growing distance between herself and her old friends. As her latent ability to play instruments began to really show itself, jealousy had grown along with the admiration, making her feel more and more detached as they had stopped asking her to hang out with them, or practicing with her.

Jaune, as she had come to learn, had sort of had his hand forced. His large family had been living in a neighboring city, but his dad had landed an opportunity to work across country on the east coast. Which meant moving their whole family. Jaune hadn't wanted to give up living in Oregon, he had come to enjoy things here too much. Also, he had confided in her one late night when they had gone out to get some milkshakes, he had wanted some space. Having 7 sisters meant attention was always split, and that he knew it was a burden financially to support him as well. So he had taken his one chance. His oldest sister, Alice, had moved out and was staying in an apartment on her own. She was old enough to take care of him, and had quickly agreed after he had come to her in an honest talk. Pyrrha had come to known his older sister over the past year, and admired her, and the bond she shared with her brother.

Noticing Jaune had finished running through his music, he just closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.

Pyrrha scooted over, nudging his shoulder slightly. Without opening an eye, he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder. Pyrrha was grateful that the marimba could hide her blush from the rest of the band, though Yang was snickering from across the room.

Words couldn't express how grateful Pyrrha was to have formed her friendship with Jaune. When people had learned of her past accomplishments in the world of music, many had reacted the usual way. Jealousy or admiration. Even some of her close friends now, such as Weiss had seen her for what she did, not who she was. Jaune, however, had only found it cool but treated her just like everyone else. She wasn't sure if it was a product of his low self esteem that made her seem like everyone else above him that let him look past her accomplishments without jealousy, or his usually humble nature. But she was grateful for it. When she had seen him desperately trying to do the scales on the marimba after school one day when she had come back for a binder she had left behind, she had seen for the first time how hard he worked. She would never forget that expression of frustration and determination as she watched him repeat the same scale over and over again.

In hindsight, her offer to teach him may have been a tad presumptuous, but she had meant it honestly. At first Jaune hadn't reacted well and they had even fought a bit. However, after an argument with Yang and Nora, who Pyrrha had both quickly bonded with as well, she had been surprised when he had come to her in an apology.

She had been shocked by the honesty he showed that night. It had been clear, he truly regretted being rude to her and that he had just wanted to prove he could do it on his own. However he hadn't made excuses, his first words to her had been an honest apology. But he knew she was just trying to help, and had humbled himself to ask for her help. It hard taken Pyrrha hardly a moment to decide to help the adorable clumsy blonde, and they had only grown closer since then. Perhaps not as close as she would have hoped, but the progress was promising to her at least.

Letting her eyes slide shut, she leaned her head on Jaune's, while she kept her ears open for the sound of the teacher's instructions.

Leaning against the back of the piano, Yang stared at the duo resting behind the marimba with a mild sigh. She really hadn't seen to people grow so close so quickly before. They were practically attached at the hip, dating in every sense of the word except literally. It drove her mad, but after a meeting with their circle of friends, they had decided to let them come to it on their own terms. Meddling was bad, after the great Jaune-Weiss Fiasco of 2015, they knew Jaune had learned a lesson. The healthiest relationship Arkos, as she called them, could get into would be one where they both overcame their respective issues on their own. Otherwise things could get messy, and while Yang could enjoy drama from time to time, she did not want it in her group of friends who she considered family. No, she wouldn't stand for that again. The pain she had seen Pyrrha in when Jaune went after Weiss, the poor misunderstandings and naivety that Jaune had suffered from when he had stuck with his crush too long, and the coldness, and anger Weiss had shown to Jaune, in part due to his own excessive persistence, and in part due to her own baggage, had nearly torn their freshly formed circle of friends apart.

People had chosen sides, words had been thrown around in anger that should have never been said, and a lot of hard lessons had to have been learned. Yang knew they had grown stronger, and closer together, because of it. But that period of time had been miserable for many of them, that Yang took it upon herself to ensure that she didn't need to see her friends in such pain again. Especially when she had seen her sister upset because two of her best friends were so at odds with each other. By now even Jaune and Weiss had moved past it to become friends by this point.

Yang was the oldest in the group, and thus it was her job to take care of them, or so she had convinced herself. Though, after another glance at the pair, she wasn't how long she could last before she locked them in the drum closet until they made out and hooked up.

