French Horn...

You know, something I forgot about, and it's weird that I did forget:

I was first chair French horn for 3 years, first in regular band, then in advanced band.
I even won a pin for the most songs learned in a single year! I have the little red and
white pin in my jewelry box.
The thing is, I forgot a neat memory :

When I originally signed up for band, I wanted to play the girly-instruments too.
Flute. Etc. Woodwinds.
I didn't get any of them. It was down to French horn, and tuba, I think. So I chose
French horn. This was 6th grade, elementary school .

Awhile after that, there seemed to be a natural, um, division between the snooty
flute and woodwind girls, and the tuba/trombone/French horn people.
I was the only girl in that section , and it kinda sucked. People in general thought
those instruments were very uncool. The trumpet people weren't in this class.
It was specifically the tuba, trombone, french horn people. WE were the dorks.

Not long after we'd begun band, one day I was talking to my friend, Chris. He played
trombone, and also weighed about 300 pounds. So he knew something about
feeling left out. I think that was the jist of the conversation, my being snubbed by the flute girls.
The next day,
Chris brought this album to band. After class, he opened up the album. There was Pete
Townshend, hugging a French horn, with a rather angelic expression on his face. I still
remember the picture very well.
Chris said " Fuck the flute girls. Pete Townshend plays french horn."
And that gave me such a boost! It was like, " Pete Townshend plays French horn?!?Wow!
Maybe it's cooler than I thought!"
And that really went a long way towards convincing me to keep at it, when I think I was going to drop out of band at that point.
Funny, I'd forgotten that I played French horn!
It's an expensive intrument. Which is partly why I eventually gave it up.
But what a beautiful instrument it really is.