Our conductor has told us that he wants a break, which has caused some chaos in the big band. I’m confused about why it happens now because the conductor told us this a year ago. Apparently, the committee has been sleeping because they haven’t prepared anything. Or, more correctly, they expected everyone in the big to play without a conductor for some time. But why haven’t they asked us?

I don’t understand how it is possible to be so narrow-minded that you don’t ask the members what they want when the conductor takes a break but instead assume that everyone wants the same thing as yourself. It turns out that many of the members, including me, don’t want to show up unless a conductor is present. Why haven’t we talked about this in the fall? And why hasn’t the committee asked for the prerequisites for people to keep showing up? And they should also have asked if people were willing to pay for a professional conductor.

There has been a professional conductor the last two times, and I think it’s fantastic. He is nice and has a great way of correcting us. It’s relaxed and friendly, and nobody feels singled out. There are rumors about people not wanting to pay for a conductor, and some think having a conductor for every rehearsal is unnecessary. Well, it is necessary because he has focused on teaching us how to play swing. It’s an indication that we need a lot of basic knowledge, and it’s about time we get professional help. But not all agree with that. I’m excited to see how it all ends.