Her eyes shifted over to her sister, who seemed to be playing her little heart out on the saxophone. Since her last year, she had moved up to the first chair. A fact that certainly had caused a bit of drama in of itself, but it had sorted itself out when they saw how hard she worked.

Her best friend seemed to be doing just fine, even a little bored seemingly as they played. Blake was always quick to pick up whatever song they were playing. She might not have been a prodigy like Pyrrha was, but she certainly was one of the strongest musicians in the class. One would have thought that she came from a musical background, but that couldn't have been the furthest from the truth. Blake shook her head sadly as she remembered the hell Blake had gone through a few years ago. It was awful how a few bad decisions and poor friends could drag such a nice girl through the mud. Then again, on the other hand it wasn't like “proper” friends and family always did wonders for you either.

Yang had to admit that for all the arrogance and pride Weiss liked to show, she certainly could back it up with her musical talents. Her flute playing was by far the prettiest in the class, and her singing ended with her facing constant requests to quit band and join choir. Weiss refused, on the grounds that she enjoyed playing the flute and wasn't interested in whatever selection of songs the teacher happened to have chosen, but Yang knew it was cause she didn't want to be separated from her group of friends. Even if she was too stubborn to admit it at times.

“Percussion!” Ozpin called out. Immediately Jaune and Pyrrha popped up like gophers from behind the marimba, Jaune moving over to the marimba while Pyrrha took the timpani's for this particular piece. At first, their combined appearance had caused quite a few snickers and rumors flying around the band room. Over a year later though, and everyone had accepted them being around each other and normal, and only Nora was still snickering.

Yang grinned in Nora's direction as she took her own position at the snare drum, ready to play. It wasn't like Nora was much different from Pyrrha, she was practically attached to Ren. Even if they weren't “together together.” As she had put it. They weren't in denial as much as their friends were, Nora saying since they had grown up together in foster homes they were practical siblings and it'd be “Weird” right? No one bought that argument, but they couldn't exactly argue against it either.

Staring at Ozpin intently, she followed Ozpin's count as they began playing.

Without interruption they had finished playing through the song, causing some of the woodwinds to look back in surprise. It wasn't often that Percussion had their stuff together on the first try when it wasn't an important moment. Percussionists certainly had a reputation for being a bit aloof that wasn't entirely undeserved.

Ozpin nodded. “Very good. Now this time, let's play it without gradually increasing the tempo by 20.”

All the percussionists stared at him blankly. “We sped up?”

He nodded. “20 clicks that time.”

“You always speed up.” Nora helpfully added.

Jaune frowned. “I didn't notice we sped up.” He muttered to Pyrrha.

She just smiled sheepishly. “I did a bit.” It wasn't like she could control the tempo though, that was more of Yang's job on the snare.

“Yang! Don't speed up. I can't play that fast.” Ruby whined, earning some murmurs of approval from the group.

“Sorry!” Yang offered with a grin. It hadn't been intentional, but when you're repeating the same pattern over and over again, it's sort of just a thing that happens.

“You did well to play that fast though, Jaune! You were right on the tempo we were going.” Pyrrha praised, causing her friend to beam happily.

Yang just rolled her eyes at Pyrrha never missing a chance to bolster Jaune's confidence. Not that she would lie to him to do so, but she put Bob Ross to shame some days with her positivity.

“Now then.” Ozpin said, starting to conduct again.

Soon enough the class was winding down, their practice going relatively smoothly.

Ozpin got a dangerous glint in his eye, causing the front row to shift nervously. “Now then, for our last run through let's have some fun shall we? We'll let percussion choose whatever tempo they like.”

The room fell dead silent, save for the odd note that rang out as Jaune's mallet slipped from his shocked hand onto the marimba.

“Sir? Are you sure that's a good idea?” Weiss asked after moment, regaining her composure.

Yang just started cackling in the back of the room. “Oh fu- heck yeah!” She cheered out, crackling her knuckles as she began to drum on her leg very quickly, getting her rhythm down.

Ozpin just smiled. “Now, while this is for fun and no one needs to worry about missing some notes, I do ask that percussion keeps it reasonable. We do have some first year students in this band who are not as experienced.” He explained, glancing at a few of the terrified saxophone and clarinet players.

