Friday night football games were the best in high school, right? All your friends are there showing their school spirit, the snacks sold were always the yummiest, and the halftime show was great! But nobody really paid attention to the band performance, did they?
Everyone has heard of the mystical band camp from the movie spin off of the original 'American Pie' movie but no one really understands what goes into a marching band show. A typical competitive marching band practices all throughout the summer at least once a week working on music and drill. When the band gets to use the field for practice, that is when the real work begins. A football field is about 120 yards and marching bands utilize almost the whole thing during a performance. They aren't just playing pep songs in the stands to pump up the football team. A marching band show portrays a story that the band wants to show the audience. They can use props as well as instruments. An ensemble within a marching band is the color guard, who uses flags and other props while using dance steps to add to the story the music is portraying. With very little water breaks, a marching band gets through a three-hour practice rehearsing drill, instrumentals, and run throughs.
For one week a marching band is subjected to what is known as band camp. During band camp, there is a huge amount of exercise. Bands wake up at eight in the morning to go to the football field and they better not be late or they'll do extra laps. The kids stretch together, warm up and run laps for stamina. Usually, a band will break off their ensemble so each group can practice together. Winds, drumline, front ensemble, and color guard practice separately. They practice their music and for guard their carriage. They practice formations and small sections of drill for hours until they get a small water break. The ensemble will regroup everyone for drill which, if you didn't know, is their spot on the field at a given time. Drill is extremely important to the band. They need to maintain precise step size, posture, step structure, show facial expression, and position as well as play an instrument or spin and throw flags. A small break for lunch and the kids are back at it running through the show while the band director picks at any little thing that is wrong. Band kids are constantly in the sun, marching and remarching sets because Tina from the drumline was two beats off the entire time and the band director makes the whole ensemble run it again, even though it was one person's mistake. A small water break later and it's nearing the end of an eight hour day full of marching band. They run through the show over and over. It needs to be perfect. It needs to be sharp and precise. Everyone needs to be on count and with the beat and if Tina messes up again the whole band will run two extra laps tomorrow.
Football is a sport because it's a competition. There are games and championships for them. What people fail to realize is that there are numerous amounts of band competitions during the fall as well as a professional corp of marching bands called DCI. Band kids are strong and work hard. Personally, I have never met another group of people that practice harder for a show, even if its just a football game on a Friday. Marching band is a sport. Whether its the tenth football game of the year or the band championship, marching bands give 110% during every performance.
Oh and don't get me started on the sock tan lines. Every bandee knows what I'm talking about.
