<HTML>O.K now list, you are in my area of experience. I started conducting school choirs and bands while taking up the Queens College Scholarship in Conducting in Melbourne- then moved on to professional orchestra's so here is my take on this. The transition from school band to professional involves a change of mind set. In a professional setting you are a musician and the standards you set for yourself are much greater, you listen to yourself play small passages, adjust the intonation, striving for perfection. You change out string and reeds to gain a better tone when you are in rehearsal you and the conductor strive for a blend, even if you are a 1/4 tone out in 'Sacre' you know it and it's not acceptable, In other words you enter the musicians world. Personally I never execpt that a school band is just a school band so don't apply standards. In this case the conductor is teacher and should work in sections to improve on intonation and technique. But most of all this conductor should encorage the student to enter into the world of the musician. That's all I have to say about that! Best Hary</HTML>