A pout from Ruby caused Yang to sigh. “Okay, okay.” She turned away. “Dangling a carrot in front of me then telling me only to take a bite.” She muttered mostly to herself. Though, a breath later and she was facing forward again, grinning eagerly.

Ozpin just smiled at her. “Count it off, if you would Ms. Xiao Long.”

A few students glanced back, seeing all the percussionists, lean forward with a dangerous glint in their eyes.

Yang tapped the edge of the snare drum, probably 40 beats faster than the song usually called for. Right before the final four taps of the countdown she merely said. “Strap in.”

The resulting song was certainly an experience. It was chaotic, volume dynamics had completely been ignored, and a music stand had actually been knocked over by an over eager Nora who was having too much fun with her trombone.

By the end of the song, the whole class was laughing hard. It had started out nerve-wracking, a little difficult, but by the end, after a myriad of missed notes, solos that had been reduced to a few seconds, and a booming laugh breaking out from a tuba player, the tension had been dissolved and everyone was smiling.

The song came a cacophonous conclusion, and even Ozpin was laughing. Jaune had stumbled backwards, leaning against the wall as he clutched his stomach laughing. Pyrrha had wandered over, initially to check on him, but ended up leaning against him as she laughed herself. Yang just threw her hands up triumphantly as she grinned. Nora was cheering, Ren was just silently chuckling. Ruby was a bit flustered, having ended up over her head and totally blown her solo, but she was laughing herself. Blake was snickering, having managed to play at the higher tempo, but had found the whole ordeal fun.

Even Weiss had cracked a smile, able to just have fun after the tempo had gotten too fast for her to properly play. It was rare, but a sort of catharsis.

Now that everyone had loosened up, and class was reaching it's end Ozpin just patiently waited for the laughter to die down. “Now then, about the announcement I have to make.” He said after a moment, causing everyone to freeze in place.

Very rarely did he give announcements, and usually they were rather important.

“As you may well know, last year our school faced some issues. Our budget had been cut, I had to take a year's absence, and one of our other instructors had quit. Meaning a certain program had to have been dropped for that year regrettably.”

Most of the class stared at him in interested confusion, but Yang slammed her hand down on the snare, leaning over it. “You're not serious!” She rushed out, practically vibrating with anticipation.

Ozpin merely smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. “Yes Ms. Xiao Long. I'm afraid I am. Yes, this year marks the return of our indoor drumline program.”

The room exploded into conversation. Yang flat out yelled in joy. Jaune and Pyrrha stared at each other, both grinning. They were so going to audition for it. Ruby looked back at her sister eagerly. She had been afraid she wouldn't have had a chance to join one in high school. Ren just sighed as he began packing up his oboe, even before Nora had appeared next to him, already rambling about how they were going to audition together. It seemed he would have a lot of work ahead of him, not that he was against the idea. It would be fun after all. Blake and Weiss however were merely excited for their friends. They weren't particularly fond of percussion themselves.

“Of course, the return of drumline means the return of our color guard of well.”

This piqued both of their interest however. Weiss had to admit, the flashy dancing and the chance to elegantly enthrall an audience certainly appealed to her. Blake was a little more hesitant, but Yang had already crossed the room and thrown an arm around her shoulder, practically begging her to do it.

Blake just rolled her eyes and agreed to audition with a smile. It could be fun after all, and she wanted to be with her friends as much as she could during her senior year.

Ozpin just stepped off the platform, knowing that control of the class had been lost, even from his grip. He smiled apologetically at Glynda, who just sighed, having had more to say but knowing it was a lost cause. Simply walking over to the whiteboard near the front, in bold letters he wrote down a message before leaving to head to his office.

Auditions are next Wednesday after school.

He knew they would get the message sooner or later.

“Class dismissed. Clean up the room before you leave.” Glynda called out at a reasonable volume, but her voice cut through the chaos like a knife. Everyone had paused their conversations to let out a unanimous. “Yes Ms. Goodwitch.” Before returning to what they were doing. They had learned their lesson before about ignoring her.

