chsdbacks Page 102
Page 102
When arranging seating, four basic points must always be kept in mind:
Sound grouping, volume balance, line of sight, sound propagation.
Closest to Kitahara Hakuba was a girl on his left, the piccolo section leader, Piccolo Suzuki Yoshie.
To the right is Meiko Hiraishi, the flautist of the freestyle piece.
The first row is the woodwind section, divided into two rows. The first row consists of piccolo and bassoon, and the second row consists of clarinet, oboe, and bassoon.
The middle row consists of copper pipes, facing the Kitahara Hakuba direction as follows:
The French horn is located on the left-center, the trumpet and trombone are in the center, and the bass section is on the right-center.
The back row is the percussion section, and the sides are occupied by harps and marimba.
"Phew... Just the arrangement feels completely different from last year." Yuka Isomoto's words revealed her excitement.
Sitting next to her was Haruki Saito, the principal bassist, who held a silver euphonium and said:
"Yuxiang, what do you think is different?"
"The overall atmosphere is different."
Yuka Isomoto's gaze fell on Hakuba Kitahara, who was adjusting the position of the marimba. She'd heard it was quite expensive.
"There's a feeling that... they're very responsible and upright, and that everyone will walk together to the end."
Saito Haruka pressed her fingertips heavily against the silver tube and smiled:
"It's great that we all stayed together until the end."
"Ok!"
Yuka Isomoto nodded, her fingers sliding across the battered transparent binder, turning the pages of etudes.
Finally, we stopped at "Raise the Flag of Courage".
She wrote various encouraging words in different colored pens on the blank spaces around the sheet music, all of which were seen by Saito Haruka.
"Kirishima-senpai, nice to meet you." Kana Eto smiled, revealing a set of white teeth peeking out from between her pink lips.
Now, Eri Kanzaki is no longer in Class A; Mai Kirishima is the principal oboe.
"I should be the one offering guidance," Kirishima Mai said modestly, bowing her head slightly.
Kana Eto looked very happy: "I used the best reed today, so I'm going to play it well!"
"so...
.
The reed is crucial for the oboe, and almost every player always carries several reeds with them.
"I'm really looking forward to performing with the current Shin-Asahi Brass Band."
Kana Eto didn't care at all about being the top student in the lower grades; she seemed much happier to stay in Class A.
"Alright, that looks much better now. Everyone, raise your eyes, straighten your backs, hold your instruments properly, and make sure everyone can see my conducting!"
Kitahara Hakuba clapped his hands on the podium, and the members below immediately obeyed the instruction, straightened their backs, and looked at him.
"Can everyone see my commands?" he asked, looking around.
"Yes!" the members responded.
"Okay, today is the piece for our first ensemble competition."
Kitahara Hakuba stood at the very front and smiled as he spoke.
"Everyone, please have confidence in yourselves. You are all members I have carefully selected, without the slightest bias. Please give it your all and let your instruments bring out their charm so that I can look at you with new eyes."
Yes, it is!
（，
The members responded loudly, feeling an unprecedented sense of belonging after being selected and securing a spot in Group A.
However, this sense of belonging was completely annihilated by Kitahara Hakuba in less than three minutes of ensemble playing, leaving not even a trace of his ashes.
"Stop—"
Kitahara Hakuba raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and interrupted his command.
"The clarinet was misaligned in both instances. I emphasized this during the part practice a few days ago, but it hasn't been corrected yet. As the part supporting the middle register, this is painful for the entire wind section. Please adjust it as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
Piccolo, you absolutely cannot relax your grip on that sustained note.
"Yes!"
"The second beltone on the trumpet is drowned out by the other instruments, so try to make the third part louder."
"Yes!"
"French horn, didn't I mark the diamond note for Stoppedd yesterday? There was no muted sound at all just now."
"Yes! Ah, no...!"
The girls playing the French horn realized they had said the wrong thing and quickly corrected themselves, causing low laughter to rise and fall in the classroom.
Kitahara Hakuba clapped his hands and said:
"I know what you're thinking. You practice well within your own sections, but it all becomes chaotic when you play in the ensemble. That's normal, since the subtle sense of tempo in each section is amplified during ensemble playing."
