Orchestra: Part One

     Hello world, this is Angry Tofu speaking. I'm not entirely sure if I've mentioned this before, but in case I haven't or you don't know, I play violin. I would classify myself as "fairly serious" about it. I don't plan on becoming a violinist, but I do plan on playing it for as long as I can. As of now I play in one "after school" orchestra. 
     I enjoy this orchestra quite a bit. The music we play is challenging and I like our conductor. Last year, I was quite afraid of him. This I can attribute to his facial hair (I have limited experience with people with facial hair), and to the fact that from my vantage point of the back of the orchestra he appeared disproportionately tall. But this year, my fears have been conquered! This is not due to my own inner strength, but rather the fact that I moved to first stand and the conductor now seems to be a normal height.
     Within the confines of the orchestra, the string instruments and band instruments try to veil their inherent dislike of one another. The strings feel a certain superiority, sitting at the front of the stage. The band instruments position themselves so that they blow loudly into our ears. It's all very lovely.
     During the whole rehearsal, our conductor strives to make us realize that he is not a metronome. We need to have our own inner beat, our own rhythm. You think jazz is the only music with soul, with that beat thumping away? Wrong! Classical has it all! Still, I can't help thinking that the conductor, despite his protests, is being a bit difficult. After all, he does look like a metronome up there, tall and thin and waving his arms in the rhythm that we have to follow. If he doesn't want to be our metronome, I think it would be best for him to sit down, because at least then the band instruments wouldn't be able to see him.