The clean up that day had been a bit more chaotic for sure, but it had gotten done. Pyrrha finished putting the protective covers over the large timpani drums, rolling them back into the corner. Turning, she saw the the marimbas and xylophones had already been neatly stowed away. What she hadn't expected to see was Jaune sitting on the ground, his head in his hands. She bit her lip, she already knew what he was thinking. She had seen how eager he had been to hear about drumline, but knew how much he doubted himself when it came to percussion.

Gently moving over, she crouched down next to him, just waiting for a moment. She knew he would speak up when he was ready.

“Think I can do it?” He spoke up after a moment, having felt Pyrrha gently lean against him.

Pyrrha hummed for a moment, thinking. “Well I believe you can, but you knew I would say that. It's because I know how hard you work at this. Plus, you're not alone. All of us are with you.” She offered, smiling over at him.

Looking up, Jaune just stared at her before a grin crept across his face.

Pyrrha was about to continue when she saw a strange mix of emotions cross his face. “Jaune?”

The blonde looked away from her, his hand's suddenly drumming on his legs nervously. “It's just... been... a while since I was last on a drumline.”

Pyrrha froze, alarms going off in her head. “You were in a drumline before?” She asked, confused. She hadn't heard of that before.

Jaune shrugged nervously. “It was just a youth one in my middle school. Mostly for fun, only going to a local competition for fun.” He said after a brief pause. “I wanted to be like my grandpa. So it was the closest I could come to being a drummer at the time.”

Pyrrha stared at him, not saying anything. It was true she hadn't heard much about his middle school. She knew he hadn't exactly been too popular back then or had too many friends, so he usually only talked about the present. Still, when she had helped him with percussion in the beginning he had never mentioned it before.

Before she could decide if she wanted to press the issue any further, Ruby had popped up, kicking Jaune's shoe.

“You okay?” She asked, tilting her head, obviously concerned.

Jaune just looked up at her, that strange expression still on his face before a smile crept on it. “Yeah! I'm great!” He said, forcing himself to stand up suddenly. Almost solely out of habit, he moved over to the piano.

Immediately people flocked to the piano. Hardly an unusual sight after a class for them. Immediately he began to play a simple rendition of one of the popular songs on the radio.

Yang was leaning over the back of the piano, her sister at her side. Yang knew Jaune to be many things. Clumsy, determined, caring, a bit of a goof, romantically oblivious, but talented was usually not one word she'd use to describe him. But on the piano, he certainly had skill. It wasn't really due to a natural ability, but rather all the Arc children had been given a rule when they were kids to play a musical instrument for at least 3 years, he had explained. Afterwards, if they were unhappy with it they could give it up, no complaints. But his parents insisted the process of learning an instrument was good for both his mental growth, and for forming healthy habits.

Jaune had fallen in love with it, though it certainly always seemed to be a battle to improve. He couldn't admit it, but he loved how his playing would make others smile. It started out with his sisters, many of whom could play as well, but when he played correctly others would laugh. Then his few friends in the past enjoyed it as well. Finally, when he had transferred to beacon, he found it rang true and his first conversation with Pyrrha had been around the piano, even before she had offered to help him. Jaune knew if he could make his friends smile, any burden that came with learning the piano could be shouldered.

As he played, the usual crowd continued to flock around him, some even singing the words. Pyrrha took her usual spot, sitting on the bench next to him, occasionally picking at some notes to harmonize. Blake leaned against the side of the piano as she read, enjoying the atmosphere. Ren and Nora showed up happily, as Nora rested her hands on Jaune's shoulders and leaned against him. Even Weiss had floated around them, hanging out a bit awkwardly until Ruby had pulled her into a conversation.

A wrong note caused the song to crash to a halt as he fumbled for a moment, Yang and Nora snickering at his mistake. Jaune began to be a little flustered until he Pyrrha reassuringly nudge his leg with hers, offering her a warm smile as she started up again, getting back on track.

Yang burst out laughing as she saw Nora standing behind the oblivious duo, her arms out stretched as they hovered on either side of their heads twitching like she just wanted to mash them together. She was mouthing “kiss kiss kiss” silently, until Ren snickered and gently lowered her arms.

Eventually, Yang couldn't sit still anymore and moved over to the drum set in the corner next to the piano, picking up the sticks.

“Play something faster.” She ordered Jaune, as she spun her stick impatiently.

Jaune shrugged, before falling back to one of the songs he had down perfectly from years of practice.

