I think of it this way:
If the world pisses me off in any way, I will get revenge. If nobody likes me for who I am, I'll get my revenge. I get bad grades in school and people yell at me to do better. And I just completly ignore them. BEcause I know, someday I will get my revenge. Till then, my life is drumming.

Alright I know exactly about wannabe's. This year for indoor our first trumpet decided and reported to me that he was better than half the drumline. That really pissed me off. But you have to ignore it, and realize that these people are ignorant, and don't and prolly won't understand drumming. I could see how your parents/relatives are making this hard for you. They are prolly telling you to get some direction in your life and want you to get into some top noch school and this stuff. It will probably be hard to get them to understand what you love and that their priorities in life might not be what yours are. Try to show them that you have different goals in your life. Maybe they want you to be millionaire or something -- but tell them that's not what YOU want. If you ever feel what you are doing (drumming) isn't what you should be or something, because people are telling you its worthless, remember that you are doing it for yourself. Also for indoor, or any band activity keep in mind that you can't expect it to be as good as what you want it to be because the other members don't care like you do. That's tough but you have to. Strive not to make the line as good as yourself, but as good as you can make it.

well jsut becasue you drum doesnt mean you cant be a millionaire last i heard tommy lee isnt scrambling for change. You jsut do what you love becasue its what you love to do. sure you could sit in an office all day and tap on your desk with penils making a ton of money until you get fired for not working or you can stand on a football field in 100 weather telling kids how to read a drill chart for the first time and not make so much money. which one would you rather do i know i would rather stand on that football field.

Thanks you guys. My grandparents have seen me performed sinc they live in the same county I do. I encouraged them to come to the DCI Summer Music Games that came this summer but they said it was a waste of time. I really can't argue with them because is not worth it. They will always be right in their eyes. My grandmother has seen "Blast" on TV. I told her if we could go see the real thing when they come around again. She said of course it was a waste of time. The reason I play percussion is since I love it and I enjoy doing that. I enjoy people listening to the beats of our drumline and say hey I want to listen to them. I also enjoy playing softball since it's almost the same thing as percussion to me. I really don't want to go to a top notch school like they want me to. I'm going to Vanderbilt already and it's enough pressure already. They never say is good. They say it can be better. It's like my grades. I work my butt off sometimes and they say you can do better. Of course if I argue with them I probably get grounded. They never think anything that I do is good enough. So to them I basically suck

Chsgirl2 - Check the Drumming and Depression thread. There are some good suggestions there as well.

HOW can they say Blast! is a waste of time. I'm going to see it tomorrow night for the second time. [their last ever stop on their tour is Cleveland ] By the way, what do your parents do as a profession?

My mom is a supervisor of a company that handles science magazines orders and such. I don't know how they can say Blast was a waste of time too but I don't get them at all either.

MAM where could I find that thread????

Use the Search feature.

I think everyone hits plateaus like this every now and then. Getting out of them is what separates each scenario. I don't know exactly what to say simply because you'll find your own way to get out of it. But I can suggest a few things:

If you don't want to play, then don't play. It's important that you do what you want to do and what you like. Take a break for a few days/weeks/months. Maybe eventually you'll come across an old pair of sticks and start tapping and remember all the good things you got out of it. Remember, it sometimes takes one step down to go two steps up.

Don't let your relatives' opinions stand in your way. Sure, the attitudes of those around you can be effective of your opinion, but they are not the people that play. They are not you. You have your specific goals that you wish to achieve in your life.

I also want to add that Vanderbilt is a very good school, for both music and academics. I don't understand why your family wouldn't want you to go there. It's sad that your family doesn't support you in something you obviously love to do. They don't have to go to the DCI shows (I bet you're not interested in everything your grandmother does) to show affection but what they are doing, but they don't seem to show any true emotion about it. Maybe they'll see what you currently see if you give them time, just like your mom does.

This sort of relates to my first suggestion, but it's not as extreme. Find a new form of percussion to do. The great part about percussion is that there are a myriad amount of options to follow through. You could play set, or world percussion, or even go to a few drum circles. The best part about drum circles is that they're much more relaxed than the structured form of marching.

Whatever you do, I'm sure it'll be the option that will truely make you feel good. Hope you find your true calling and make the best of it.

I know this is hard but do not let other people 's actions stop you from doing what you love