Friday nights are quite a scene at the football stadium. From cheerleaders to the players, to the annoying junior high boys, there is just so much to look at. But one thing that doesn't get much attention at all is the band section. Nobody quite understands how much we actually work. For the past three years, I've watched the crowds of people that come to the game every Friday night who point at us and laugh and say that we are the people who are good at nothing else so we turn to the band. However, I would just like to tell you just how much effort we put into this activity.

While every other kid actually gets to enjoy their summer, hundreds of band kids are already busy at work getting ready for a show that will last only eight minutes. The Colorguard (the ones with the flags), go to work the first week of summer. Dance classes every week, along with an intense guard camp in which you go non-stop for up to ten hours a day learning work that you are likely to impale yourself at least five times a day. Drumline and the front ensemble (aka pit), put in endless hours of work that will eventually end up making their hands raw.

At the beginning of August, the entire band comes together for a month of torture. Living in Texas, August is known as hell month. And in the band, we mean that literally. Some days the temperature rises to about 112 degrees. But get this- we still work. Cardio and conditioning are a part of our everyday routine. Sectionals and working drill are what consists of our days.

Once school starts in September, the fun actually begins. We have rehearsal every morning bright and early at 7 am. And on Mondays we also have rehearsal from 5 to 8. But the fun doesn't stop there. Schoolwork is still required. Like mentioned before, band kids are known as the stupid nobodies. But little do you know, at least one fourth of my band, including me, is a part of the National Honor Society. So not only do we have to turn stuff in on time, but it actually has to have quality! Imagine that! (yes that's sarcasm).

And finally, we get to October, the most exciting part of the marching season. This is the month of contests. It's like Christmas. You give and you give, and in October, you finally get to receive. All of your hard work finally pays off. Yes, it is exhausting going back to back, week after week, giving up all of your Saturday's. But, my gosh, when you finally hear that you are going to state, you have the highest of highs. It's simply amazing.

Oh, but I forgot probably the most important part of the band: the band directors and the parents. They work just as hard as we do. Our parents drag us out of bed and haul us to morning rehearsal every day. They drive hundreds of miles to see us perform for eight minutes. And our band directors are so great. As soon as we finish one season they immediately start working on the next. They get to every rehearsal at least one hour early, stay after each rehearsal, and endure hours and hours of annoying students.

Next time you see a band kid, hug them and tell them that their work is worth something because let me tell you something: at points, we feel worthless. We feel like the hours and hours we put into it, doesn't always pay off. All those mornings that are below 30 degrees, always seem to feel colder. Just let them know that it is worth it.

We are more than a bunch of outsiders. We are more than a bunch of kids in a goofy uniform and a bunch of makeup. We are friends. We are teammates. We are family.