“Ooo! This'll be the day! I know this too!” Ruby exclaimed as she vanished suddenly, reappearing a moment later with her saxophone. Soon enough, Ruby, Yang, and Jaune were preforming the song as a trio, while some of the others sang.

Across the room, Ozpin was leaning against the door frame, sipping from his drink with a content smile.

“You would think they would want to be quiet after so long of playing music.” Glynda had half-heartedly complained.

“They're just kids having fun. Band is a sort of safe haven for all different kinds of people, they can express themselves here in ways they can't in the rest of the school. This is important to them, and that's why I have a feeling this year's drumline will be something to remember.”

Glynda raised an eyebrow. “Your instinct is usually right. Who did you get to be the drumline instructor anyway?”

Ozpin just took a sip from his mug. “One of our old friends.”

As the song wound down, some of the band members still loitering about burst out into applause at the impromptu performance.

They continued to chat and laugh, having a good time as they traded expectations and excitement for the upcoming drumline auditions. None of them were aware yet just how crazy the rest of their senior year would be, or how glad they would be to be able to face it together.

XxXxXxXxX

Thank you for reading! :D So far I’m planning on this being my next major series. It’s touching home a bit writing this, as I was in band my senior year. 

Few important notes. One, there is some terminology from band thrown in here, so I hope it won’t be too difficult to read. I’ll try to explain any concepts I think are important. 

Two, The rules of how things work may differ just a bit compared to actual band and drumline. I’m a bit rusty on details, and I want more freedom to include events I want to so the competitions will run for a longer period of time, with quite a few possible events. I know Indoor percussion tends to be around a 4 to 5 month endeavor but I’m stretching it a bit cause I can.

Third, some elements from the show will be tweaked ever so slightly. I know the Jaune/Weiss conflict in the show was much more tame, and not as dramatic but since this takes place in our world, I’m saying it had ended up a little more dramatic. Part of the benefits of the world of RWBY is that it’s pretty easy to bond when you’re fighting for your life. In our world in a normal highschool setting, you don’t get that level of connection so it would bubble out as typical drama. That said, I’m not going to make it too extreme and I moved them past it more to the relationship they seemed to have in volume 3. I’ll explain more into the backstory gradually.

Fourth, I know this is a little clunky. I’m going for a massive story, so I have quite a bit of backstory to set up to explain how everyone grew up. Not going to dump it all in the first few chapters, though Arkos got quite the focus in this one. I will be trying to focus on all 8 characters pretty evenly, though Arkos will likely get the spotlight quite a bit cause I’m me. The writing will get better as I fall into a more natural groove with this story and I can focus more on the events rather than explaining everything that needs to be explained. Put simply though, they’re all seniors at a highschool, including Ruby who skipped freshman and sophmore years, due to reasons I’ll explain in the future. 

I really hope you enjoy this, as I’m looking forward to writing it. 

[awesomecbmusicstudios-blog]

CB Music Studios

Advantages of Music Lessons at Home

You probably have ever thought of music lessons for adults, perhaps among the following thoughts have come to mind: "My parents made me take piano lessons when I was a child and I hated it and never practiced. Now I actually remorse that." "I would love to have a grand piano in my house, but I don't know easy methods to play." "Once I was a child, I at all times wanted to play an instrument, however I never got to." "I played the clarinet after I was in highschool and I really beloved it." People reminisce about their past experiences with music and make comments like these. Music teachers hear them all the time... especially from these in search of music classes for adults.

Music lessons for adults are simply available for almost any instrument, and that features the voice. However there is not as a lot promoting and selling of music lessons for adults as for kids. This sometimes results in a standard notion by the public that music instruction is an exercise for youngsters solely. This article will handle some of the most important causes adults take classes, how music lessons for adults benefit them, and ways to avoid some snags once you determine you wish to start taking lessons.

The first question an adult must ask earlier than beginning music lessons for adults is, "Why do I wish to do that?" Each teacher and pupil must have a clear picture of what all the objectives are. Just as necessary is the selection of instrument. How about that outdated saxophone saved away someplace in the house? What in regards to the piano you inherited out of your grandmother? Or is it your want to go out and buy a violin since you actually need to play that violin? No matter what you select, there's an adventure simply ahead of you. Each instrument is distinct and particular person in its own means, but there is a common algorithm for all written music, and that allows for producing and good performance, which is, in spite of everything, the aim of performing art.

