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Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by 3A HBD Young Pup on 4/7/2021, 2:40 pm

What's the best excuse you have heard? Mine was "well my parents couldn't afford to go camping during spring break so we are missing the last week of April to go camping because it's cheaper"

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Millenial on 4/14/2021, 3:58 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

"I missed the concert because I had to do chores"

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by BDOD on 4/13/2021, 7:18 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I got called into the principals office to meet with a parent because my timpani player was refusing to go meet the President.

I indicated that *I* wasn't the one standing inthe way of that. The kid was just very dedicated to his role in our band.

We worked something out with Secret Service and he was rushed out into a waiting car as soon as sightreading was over to go to the event where the SS was waiting to bring him in.

So, if their excuse isn't better than THAT

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by 4A BD on 4/13/2021, 11:00 am, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I got an email from this girl's mom saying she had a seizure that morning around 8AM and was at the hospital. Our warm-up time rolls around at the comp site that afternoon and in walks this young lady with her french horn. I asked her what she was doing and she said "I have seizures all the time, but I have 1 chance to play this solo". I looked at her mom and she just shrugged her shoulders and said the doctor had released her. She nailed the solo.

I still tell that story to my kids when they start making excuses for everything.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by What? on 4/12/2021, 4:15 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I have 2 good ones.
1. I had a kid miss a concert on a Friday because he was deported. He was back at school the next Tuesday after crossing the boarding illegally.
2. I had another kid that was driving to school on a Saturday for a BOA contest later that night and was pulled over and arrested because he was smoking a joint in the car and cops saw him.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by anon on 4/9/2021, 12:33 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

We had a junior high percussion student tell us she couldn't attend a band contest because her grandmother had died. When we called her family to offer our sympathies, the grandmother answered the phone.....

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Ovrwkdnundrpd on 4/9/2021, 9:43 am, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

"I have to stay home and shave my pig"

Me being from Arkansas, you would have think I would have heard this before.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by and then on 4/9/2021, 6:45 am, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

"oh, my parents and I completely forgot", when asked, what do you think we were doing in class the last month, talking about every day, and the emails I sent home, and the band calendar you have in your folder, and the band website? "Yea, I don't look at that stuff, and my parents never read emails."
He went on to be an education major and is an assistant principal... go figure.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by BDSO on 4/8/2021, 7:49 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I had two girls who were living with their aunt miss UIL. Both were flute players in a section of four with one having a solo. The day of UIL I was watching the morning news and there was a report of a gruesome murder (like, horror movie gruesome). The name of one of the victims sounded familiar. Turns out it was the aunt the girls were living with. They were in the house but were not harmed. They didn't even know their aunt and her friend were killed until they found them that morning. The news was confirmed by a text message a kid in the band got right before warmup. Needless to say things went down hill from there, not that any of that mattered.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Me on 4/8/2021, 4:20 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

Had a kid miss pre-UIL concert because their sister had a baby, once.

While one would think that they wouldn't need to miss for that, the sister had been on bed rest for six weeks prior to the delivery, which came a month early, and there was a chance that both mom and baby wouldn't survive the delivery due to major health concerns on both sides.

Everyone wound up pulling through - the kid is about twelve, now - but family WILL ALWAYS come first over EVERYTHING in my band hall.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by STX on 4/8/2021, 3:35 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I had a student miss an all-region clinic and concert (for which he made us late to attend). When I spoke to his father about it, the dad told me that the boy had left school to attend his own "surprise" birthday party. The dad also said that the boy didn't know about the party.

...he wasn't in band much longer...

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Scholarship on 4/8/2021, 3:14 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I had one of my best kids tell me on short notice that he would skip our Friday night solo recital and Saturday S&E contest. I was about to jump down his throat, but calmly asked why. He had submitted a video audition to a very prestigious music school a few weeks before, and just found out he was invited to a live audition on that Saturday. He texted me on Sunday evening that he had been offered a scholarship worth over $30K per year. I gave him bonus points on his performance grade.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by OG on 4/8/2021, 7:54 am, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

I had a kid miss a concert. When he walked up to me a couple of days later, I started in on him until he handed me the clipping from the newspaper about how his dad went nuts and tried to kill him and his mom.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Chindi on 4/8/2021, 3:27 pm, in reply to "Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

OH MY!!!

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Anon on 4/7/2021, 6:48 pm, in reply to "Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

We had a child come to us the day before UIL marching one year and say that he couldn’t be at the marching contest. Of course we went bonkers about why we weren’t told sooner etc...

Well, come to find out after a few minutes of intense conversation with this student that his dad was scheduled to be executed down in Huntsville that day and he wanted to be at the prison for the execution.

We excused his absence and marched a hole as I recollect.

Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?

Posted by Chindi on 4/8/2021, 3:29 pm, in reply to "Re: Best Excuse for a kid missing a contest?"

HOLY CRAP!!!

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