Ok... so heres what happened. Tonight at a football game, I got into a pickle. We were doing bus wars(joking). So I said to our Drum Major... "you suck". Well she got mad. She told me to keep my uniform on while everyone else could take them off. Well I took it off anyway. For two reasons. First cause that was a load, and second because my BD told EVERYONE to take just the jackets off. So I did what he said. Now we get back to the band room and she throws a hissy fit. She gave me the choice of 1. taking my shirt off putting a boll on my head and run around the band room yelling "the tomatoes are coming" 2. do 700 push-ups.
I picked neither and will still not do them. I have made my descision. I want to know what would you have done? Do you think I was correct?

For one, you shouldn't have told her she sucks. For two, being told to do 700 pushups is WAY beyond the discipline scale. The most i've had to do was 60, and that was infront of a football game. Unless your band marches with al Queda members, there's no reason to do that many pushups. For three, you're a drummer. YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO ACT WIERD!

But in my opinion, that's not being a drum major. That's like being some punk kid that has the ability to tell you what to do. So, half and half...you did something right.

SMDLbass5 - The drum line of all people have to support the major. Agreed that drummers are suppose to act "weird" but disrespecting the DM in front of the band is un acceptable. Of course 700 pushups is unreasonable as well.

If you are telling us all at dl.org the whole story, and it was simply you joking around saying "you suck" within the context of a lot of back and forth razzing going on, then your DM needs to lighten up and quite frankly, probably shouldn't be a drum major, or in any position of student leadership.

I don't know the extent of the authority your DM's have, but 700 push ups? There are directors that would lose their jobs making such a ridiculous statement and forcing a kid to do this.

If this keeps up between you and the DM, I would offer to her, nicely to both go to the director and work this out. If she won't, refuses, etc...I might consider going anyway if I were you, but tell the DM your intentions to be fair. Most likely she will reconsider and will go with you to talk to the BD so she can tell her side of it.

I'm also going to go out on a limb and assume that this wasn't the first time, and won't be the last time your DM will go overboard with her perceived position of authority, so you are helping everybody out by getting this situation under control.

Well I understand that you guys were playing bus wars or such. You still had no reason to tell your drum major that she sucks. You guys are one of the main leaders of the band. The rest of the band looks up to you. I would think that you would have apologized to your drum major for being rude in front of the band. It might have been a game but some people can take the " You suck" seriously. I would say that the punishments given were either weird or too much. Pushups could have been acceptable as far as maybe 20 or 30 of them. As for taking of the uniform even though she told you not to she knew that the director was going to tell everyone to take them off. That is not a punishment at all. I say apologize to her and do about 20 or 30 pushups just to be disciplined. Explain to her that 700 pushups is not acceptable for punishments but with 30 0r even 40 you will be punished.

I am with divalish on this one...if things like that are going to take place, then you have to have this enough skin to be involved in the first place. (if that is the whole story)

I also agree that she seems to be over-stepping her authority. Of course 700 push ups is out of line, but so is telling you to do something when your band director (who has the ultimate authority in this situation) told you to do something else.

I'm sensing that because of the ridiculous discipline options that those (option 1 and option 2) were sarcastic and YOU were the one who took it too serious.

That's my take atleast. How could anyone take "700 pushups" seriously. Seems sarcastic to me...either way...just let it pass. If there seems to be some friction, talk it over and maybe get the BD involved for mediation.

Ahh yes that is what I expected... I know I did something wrong, but since she gave me those discipline options i am going to fight it until the end... or until she gives me a reasonable punishment. And that is the whole story. Also we have been really good friends until last night, and she was very serious. Thank you for your opinions. You guys always know just what to say.

That's why you sit and stay quiet in bus. If she told you to leave your jacket on, you should have listened to her. Don't mind what bd said. It was a "punishment" that drum major gave you for acting immature. Even the band director have said that EVERYONE should take their jackets off, you were an exception. Besides that, telling her that she "sucks" is just wrong. I know you were joking but surely you didn't expect something good to come out of that. Did you? Sorry to tell you this, but I think you deserve those punishments. After 700 push-ups you might learn your lesson. ;D