The "motherboard" of all musical devices is the piano. All other instruments lengthen from the piano, and the playing or singing of music is fun and interesting regardless of which instrument you select. But to supply a great sound and to be accurate and creative in your efficiency, even if "performing" is just taking part in for yourself, it's obligatory to know the fundamental ideas of enjoying and/or singing. It is vitally stimulating to have the ability to simply entertain yourself, or to play on stage in front of an viewers.

Once you decide you need to start classes the following step is to locate a instructor who is in tune with your pursuits and schedule. It is advisable to make your wants recognized to the instructor. Is pop and jazz for your own pleasure what you wish to play? Do you wish to kind a woodwind quintet for classical music of the masters? It is advisable to make it recognized. Will probably be a complete frustration for both student and trainer to slave over a Mozart sonata for several months, when what you actually needed to learn was the right way to play cocktail piano for a friend's occasion.

Those that take music classes for adults inform of the enjoyment and fun gained from flexibility in making an attempt a large assortment of music types. No matter what fashion of music you wish to play, nothing takes the place of studying the fundamentals, learning the vocabulary, and greedy the basics, but these are merely tools to be used to reach the desired outcomes.

The adult student who begins classes must remember that communication is the key. The adult scholar is the customer and that student will expertise a real feeling of accomplishment when they possess a real need to learn. A transparent understanding music lessons between teacher and pupil of what the last word purpose is will produce the most fulfillment. The perfect music instructor will domesticate this process and structure the material in such a way as to make it consumer-friendly and fun!

After you've got discovered a teacher that meets your expectations, you will have to make a dedication of how a lot time you may commit to this exciting project. Understand that music is a journey, not a destination. Even essentially the most achieved professionals by no means cease being coached and searching for enter from their friends. Enter your lessons with the expectation of spending not less than a number of years mastering the basics.

There is by no means a time when even probably the most achieved professionals ever cease being coached and getting input from their peers. Music classes for adults ought to be entered into with the understanding that you'll spend not less than a number of years mastering the basics. Even more importantly, music classes are most successful when there is time to observe. Thirty minutes per week is most frequently the actual lesson time. It is during this lesson time that the instructor will verify hand position and respiration strategies, reply questions which will have come up through the prior week, show the way to overcome trouble spots, and prepare the student for what is arising the next week.

The grownup scholar have to be willing to commit to a couple minutes of practice for drills and repetition of material. Success might be linked directly to the period of time devoted to follow, but for the recreational musician, an appropriate outcome can be achieved by way of one half-hour of concentrated apply most days per week.

Enjoying music encompasses the physique and the mind, with each brain and hands becoming exactly related. Every finger needs to be a sure place at a certain time, and every be aware sung is a really precise variety of vibrations per second. The science of this is exact and engaging. True euphoria will be produced by successfully making it via a difficult passage.

Music classes for adults are also advantageous in a social sense. Belonging to a group orchestra or chorus, joining a band, entertaining at events, being a musically-educated member of a church choir-these actions are all far more pleasurable when you've gotten the correct training.

Take a look at bulletin boards in music shops and native computer lists. They all present people on the lookout for singers, keyboardists, and all types of different musicians. Music is a performing art, however playing at home or alone, with nobody listening may be an entirely relaxing and pleasing time. But, music is unique in that it takes three entities for completion.

A composer must create the music, a performer should carry out the piece, and an audience is required to listen to and enjoy it. It is these three parts-composer, performer, and audience-that make a reside performance a distinctively participating expertise between the performer and the viewers, even if your audience is simply the household relaxing with you at dwelling! Bear in mind, although, an excellent music studio will always provide recitals to its students to allow them to carry out in front of an viewers, should they want to do that.

Dr. Diana Chapman Walsh, former President of Massachusetts' Wellesley College gave a most inspiring and memorable speech when she was addressing prospective college students. Incoming freshmen at Wellesley were encouraged to delay declaring a serious.