But please don't increase your volume just to hear yourself more clearly. This will force other parts to follow suit, eventually leading to a loss of control. Listening only to yourself is useless. Pay attention to your breathing rhythm, the form of your voice, the surrounding atmosphere, and remember your role in the orchestra.
He spoke at length, and the students below listened intently, looking on with serious expressions, as if afraid of missing anything.
"Keep practicing, and each part should pay attention to the measures that fit into the piece."
"Yes!"
Then, the ensemble began again.
The ensemble practice was not smooth; it was characterized by frequent stops and starts. Kitahara Hakuba constantly focused on the details of each part in each measure, improving the quality bit by bit.
When the ensemble practice ended, it was past 5:30. The view outside the window was a deep orange-red. As usual, the practice time was exactly 5:00.
But no one dared to say whether they could disband, even though the time to disband at five o'clock was proposed by Kitahara Hakuba.
"Then, that concludes today's ensemble performance," Kitahara Hakuba announced.
Sakurako Yukawa quickly straightened her back and stood up, and the other club members also stood up at the same time:
"Thank you, Kitahara-sensei!"
"Don't thank me yet."
Kitahara Hakuba crossed his arms and said with a smile,
“I noticed that many of you are looking out the window, probably because you care about the practice time. I have thought about this. Five o'clock in the afternoon is too early. There is no exact dismissal time in the future, but it will definitely not be later than eight o'clock in the evening.”
His words caused everyone to exchange glances, and Yukawa Sakura subconsciously frowned, as if someone was about to speak out!
It evokes a sense of déjà vu about "fighting for freedom".
To her surprise, no one voiced "I want freedom!" which truly relieved her.
"Time is of the essence."
Kitahara Hakuba took out a piece of chalk and wrote the number 28 in the upper right corner of the blackboard, feeling that he should put some pressure on them. "There are only 28 days left until the Hakodate Regional Tournament. I hope that I am not the only one who feels a sense of crisis."
"Answer."
"Yes!" the members responded as if using their last bit of strength.
"Okay, dismissed."
Following Kitahara Hakuba's instructions, the brass band finished their practice for the day, but starting tomorrow...
Then you can stay at school and enjoy the night view.
Just then, Kitahara Hakuba's phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and saw that it was the ferry manager calling.
Rare.
“Director of the Ferry Crossing,” Kitahara Hakuba said as he tidied up the sheet music on the music stand.
"Kitahara, has the brass band's practice ended?"
At this moment, Sakurako bowed to him, signaling her to leave, and Hakuba Kitahara waved in response.
"It just ended."
"Come to my office."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
After hanging up the phone, Yuka Isomoto pursed her lips and clung to him: "Teacher Kitahara, tonight..."
"Sorry, I might have something to do tonight." Kitahara Hakuba had decided to cancel all his tutoring sessions today.
As Shinomiya Haruka's boyfriend, he had been ignoring her for several days. If he didn't give her some pleasure tonight, she, who was at an age where she longed for such pleasure, would definitely get angry.
“Alright…” Yuka Isomoto had no choice but to turn and leave.
After quickly packing their things, they walked through the school building corridor to the dean's office.
Upon entering, I saw the ferry director sitting on a black single sofa, legs crossed, a cigarette between his fingers.
"Director of the ferry crossing, what can I do for you?"
"Kitahara, someone has reported you." The ferry chief sat up straight, staring at him with a serious expression and getting straight to the point.
"Report me? What did I do?"
Kitahara Hakuba looked disgusted. With such good Taoist skills, how could anyone report him?
"Are you spending every night with a third-grade girl named Isomoto? And even letting her come to your house? And then personally taking her home a few hours later?"
Chapter 106, Section 105: "Unable to withstand a second 'betrayal'" (4K)
"This matter was sent to me anonymously. If it is not dealt with promptly, it will have a significant impact on both the school and you."
The ferry manager, his face tense, expertly flicked off his cigarette ash and said...
"Kitahara, this is crucial. You can't hide anything from me, otherwise I won't be able to help you."