1. "One more time" never means one more time

This applies to anything, but especially marching band. 'One more time' means do it until satisfaction.

2. To be held accountable

You have to know your dots, music, body work, meeting times, and everything else associated with band and you HAVE to be there. This really helps in real life situations because it prepares you to be prepared. Once you fall into the habit of being prepared, your life seems to run a little smoother as you don't fall behind and you can be accountable for holding up your end of anything.

3. Arrive at least 10 minutes early

On time is late and early is on time. If you show up anywhere early, you have plenty of time to be prepared. Whether you have to assemble something, like an instrument, or find a seat, or make one last modification. If you're early, there is no way you'll be late. Having to show up to countless rehearsals 10-15 minutes early, this habit has become a good one.

4. Time management

During marching band season, the students are practicing and performing for over 200 hours. Sometimes it's hard to balance school, work, and band. But once you get into a habit of utilizing whatever time you can find, it becomes easy.

5. Good sportsmanship/ manners

At contests, everyone is cheering for everyone. Even the band who places last will congratulate everyone who beat them. In my high school band, we had many rules. One of them being 'no foul tongues' meaning no cursing or arguing with people who tried to argue with us. If someone started an argument we were supposed to say "you have a nice band" and leave it at that.

6. Do well on the spot

When you have to play something you can't get quite right in front of the whole band, it's embarassing. But once you do it so many times, you begin to do well at it. Even if you can play something well, it's daunting to play it with all ears on you, but once you do it enough times, it just flows. It doesn't matter if you're nervous because if you've done it once, you've done it a million times. For me, this learned skill applies during interviews or when a stranger says something that throws me off. You might be nervous but you just have to play what you practiced.

7. Fake it 'til you make it

Honestly, this was a saying in my band. If you can't quite get it during rehearsal, you just gotta fake it until its over. Then go home and practice.

8. Practice until you can't get it wrong

People often say "practice until you get it right" but really you should practice until you can't get it wrong. Once you can do something without error, you can work on technique or whatever applies.

9. There is always room for improvement

Truly. Since being at college I've improved on how fast I can walk. I didn't think that the simplest of things can be improved but, alas, any skill can be better than it was yesterday.

10. Discipline

Getting up before 6 AM five days per week is dreadful but every band member has to do it. Only to go to rehearsal in the hot sun, windy, or cold weather for hours at a time. But we have to do it to make the show the best it can be.

11. Teamwork

You can always ask a friend for help with a certain part in the music or body work. Everyone helps everyone do better and no one makes anyone feel bad about not being good at something. Each section builds each other up to be the best they can be.

12. Memorization

After having to memorize your dots, music, and body work and sometimes having to rememorize some things, it's easy to learn how to memorize almost anything. Memorizing things has become way easier than I thought it would ever be.

13. Sacrifice

Band members sacrifice a lot of things like hanging out with friends or family just because they have to go to rehearsal. This is a skill that comes in handy when you have to do homework or just go to work.

14. Resilience

When your performance is judged, it's often hard to take criticism, especially the first couple of times. But after a while, you begin to welcome it. You don't feel down about the criticism, it only pushes you to be better. If one rehearsal goes bad, the next rehearsal everyone is pumped up and ready to face the challenges. Marching band teaches you that if you get knocked down, you stand back up.

15. The ability to fix minor details easily

Often times you'll have your music or dots down and will have practiced them for weeks and then suddenly there is a small change and you have to adapt to it. After doing this countless times, it becomes easy to change almost anything.

16. You're aware of your body placement

In band, your instrument CANNOT bounce when you march. After being told so many times, you become conscious of your body placement. So you straighten you back or tighten your core. Whatever you have to do, you do it.

17. Space evenly

With every set learned, each member has to check their spacing with the person next to them. After making sure you are dead center of two people over 100 times, you can easily space anything out evenly.

18. To appreciate hard work

After putting in a crazy amount of work on your own, you appreciate other people's hard work because you know just how much they put in to get where they are.

19. Every person matters

The sound the band produces, what the sets look like, and the flow of the rhythms. The entire show wouldn't be what it is if even a single person is missing. Every single person matters and how much effort each person puts in matters just as much.