Kara I do not have an obsession with first chair. me and my best friend were the top 2 chairs last year and that is the only thing that we are rivals about and that is why i want first chair

So you want first chair to beat out your best friend over? There are more imporatant things in life and keeping a good friend may be one of them. Just a thought... Competition can be good at times, but not all the time.

o the drama of flute....
i play oboe... not to much competition there:D

but if 1st chair is absolutely that important to you, keep practicing, especially like they said, "tell a story" no one likes boring music...

that is why I rarely dated other flute players, I did date a lot of oboists and clarinetists though..

lol! I wouldn't date them either! Aren't we a mess!

hmmm...back in the seventh grade I played cello as well, and still do occasionally, and I "dated" (a few movies lol) the first chair violist. The band girls were mean, so I turned to the orchestra.

Here are my few cents worth. (sorry in advance for the babbling)

In school it certianly is nice to sit first chair. But all the parts are important and often times 2nd and 3rd parts are more difficult than the first part.(yes, part vs chair is a different story).Chair position in school is nothing like being out in the music making world though. In the professional world there are few times you will be in a section of 12 flutes. It will be 2 or 3 flutes, you are all 1st chair for each of your parts. You can gain a lot of experience adjusting to other players if you are not first chair and that is a great skill to have. Because out there in the pro world you need to adjust to your first chair player wether they are right or wrong. You tune to their pitch, you adjust to their variables, and you play their rythmms. The first chair position will take the blame for the section mistakes.

In the orchestras I play in right now when the conductor has something to say he says it to the first chair players. And the first chair is responsible for getting the section to do things correctly.

I wished I had learned this when I was younger. I challenged the frist chair player my first year in high school. I won the audition but the band director asked that I play 4th horn anyway. I did and I quit band the next year. My senior year I came in and played for the concerts. How did it affect me? There was lots of scholarship money I did not get and a lot of band fun I missed. But the most funny thing is when I went to college I played first only to end up becoming a 4th horn specialist. How funny is that. I am sure it is a little different in the flute world but I am sure there are similarities.

So, yes, go for the first chair position. Go for it by being the best all around player you can be. And if you don't get it try to challenge for it later (because a lot of people stop working hard when they get the first chair position)Keep them working to keep their chair.

I remember in 7th grade i was last chair...then i started to practice more and made first chair and im still first chair even in 11th grade today.
I just hate the flute section sometimes! its one of the most nastiest,ugliest sections out there...Girls are jealous bi***es! well most of them are...
These are things that happened to me in my section.
1.A girl tried to hide my regional and all state etudes from me
2.played my solos with me and playing all the wrong notes to make me look bad.
3.lash out on me for no reason on stage(with curtians closed)
4.knock my music over or give me a broken stand during a concert.
Now everyone wonders why im in a bitchy mood all the time.
But Hey! thats life! and i love the flute and im not going to quit over that.
The only reason why i like being first chair is because you get noticed as the best player in the section and get offered to do more...like play solos with the chior or orchestra.

I know what you are saying, but I know guys who have been just as bad and would stop at nothing to get to where they wanted to be...interestingly, both men and women that do catty things usually don't go far because, in the music world, with all the competition, you have to be a nice person and be easy and professional to work with, if you're not, then there are plenty of nice people waiting in the wings..

"
Canadian:
First chair isn't always a good thing. For younger players it can be more stressful, too many solos, harder music ect. "

This is true but sometimes the "stress" can build better players. You don't get to be a great musician by hiding in the practice room. On the other hand of the player gets obsessed with "First Chair" then it may become first or nothing and that isn't good.

If it were up to me, I'd say learn to enjoy and appreciate your art. Master your flute, your music and your performance of the music and forget the competition issues. If you know your music then the feelings of stress become something else.

The story of my band experience from 6th grade through 12th grade
as told by Me.

Introduction: The year before, I broke my thumb and had to quit my beloved piano that I had played since I was 5. Kind of hard to play with a cast on, you know? So my neighbor, who played trumpet back in the original big band days, decided he would help me pick a new instrument. I had bad teeth and was in orthodontion, so many instruments I couldnt play. He had a flute in his attic that his son used to play, so he sold it to me for $75 so I could begin playing when I moved back into public schools.

6th grade: I came in late since I moved to a new school halfway through the year. All of the other band kids began playing in 5th grade, so I was forced into sitting last chair because I didnt know what I was doing. Lucky for me, I knew how to read music so I advanced quickly. By my 3rd week in band, I was sitting 1st chair and beating everyone out of their previous spots. Lets just say I made a LOT of enemies by just playing my best. Director wanted to move me up to the top band when I went on to middle school the next year, so I agreed.

