Life Imitating Art…Glee style

OK, so here’s the deal in Japanese middle schools:

In Japanese, it’s called bukatsudo. Basically, your middle school offers a range of programs, like sports, school bands etc. You pick one…and you do it every day. For hours. Until it’s dark. On weekends too. It sucks real bad. Why? Because it basically stops you form doing any other out-of-school activities becasue you have this stupid thing on every day! It’s pretty sad that you can only really manage one thing. And the thing is, you’d get really good at whatever sport, instrument or skill you’re learning, having been doing it for hours every day, but once you reach high high school (aka years 10, 11, 12), you don’t continue whatever you picked because you’re too busy studying. So all those years intensively doing this hobby and all your skill goes to waste.

At my little 80-student middle school, they offer five programs – baseball, volleyball (girls only), athletics, table tennis and brass band. As you probably would have guessed, I’m in for the brass band. It’d be prefect for me, bacause I can knock off a hobby-in-waiting by playing my saxophone in it (though technically, saxohpones aren’t a brass instrument, but still). I’d decided ages ago,the delighted band was expecting me and it was perfect. Even better, a lot of my friends are going to do it too!

Anyway, last week us year 6s went up to our middle school (did I mention that we all go to the same middle school? And just us) for our bukastudo orientation day. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to try out the program we’d alreasy selected, whereas if they had this stupid thing in Australia (thank goodness they don’t), I bet you’d be able to experience all of them, not just one. Ah, well, the Japanese have a lot to learn.

So, my 3 friends and I went. And experienced the brass band. A bit about it: it’s all girls, seven altogether, but a few are graduating from the school. They play at all the school events. Perfect! Great! What’s the fuss, what’s the Glee title about?

To put it bluntly, the brass band is not cool. It clearly the group of girls who aren’t any good at sport, so had to resort to this. I’m the sportiest girl in my class, and I can’t really imagine sitting down, not being active for such a long time. I really feel like I should be doing a sport. I’d love to do baseball, but that just wouldn’t work; besides, girls aren’t even allowed to play in the matches, which sucks. Anyway, here’s where the Glee metaphor pitches in.

You know how in all the movies and stuff, you’ve got the cheerleaders and the jocks, the really popular kids? Here, that’s volleyball and baseball. Then athletics and table tennis are kind of in the middle. And if you know Glee club, the show choir, you’ll know that it’s super uncool. The club for misfits, retards. AKA…the brass band! Instead of the guy in the wheelchair we have the girl with the learning disabilities who plays the maraccas. And in the show, some popular kids join Glee club and make it cool. Same here with my friends and I. Pretty cool, right? Sunami Height’s very own Glee club!!! So, maybe it’s not so bad. It won’t exactly boost my reputation, but it’ll be really fun. The girls are really good at their instruments, too (though how could you not be what with the amount you’d play it?!).

Anyway, so I guess it’s the brass band for me! Anyway, if I turn into a retard, I can just return to Australia, where I have a real LIFE.

Sunami Girl singing off.

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