What do you think when you hear the words marching band? Do you think of people who waste their time doing something that doesn't benefit them in the future? Well, if you are thinking that, I'm sorry to tell you this, but you are very wrong. I did marching band for four years, and learned a lot from my experiences in that group. There are three main benefits from being in marching band: discipline, building confidence, and becoming a family.

1. Discipline

Marching band is really based upon discipline. Marching band was founded in the armed forces which who are very disciplined. You have to be disciplined in marching band in order to succeed in your competitions or even in life. It really shows you that being on time is the equivalent of being late. Many teachers or parents at my high school say that band kids are the most well-disciplined and/or well- behaved kids that they have ever seen. We are like that because of all the work we put into our shows. We want to do everything with perfection, or close to it, so we don't want our consequences to be heavy on us.

2. Building confidence

During my first year of marching band, I didn't have any confidence in myself as a musician or as a person. I was really a shy person when I first started band, and as the years progressed, I got more comfortable being a part of that group of people. I started to speak more, get better as a musician, and, most importantly, I started to be myself. When you build your confidence of being around that group of people, they don't judge you. You might find that they might be exactly like you, including the band director too.

3. Becoming a family

This, in my opinion, is one of the most important things that a marching band must have. This family that you have will always be there for you when times are bad and they will rejoice with you when times are good. They will become your lifelong brothers and sisters. Even now being a college student, I still talk to a lot of those friends because they know I will be there for them as I know that they will be there for me too. Having this family teaches you to cherish every moment you have with the people you love.

When you have children, you really should recommend them to do this great thing called marching band. I promise you that it will change their lives forever and you will be investing in your child's great future by doing so.