7th grade: We had tape tests that determined our seating placement. I was lazy, so I never did them. When I decided to actually do them, I had only 1 or 2 points off (which was unheard of from this director. He was one of those Nazi types) which beat the older girl who played first chair pretty much forever out everytime. But she was jealous that someone was better than her, so she would change her score so she would still get first chair and all of the solos (which she played badly, too).

8th grade: Band director moved me down to the low band since I never did my tests. He did it as punishment. That and he wanted me to get lessons really badly. So, even though I knew I was better than any of the other flutists there (and I was... they were really freaking bad), I ALWAYS sat 2nd chair, regardless of how well my tape was played. Director told me that if I didnt get lessons, I would keep sitting there. So, I began my lessons. That second semester, I was bumped back up to the top band and did my tests. And I STILL always sat 2nd chair, regardless. He said that he wanted me to work harder.

9th grade: I was interrogated by my new director as to why I was bumped down a band in 8th grade. When I told him, he said "Oh. Well that was a stupid idea..." I ended up auditioning for the top band in high school (which was noted as one of the top bands in the state, mind you), as a freshman, with my teachers 14k Powell flute (mine was in the shop and they left me a really crappy Armstrong with a set of keys falling off). And I beat out everyone, including the senior who was one of the top in the state that year. But because she was a senior and was promised a full-ride scholarship into the music program at a large university (Michigan State), I was placed 2nd chair. But I played piccolo and played it well.

10th grade: This crazy senior hated me because I was better than her and sat 1st chair. I had gotten my new shiny Muramatsu DS the past summer, so I was really protective of it. And that b**ch knocked it offstage, ON PURPOSE, during our really huge concert. And then said "since she cant play her solos, I'll play them" Oh, I wanted to beat her face in. And being the principal of the section (which was pretty much handed to me after that), my director told me "You can give solos to whoever you want" And she wouldnt listen to me when I was handing them out. She took all of them (even when director asked me to play them) and even threatened me. Man, was I ever glad for her to graduate!

1th/12th grade: The rest of my section then realized that I was good and they shouldnt mess with me because I wasnt going to give up practicing my ass off.

But dont expect 1st chair. If I could, I wouldve given up my chair for that horrible person just so I didnt have to deal with her. People are cruel and mean and very PMSey. Just shoot for your best, whether that's first chair or last chair. If you're playing your best, you will be happy.

Besides, one directors version of "good" isn't necessarily the next directors version of "good" especially if talents are really close.

I would beat that girl on stage if she were to knock my flute off"Someone CALL The Ambulance!!!!! I'm About to Kill a B**CH!!!!

I had very supportive friends who did that for me. That way I ended up smelling like a rose in the end.

And I was LIVID. That would be MY $8000 flute, thank you very much. You can go kick your Gemeinhardt all you want. Touch my Muramatsu and I kill you!

I have a Gemeinhardt.

lol but wow, thats quite an experience. Mines pretty boring:
4th Grade-Xylophone. Learned to read music.
5th Grade-Recorder. Joined the Recorder Ensemble. Was first chair.
6th-Clarinet/Cello. Director hated me for some reason. Was first chair, but didn't like playing clarinet.
7th-TUBA/cello. Worst year of my life, director made me switch. Wanted to play saxophone, wouldnt let me, so I rented one and taught myself at home. Was told I would "never play the saxophone any good" by the director.
8th-Saxophone/cello/flute/violin/viola. Made all county. First chair. Showed that director!(She had left that year and a new guy came who was much nicer. Picked up flute in January and slowly began falling in love.

I did solo ensemble every year and got superiors on every solo...stuck with cello because it was my escape from the band mess, and I liked it and was first chair there too. I also picked up violin and viola quickly. I was a real music obsessed kid, and still am.

Going into ninth this year, first year of marching band, playing alto. Joining Jazz Band playing tenor, doubling on flute and clarinet. Syphonic band playing flute. Syphonic Orch. either flute or cello. Was asked to play tuba in marching band this year and happily DECLINED. Thats meh story.

its ok my story is even more boring,

year 1&2 i played recorder (but i was rubbish)
kept begging my mother for a clarinet but she wouldn't let me
year 9 xylophone in band but again i was rubbish as i still couldn't read music
end of year 9
i finally saved enough money to buy a instrument, my intension beng to buy a nice clarinet but when my friend was giving up and was willing to let me borrow her flute for a couple days naturly i jumped at the chance andfell in love, i was sad when i had to give it back and then i bought my own nice and shiny flute
Year 10
started playing in junior orchestra (or quintet as we often are) in january (on my loverly flute) after learning my butt off all summer and quite a few lessons we don't have proper chairs but i generally play the harder stuff, hopefully next year i should be able to join the senior orchestra (at least the music teacher said i could if i could manage the music) where the flutes out number the violins!