Does anyone have an issue where freshman (and other grade levels) play your marching instruments without asking? I know this is a large problem at our school. I feel like the drums are my responsibility and I should be the only one playing them, unless i give permission. It is annoying when I come to band class and my drum isn't on the harness, its lying on the floor wrong, multiple times stupid freshman don't know how to put the quints down with sticks in the stickbag and they have broken my stick bag. They have also broken my mallets, head, and thrown my sticks anywhere in the band room. Do your schools let people play drums that arent theirs? its an especially big problem because its tryouts now. Everyone's trying to learn a new instrument.

Im sure its a problem everywhere. I can have that problem sometimes..buts its not too big of an issue. I think what you should do is be in charge of your particular instrument..like your quint..your in charge of that..and everyone on the line is in charge of their own instrument, thats how our line is. If someone tries to play your instrument without permission, than I think it would be fair to yell at them. Its just like someone picking up someone elses trumpet and playing with it, I think it should apply the same to percussion (with the exception of concert band percussion, and even that should only be touched by percussionists). You have every right to yell at people that use your Quints without permission. You should contact your drum captain (or if your the drum captain) and get a chat with the line about how they need to take care of their own drum and only be allowed to play their own drum unless permission is given. If their not doing it..than it becomes an entire band issue. You will have to discuss the problem with your band director as well as band leadership, and possibly get the BD/Leadership to have a chat with the entire band, on the seriousness of this issue and lay down some consequences.

Last season we had a problem with our ENTIRE percussion with exception of center snare and bottom bass, offering to caryy someone else's instrument if the carry their drum(s) from the practice field after practice. One day, the entire band got yelled at, and I don't blame by the BD, even though I did carry the top bass one time (a couple weeks before)

I agree with this. It's definitely been a problem at my school in the past. It's mainly the kids in concert band percussion. They like to take the sticks from our bags and use them, then leave them laying around the band room or in other stick bags on different instruments. I got sick of it after a while and started taking my sticks home.

I understand if they want to play their warm ups on our drums, but I hate it when the kids mindlessly beat on our drums and bang up our sticks.

EDIT: Also the bass drummers. Anytime they get a chance they run over to the upper-battery instruments and start banging away. They're not any better than the concert band kids. -_-

It's not so much of a problem now since percussion has been over for a full trimester and the drums have been put away/borrowed. But I am expecting it to happen once the marching season starts back up again.

Off topic:
For those of you who are wondering - yes, I did say trimester. It's the system my school is using. Unlike semesters, we divide the year into 3 instead of 2. I think it's better this way.

You say basses try to play the "upper-battery" instruments as if one section is more important or better than another. =[ I'm a snare drummer, but I do respect everyone's position as much as my own. Without a good bass line, the ensemble sounds wrong, in my opinion. Same goes for any other section.

BUT, on topic, yes that truly is a problem everywhere. We used to have this problem big time at my school until I decided to take charge. The best solution to this is to take charge and ask them to stop nicely, and if they don't stop, consult your director/instructor and ask them to do something about it.
As far as them messing with your sticks, keep them with you all the time. I never leave mine in my stick bag if I'm not standing behind the drum. People in our band like to snatch them up and never return them ever again.

That is not what I intended. That's how you interpreted what I said. At my school we use the term "low battery" and "high/upper battery" to refer to the pitches of the drums. It might sound like a strange idea to you, but it's how we do it at my school.

I believe every section is as important as the next.

Anyway, the point is it's not their instrument.

i agree, at my school it is a big problem, 7th period is drumline/color guard class and all 6 periods before are either jazz band or concert band. so by the time i get there at the end of the day the marching equiptment is all around the band room and then the BD yells at us for not taking care of our equiptment. What we did was putting signs on the drums saying dont touch our drums. supprisingly it works and i always keep my sticks with me because you cant get those back if they've been stolen.

Stick usage is the only thing that annoys our line. We don't find a problem with freshman or sophomores using our drums as long as they put it back where they found it, which they do.

Its not much of a big deal...not like they are going to screw around with the tuning or anything

lol... one time, at band practice, I was trying to show the top bass something and he got mad. It made me even more mad. Just trying to help. (He kept missing entrances and was kepping time, counting, nothing, and the center snare was trying to tell him, and he walked off, so i tried to tell him.

that counts as me trying to use someone else's drum, but for educational purpose... lol

It's a huge problem at my school, especially with the non-percussion freshmen. Even though the line yells at 'em and the band director yells at 'em, they still do it. We lost so many pairs of sticks last year because the freshmen thought it'd be fun to throw them around. It's ridiculous.