The philosophy there was to maintain all avenues of self-improvement open. Dr. Walsh advocated taking classes during which you had no expertise, and lessons that you simply thought of uninteresting, because you might discover a flair you never knew you had. I like to match adults taking music classes to Dr. Seuss's character, Sam, who finds that after resisting them, "he LIKES green eggs and ham!" This is nice recommendation for people of any age! The purpose will get throughout in but a distinct way in Columbia Image's 1991 film, City Slickers.

Curley, a character played by Jack Palance, is a sensible and weathered previous cowboy, and his companion is Mitch (played by Billy Crystal). Mitch asks Curley what the that means of life is, and Curley answers that it's "just one thing," When Mitch asks what the one thing is, Curley replies that it's completely different for everybody, and all people has to search out it for themselves. It doesn't matter what your age, it's by no means too late to see if music is likely to be your "one factor.

One of many many lovely points of music is that it crosses all cultural, ethnic, political, and spiritual boundaries, and it's a fixed. In an ever-changing world of digital and digital know-how, the specifics of easy methods to play music remains unchanged, as anybody will discover who took classes as a child and starts again years later. (Center C won't ever betray you--it's at all times proper where it was the day earlier than, simply waiting to be performed!

Students taking music lessons for adults come from all walks of life. A cross-section of my studio's adult students features a medical student in search of recreation and release from studying, a retiree engaged on a piano sonata, a housewife who acquired a grand piano for her anniversary present, an legal professional who needs to have the ability to assist his son with his piano classes, a wife and mother of three who just turned forty and is taking voice and yoga for self-fulfillment, and an legal professional with a protracted-held need to study piano but by no means played. There is one other gentleman from the medical business who has a whole sound studio in his house, and he wants to concentrate on theory in order to compose and document authentic music.

We've all heard in regards to the tutorial and personal advantages of taking music and piano lessons. As soon as a household has determined to start music classes, they then have the choice between taking music lessons at house or music classes in a instructor's studio.

One of the questions an in-dwelling music teacher hears steadily is, "Does taking a music lesson in your individual residence make that make of a difference versus in a school or a studio?" The reply is "absolutely!" I've taught over 200 students in each House Music Classes and Studio Music Classes - I can converse from expertise. The comparison between the two is crystal clear.

What is it that makes classes in the dwelling so successful? The answer could be found within the reaction of the kid. How a baby perceives what's taking place in the course of the lesson is crucial to a younger music pupil's success. Is the coed receiving constructive suggestions and encouragement? Or are they only being informed what they are doing mistaken. Does the child have a optimistic one-on-one relationship with the music teacher? Is the lesson one other "job" they have to finish earlier than they'll go play? Or is the lesson an actual deal with that they look forward to.

Youngsters are incredibly perceptive. They will sense if someone is genuinely fascinated about them and will react nearly immediately to even the slightest rise or fall in a trainer's voice. A child's notion is much more impacted after they feel snug - akin to within the familiar environment of their own home. I have seen kids change into extraordinarily targeted once they have sensed the presence of a guardian in a nearby room.

Youngsters have a pure need to please - and that need is doubled in terms of pleasing their dad and mom. By retaining the music lessons in the home, the children have a continuing reminder of their objective. I have seen a toddler's face gentle up when mom praises him for learning her favorite tune. Classes within the house remind the kid of his objective and this utterly modifications the way in which the kid views the lessons.

A music or piano lesson in the home is also a completely totally different experience than any of their different actions. Most houses aren't outfitted to have a swim staff follow in the living room! Music Lessons are one of many few extracurricular actions that kids can truly take pleasure in in their dwelling. This creates a novel experience that the kid comes to view as a special event - totally different from the rest they (and doubtless their buddies) do.

The creation of a novel experience truly comes to mild when comparing in-house classes to classes at a studio. Kids spend an average of eight hours a day in a faculty atmosphere where they are fed a relentless stream of information. When lessons are taught at a college or studio, the setting mimics a college setting. Although any music lessons are higher than nothing, the child often begins to affiliate the lessons as just one other topic to get via - not something to love and enjoy for a lifetime.

Again, exposing a child to any form of music classes is a present; nevertheless, the question we are exploring is whether or not not in-residence music lessons are a simpler alternative than Studio or College Classes. Whereas music classes in a studio are better than no classes in any respect, a pupil will have the ability to reap the total benefits by having music classes within the home.