What up internet. It feels like a while since I've written here, though I DID say at the beginning that I expected this to be a once a week thing, I've been kind of generous to get this kicked off. Well, I'll probably be cutting back to about once a week by this point, since the summer's slow and there's not much going on, but we'll see.
This is a social experiment. Do not adjust your TV monitors. I've always been curious about cliques, and how people end up grouping off the way they do. In high school, there is of course a notable music clique, but there's really two subsets of this: the "popular" music kids, who can hold their own outside the band room, and who seem to be favoured by the teachers and act all smug and superior; and the "nerd" music kids, who are just like nerds outside the band room, but treated as outcasts even amongst their own kind (three guesses which group I was in, and if you can't get it in two... I have bad news).
So, of course, when you have an entire school of the same subject (obviously music in this case), then you start to get more and more visible subgroups of friends. I've kind of wanted to research various departments in Canada and the States, to see what subconscious factors might affect how people divide into groups in the end of their four years there. These are the cliques, and friend-prerequisites, that I've noticed so far:
(Disclaimer: I go out of my way to insult some groups of people, and over-dramatize things for the sake of humour. Please don't take offense if I've blown some qualities you might have out of proportion, that's how sarcasm works)
The Popular Ones - Yeah, those annoying folks. The ones who reprise this role of the centre stage, the people that everyone want to be friends with, the ones at all the best parties. Though I don't want to stereotype *cough*singers*cough*, instrument might play a factor, but it also comprises of people who have that over-the-top, unnecessarily outgoing, barf-inducing attitude. Expect a large amount of the attractive folks to be here, a lot of the unattractive ones who still act as if they are, 90% of the airheads, and at least one entire studio. People outside of the group either love them or hate them, and most of the smart people outside of the group aren't particularly fond of them.
The Jazz Outcasts - I went to a classical school, but we did have a saxophone studio, and we did have a jazz band. This leads to the Jazz group, which comprises of ALL the sax players, plus some random brass, percussion, and guitarists. They tend to keep to themselves, as instrumentation dictates they're not involved in much outside of jazz events (in our school, EVERYONE tries to avoid wind band, so don't even mention that). Usually cool people, and often found in the student lounge for too many hours per day.
The Nonexistent Studio - Be it composers, violins, musicologists, guitarists, or piano, it's different in every school, but there's always one studio that you don't see until graduation day. Someone who, in a department of less than 100, you aren't even aware of their existence. Unless you go to the practice rooms at 3:00, then the ENTIRE STUDIO is spread out amongst each room, and you're screwed if you want a spot of your own. Often spend entire weekends in said rooms.
The Phalanx - Army. Music departments attract army folks like horse shit attracts flies. They're that one group of people who always hang out, and are usually chill, but every Monday after ensemble rehearsal, you can see them don camo as they head off to whatever it is they do each week (probably reserve band, can't remember for sure). Like the Popular group, they may think they're better than everyone else, but unlike them, they don't admit it.
Assorted Losers - A group of people of various brass and woodwinds who always seem to hang out together, and are avoided by most other groups, especially the Popular and Phalanx. Yeah, you know the one. Three guesses which group I was in during my undergrad.
As for how people divide themselves, there are also these three criteria:
By Social Group - People who come into the department with a predestined group (again, esp. Popular and Phalanx) will quickly settle into these roles, which could cause frustration to those who do not share the same background, or even those who do, but only have bare-bones credentials and slip through the cracks.
By Instrument or Studio - Of course, it just makes sense to become friends with the people in your studio. Though this doesn't mean the entire studio will be friends with each other, you can usually group an entire 15-person studio into three groups of 5ish.
By Skill Level - As much as I hate to say it, musicians can be shallow. It's not a stretch that people want to keep either within their skill level, or may feel intimidated by those above them, or that those below them aren't worth their time. This is my least favourite division, and doesn't always hold (ESPECIALLY not within the Popular group), but some people make it blatantly obvious without even trying or noticing themselves.
Just something to think about next time you're with a group of your own classmates, whether in a class, ensemble, student lounge, or practice space. I can already guarantee you've thought of at least one example in your own life (assuming, dear reader, you are a music student or ex-music student), and if you take the time to step back and take it in, you can probably get these groups in most any situation (with, you know, instruments taken out, I guess).
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