Despite their differences, many high schools and colleges across the country all have one thing in common: a marching band. I think marching band creates a unique community and bond for the thousands involved with it in such a widespread way in our country.

In an attempt to portray the essence of that, I asked 35 people what they love about marching band. With so many people currently wrapped up in the band portion of football season (and many that always were in the past), I got to hear some amazing stories. Band people, get ready for some nostalgia and warm, fuzzy feelings.

1. "I loved the rush performing gave you."

2. "I loved band so much because it strengthened the friendships I already had and I formed new ones."

3. "I love all the inside jokes and the humor that I see/hear radiate from band members as they talk about their love of music and their enjoyment of band in general! It's a contagious spirit!... I feel like hearing the band practice and play is part of the American Dream, something about it represents freedom and pride!"

4. "Marching band has given me something to call my own but still brings me closer to new people year after year."

5. "When I do color guard; put on the costumes and makeup, grab my silk and toss it high, I feel like a dazzling goddess no one can touch. It's the one time I can truly say I don't feel shy."

6. "It's the love of just being on a marching band field that only bandos would understand is for me the best part. Waking up at the crack of dawn to rehearse for hours before a performance, whether contest or football game, was a lot of fun. Because everyone complains about being there, but we all secretly love it."

7. "I was never in marching band, but all of my kids and 4 of my grandkids are or were. I still get a shiver when I hear a drum cadence and my feet begin to move."

8. "The best part about it is getting the opportunity to do so many cool things that you would otherwise never get to do, and you get to do it with the people who become (or already are) your best friends. I'm talking practicing in Disney world with fireworks in the background and then getting to march down Main Street… marching through confetti cannons… marching at the Indians game… performing on Fox 8 News and getting my own interview… And most importantly, getting to travel around and perform every Friday night under the stadium lights."

9. "For me, performing has always provided me with a form of expression where I don’t have to be hesitant. It takes me to another place being able to stand in front of a crowd and without words, express how much I love what I’m doing."

10. "Marching band has made me the person I am and has given me so many lifelong friends. My marching band is like my family."

11. "For me, it was a way to learn more from more experienced musicians when I was younger, and I'm happy that I got to carry some of that experience down to new members as I got older. Also, you know, it's cool when people come to football games only for the halftime show."

12. "Never was in band… But as a mother, I saw how they treated everyone as family. They were very welcoming and supportive. Not being a big sports fan, I came to love football games for the music, chanting, feeding of the mob, and goofing around with other band moms… I was proud of all the kids as I saw them improve. I LOVED band."

13. "There are so many people in the group that's it's really hard to not become friends with at least one person. It helped me find opportunities. Without marching band I wouldn't have become a sister."

14. "Marching band gave me my first experience at "Visualization," which was not a buzzword in the 80's like it is now. Waiting on the sidelines, pre-performance, in October. I am not talking about thinking through a flawless performance. We needed visualization just to stay warm!... I loved making up flag routines and teaching them, and goofing with my friends instead of watching the football game. Also, I first met my future husband in band! Should probably have lead with that..."

15. "It has changed me, challenged me, it has given me wonderful friendships and a stronger bond in my family with me and my sister… and strengthened my love of performing."

16. "In a school that didn't take the arts as seriously as other schools, I think we made the best of what we had and worked hard to make up for what we needed, which is a very good thing to learn, especially for the arts as a whole."

17. "[The band] saw you at your best and some of your worst times, but they were there for it all. The amount of love and support from everyone was incredible. Being able to perform in front of a huge crowd under those Friday night lights and showing them what you worked so hard for was really a thrilling experience. Loved every second of it."

18. "[The band director]… gave me a mellophone and I learned it over the summer at one of my neighbor's houses. Because of that a whole new world was opened up for me, of different instruments, different music, different people."

19. "Marching band has made me into the person I am today and has helped me get through some really tough times. It never fails to make me feel better when I'm having a rough day!"

20. "I think my favorite thing about marching is it creates a juxtaposition of personalities coming together because of their love for music and performing. I… found my passion for spinning and twirling… I feel blessed to be a part of something so large and important."

21. "What lingers is all the different kids coming together into something better and bigger than we were individually… Now I love to watch-- the storytelling is amazing. The details, the creativity and passion."

22. "We always were there for each other… when [my brother] passed, everyone from band was there for me. We weren't just a group of friends when that happened... we were a family for sure. All the support mom and I got from our dysfunctional family was so amazing."

