Traditions

Clarinet Traditions Clarinet Bonding

It is important that the members of a section interact with each other outside of the rehearsal and game setting to promote sectional cohesion. We have several get-togethers during the entire academic year, where we can kick back and lament over the less-than-tropical weather and get a break from the pressures of Cornell. We are also venturing into the unconventional area of the strolling concert - going to play for the crowd during games. This has traditionally been left to the louder sections, but we are trying to break out of our shells and have some fun!

Song of the Classes

Every year after the first rehearsal, the band has a pizza party at the Nines. The highlight of the evening is singing/learning the words to songs that we sing during the season. A favorite of these is the Song of the Classes...and of course you know who has the best verse...
Oh, we are the clarinets, we finger our keys. The band sounds much sweeter when we blow our reeds. We can carry a tune, and march straight as well... We are the best section, you can all GO TO HELL!

Tuesday Dinners

On the first Tuesday of each month, the clarinet section meets to have pizza at The Chariot or The Nines, in Collegetown, for dinner. It is a welcome relief from the everyday stress of classes. We eat, talk, and laugh at each other for about an hour before heading off to rehearsal (or, in the Spring, back to work). Although it is sometimes difficult for everyone to attend, we usually have a good turnout.

Emerald Eyes

Carla Grosse was a member of the clarinet section during the late 1980's. One of the songs that the band was performing in an upcoming show at that time was Emerald Eyes (now a band favorite). Unfortunately Carla, a rank leader, was having trouble learning the show that week, and could not remember when a certain move was supposed to take place, despite the fact that the rest of her rank was moving (and yelling at her to move). So after a while, the clarinets came up with a solution to Carla's problem: they decided to count to 4 and yell her name really loudly, so that she would remember to move. The plan worked-- but the idea didn't die after the perforfance of the show. The clarinets liked it so much that they continued yelling "Carla" whenever Emerald Eyes was played. Now, nearly ten years later, Carla is a legend among the clarinets, and we always yell her name when the song is played during a concert.

Frogs!

The official mascots of the clarinet section are four frogs: Lick (green, the original frog), Grope (yellow), Fondle (red), and Jo Mama (blue). They were introduced to the section by Kim last year and have grown rapidly in popularity during the 1997 season. This season, each of our four ranks was assigned one frog to display during shows and parades. They are also highly visible at rehearsals-- they are often thrown around the band room at very high speeds. Rank leaders have come up with many different ways of attaching these frogs to their clarinets, causing some interesting reactions from other sections and non-bandies. Frogs have also been known to perch themselves on peoples' heads, and one was kidnapped by the trumpets (fortunately, it was retrieved). Lick, Grope, Fondle and Jo Mama were named at The Chariot during the September clarinet dinner.

A picture of the four frogs will hopefully be placed here soon... but don't count on it.

Traditions of the Past...

"Rich Goldstein '86 decided that we needed a cheer for the clarinets, so he came up with the "Pink Panther" theme in 1983. We bought these plastic Pink Panthers that we used as we played the song. Rich donned white gloves (w/o holes) when he went to conduct. There is a great blownup photo (check the bandroom) of one of these Pink Panthers in a praying position sitting on top of a bandie's hat during the Penn road game. To be honest, it was very hokey and didn't last long..."

"Other traditions include a clarinet pyramid built on the track during the third quarter (we had enough heavy guys to do the base, but had to get flute players to make the top two levels. Fortunately, Juli Stein flute '87, who married Charlie Wade '86, was small and it was usually her honor). Speaking of Charlie, there was always the "Charlie Cheer," what you probably know as "Go Red, Go White"...yes, that was a clarinet cheer."

"When I was at Cornell (do I sound like a parent?) band members used to go to the Thirsty Bear for Matt's Night. You see, I was there when the drinking age went from 18 to 19 to 21 (I sort of drifted along with it), so both RPU and Noyes each had a bar in the building (great for those cold winter nights when you didn't want to shlep into C-town). Anyway, every Tuesday night the Thirsty Bear in RPU would sell splits (about 8 oz. bottles, I'm not sure) for 3 for $1. About 20 people used to go and it developed into a game of "Whales Tails" that lasted til about the 1 am closing. Not a clarinet tradition, but a band one. The only thing we had on these lines was the annual clarinet bash prior to the end of Band Camp party. The event was held at Vinnie's, which was the band hangout. Of course Vinnie's isn't there any longer (it's where Little Joe's is), but Vinnie used to love having all the Cornell musical groups as customers and would allow them to sing (the Hangovers were frequenters also). It's where the band went following the first rehearsal of the season (you go to the Nines now). Anyway, the clarinets always had a kickoff there."