Marching Band Skills

Though, normally I am unable to make it to competitions and concerts due to the fact that I live in another state now. However, I was informed by the one person volunteering with the band that they did not have enough people for the students to be able to perform with ease. Knowing how difficult and stressful musical competitions are without help from volunteers, I knew I had to choose this opportunity to help the students. So I made the four-hour long drive from Cullowhee, North Carolina to Rock Hill, South Carolina, to offer help to the performance. Arriving at four in the afternoon, the work started immediately.

The time is now. The roaring crowd settled, the stadium lights shined above us, the field was set. It was time to show the audience how much dedication, sweat, and tears were put in the show right before the eyes. The masterpiece, I like to call it. The hardest part however, is making it seem so effortlessly.

Band directors not only teach music, but teach important life lessons that build character such as discipline, dedication, focus, unity, responsibility, and citizenship (Bergseth1). Each are vital to every minute of practice

Marching Band is a complex activity that many people are incapable of handling. It requires mental and physical output like no other sport. To be able to play an instrument while keeping correct marching techniques is a difficult task. Over time it becomes easier because the outdoor practices a person must endure are two and a half hours long. The marchers must practice for halftime shows, parades, and competitions to earn a record.

Every member of a marching band is important, but some may argue that the drum majors are the most important people in the band that are a part of the student body. Drum majors are mainly responsible for the togetherness of the band, whether through tempo on the field or street, or the overall togetherness as a band community. Specifically for the senior drum major, it is important that the candidate has the ability to carry out all duties such as instruction and conducting, a prideful and passionate spirit for the band, and past experience of leadership to look back on to continue to lead well. I firmly believe that since being the junior drum major, my ability, pride, and experience have only improved and that I am the best candidate for

Many students have the opportunity to work in teams whether it’s a sport or a club that partakes in competitions. For me, that activity is marching band. Although marching band isn’t a sport, it’s similar in the team aspect, except we can have 150 or more other team members. Working in such a large group can be very overwhelming and time consuming. The season starts in late June and can go on well into the months of November or December.

Marching band may seem like a joke but not people, such as myself to me its apart of my life like a bad tumor you just cant get rid of and no matter what you may say or think about it, its not going to affect the way I think and feel about it. But I cant say ive always felt like this, in middle school they told me that “Band is a time intensive elective” and told me I couldn’t hack it so before entering high school I decided to enter band and didn’t think much of it. I thought that marching band was just going to be another elective that I had chosen to take but I was wrong so wrong. During my 2 years in band they’ve taught me how to play the tuba, march on the field while playing your instrument, roll stepping to keep time, hitting your dot,

When I was a child my mother would take me to the Oktoberfest parade each year to watch the marching bands. I still remember standing on the sidewalk eagerly waiting for the sound of cadence from the drums; the bass drum like the pulse of a living creature and the sound still playing in my mind long after the parade had ended. Years flew by and suddenly I found myself standing in block band awaiting the three sharp chirps of the drum major 's stainless steel whistle a signal that would spark a chain reaction causing each row to step off like a well-oiled machine. Standing as still as statues we waited until the drum major had called "Band ten hut!" after one short whistle and one long whistle the signal that we were about to step off.

The old proverb, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," is a perfect way to describe the values of a successful marching band community. In a marching band, every member plays a crucial role in creating a cohesive sound and performance. If one person is out of step, it can throw off the entire band. That's why it's so important to work together and support each other.

Despite my passion for athletics, I have spent the majority of my high school career involved in show choir. I participate in the Executive Session at Sauk Prairie High School. Show choir incorporates training under professional choreographers, undergoing numerous voice lessons, and traveling the country for competitions. This self-disciplinary activity pushes me to work hard and strive for perfectionism while taking leadership roles in a professional environment. Furthermore, show choir allows me to impact others through my performance and to take risks.

Why I Hate Band What is the real definition of insanity? Merriam Webster’s definition is “severe mental illness : the condition of being insane.” Albert Einstein’s definition is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And my definition is “running the same set over and over again expecting the freshmen to hit their set.” Unfortunately, this is a daily occurrence for members of a marching band, who spend countless hours walking from one side of a field to another just so that they can perform at a game while the audience is at the concessions.

Music education provides personal benefits to students that enrich their lives. In the study of perceived benefits of music by Dimitra Kokotsaki and Susan Hallam, it was found that “participating in an ensemble enhanced feelings of self-achievement for the study’s participants, assisted individuals in overcoming challenges, built self-confidence, and raised determination to make more effort to meet group expectations regarding standards of playing” (12). In an ensemble, every member is equally important, from the first chair to the last chair. Thus every person must be able to play all of their music and be ready for anything. When one person does not practice their music and comes to rehearsal unprepared, it reflects upon the whole ensemble.

No other community matches the diverse range of activities found in a marching band. As a musical activity, physical activity, performance art, and social catalyst, my high school marching band has been one of the largest driving forces in my life thus far. Eighth graders with a non-existent musical background interacted daily with a Senior who has already set his sights on music education; the marching unit brings its members together into a tight knit community that shares the struggles of intense practice, schoolwork, and general teenage life in a way that is free of predefined boundaries that are present in many other aspects of life. Race, age, gender: disregarded in favor of personal effort, enthusiasm, and dedication. The marching unit

I have had few passions more intense and longstanding than that of playing the snare drum in the marching band. If you asked me now why I love the snare drum, I would tell you that it is the driving force of a marching band, and how even though it is a seemingly easy instrument, it requires an immense amount of skill and technique in order to play perfectly articulated notes. Why I actually started to love the snare drum, however, was because it was loud. My passion for the snare drum can be traced back to my town’s annual Memorial Day Parade, where every year, what I look forward to the most is watching the high school drumline.

Band has given me tons of friends and lessons in life that I will remember and carry on with me