23. "Band friends are forever! Tonight at a band show I ran into a band friend I haven't seen in probably 18 years. It was like no time had passed at all."

24. "Band helped me develop other practical skills like problem solving, team work, perseverance, commitment, respect, discipline, and a plethora of other skills I have used in and outside the ensemble. All the skills I gained helped me in other organizations, jobs and other classes… and the memories I've held on to are nothing but fond."

25. "Honestly, the unity portion of marching band truly is a big memory to hold onto. You got to travel with your second family producing a show you all put so much effort into… Sharing a common interest that turns into an overall passion is unbeatable."

26. "I absolutely love looking back on all of the great times we shared!... Even though it was very stressful on occasion, the community in addition to the memorable performances made it so incredibly worth it!! I loved seeing how all of the shows eventually came together as well as spending time achieving this with some of my closest friends."

27. "I didn't really have any close friends and I wanted to do band because I saw my sister do it, and I saw how happy it made her and how she quickly made friends though it… I found a little group of great friends who were surprisingly a lot like me."

28. "High school band showed me what it was like to be a part of a group of people that weren't my family, but I really felt like they were… In college… being a brother… I get to be a part of and help do things for band, a thing that has changed my life completely for the better. I think just being surrounded by people who love the same things you do, makes band rehearsals and game days so great. And every time I step onto the field, I am so proud of what we have accomplished."

29. "What do I remember from marching band? It was some 35+ years ago! I remember the pride of becoming good through discipline and practice, of making an individual contribution to a team effort. I remember standing at attention while mosquitos bit my ankles. I remember the flash and color under the Friday night lights… playing in pouring rain, sitting in the grass with the trombones during band camp ‘break-out’ sessions… rivalries… and friends. I remember coming in 2nd at competition… And a thousand more images. #bandoforever"

30. "I loved that any kid in the city could play in it… I used to take my kids up to see just the band. When they were little, they didn't realize a game was actually going on. They thought it was a band concert with some kids playing football in between."

31. "I spent… 2 years watching both of my brothers. It was tremendous fun and a spectacle of sight and sound. Oh boy the sound! To join the band myself was always a foregone conclusion for me… What I never would have guessed is the unbridled pride and joy I have experienced watching my kids perform with their bands. From the clarinet to the flag to the baton and back to flag the excitement and joy I see on my daughter’s face on game day makes my heart swell. And watching my son bring his trumpet up and hit his mark and listening to him revel in his performances swells my heart to bursting. So I guess my favorite thing about marching band is the happiness it brings to so many generation after generation."

32. "My favorite thing about band is the community dorkiness. I love how everyone can just be themselves and can always find a friend in band. The inside jokes, the comradery, etc."

33. "It’s incredible how many people, all playing their own part, make one big, loud, beautiful sound together. The feeling when everything comes together and works out is indescribable. Apart from the actual performance, everybody participating has a love for music so making friends is easy. I’ve met so many of my friends (and my girlfriend) from band. It makes you feel like you fit in… you… can be happy and safe when you’re with band members. "

34. "I love band because it gives you the adrenalin rush from performing without being humiliating when you fail, and all the band people are supportive of one another."

35.. And lastly, a truly touching story. Thank you, marching band, for providing myself and others with so many wonderful moments:

"Not really sure how to explain… my first marching band experiences, ones that began when I turned 47, exactly how they have healed, comforted, and renewed the little girl still inside me… My own school memories of less happier times, have become forgotten and forgiven.

Through the new "kind" of parents I was surrounded by: warm, welcoming, supportive, nurturing of both my daughter AND myself, more was healed by these lovely, genuine friends. Friends was not a word in my vocabulary when I sat on the same bleachers as a teen, but because a Band Family is made up of a very different type of people than the rest of the population, I finally belonged.

I felt a part of the same something "BIG" that my child dearly loved, thus making my heart even more satisfied… Finally hearing the sounds that bring tears of pride, followed by that comes the most beautiful sight!! The flags...just as they reach the top of my vision… I'm am in awe each and every time, it never gets old, nor does it ever have less pride or emotion.

I fall head over heals with around 100 kids each new year… I've had the honor to photograph thousands of band and Color Guard memories to share them with so many. [My daughter’s] scary decision five years ago, to audition for Drill Team has been her motivation to succeed in every aspect of her life and her decision dominoes down to me, to be the fulfillment that was missing in my life. I am blessed to be a Color Guard/ Marching Band mom!"