It’s officially marching band season, and that means lots of sunburn, sore legs, and pages upon pages of music and drill. You've signed up for your high school’s marching band, and you don’t know what to expect; or maybe you are going to college five states away and don’t know how to adjust to band life in your new home. Your section leaders may have sent you a list of what you need to tote along, but a couple Creators at Furman are here to fill in the blanks! College or high school, we’ve got you covered.

So... maybe your first ever band camp in high school (or college) wasn't all that you expected. You're more sore than you've ever been in your life, cooked like a lobster, exhausted beyond belief, and above all, tired of the seemingly torturous band directors and visual techs following you around the field screaming "Left! Left! Straight legs! Form! Cover down!" - much less your leadership team giving you crap every time you make a wrong move.

Well, my marching band rookies, this is to give you a guiding star for the rest of the season.

Dear Freshman, you will soon understand...

The pain that seems to be your whole body right now will soon subside. It doesn't last forever. Honestly, you get used to it, then you can concentrate more on the goal ahead. Give it some time, and always stretch before AND after rehearsal.

The buzzing in your ears that is the constant commentary from directors, visual techs, and the leadership team around you is not criticism to make you feel like crap - it's criticism to help you become the best you can possibly be. Try not to tune these people out. As one of our woodwind teachers, Jennifer Cloughly, said last week during warm-up circle: "Follow your veterans; they will never lead you astray."

The times where you get frustrated that marching in step is difficult for you, or you can't see the forms around you quite yet but you're trying, or that you just cannot seem to nail that dot... that means you truly care about your band program and that you want to do everything you can to get better. Keep pushing! It will come with time.

When your band director says "eyes" or "attention"... I don't care if the stairway to heaven just opened up in the clouds, but drop everything you're doing and look up at the directors. After a couple of days, it may seem like a drone to you, but I promise, fidgeting with your dot book or your instrument is not nearly as important as what they are trying to tell you. Plus, band directors like to make corny jokes and they're actually pretty funny...

"Why do we have to run laps around the field? I didn't do it." or any attitude of the sort may seem solicited in the beginning, but you will soon come to understand that when you're in marching band, you are working as a team. When one person does something wrong, the whole band has to pay for it. No one cares if you weren't talking during "attention" - you still have to run the laps or do the push-ups alongside the people that were. You are part of a whole, and while it may not feel like it in the beginning, you will soon understand.

That upperclassman who keeps throwing an attitude your way because "you just can't get it" may not even be doing it to be mean. You will soon come to understand, as you become a veteran in your band, that you're on the field for a reason; if you're in high school, you're on the field for competition. Sometimes, us vets take rehearsals with an attitude that belongs in a boxing ring, and sometimes, it makes its way to the rookies who don't even fully understand what this program is all about just yet. These people may make you feel like you want to quit, but just hold on because the best is yet to come! ***Also, I'm not saying the bad attitude is a good thing. It's not.***

You will soon understand that at competitions, the directors lock down the fun-loving attitude and put on a serious face. If you go to ask these people a question while at a competition and you get a quick, hard answer, do not take it personally. You'll find that at competitions, each band is given just a small amount of time for music and visual warm-up; therefore, the visual techs and directors need to use that time efficiently. If you just pay attention and do what you've been doing in rehearsal, you'll be fine!

And soon... you will understand my favorite part about my past 6 years (and counting) in marching band. These people flanking you on the field become your best friends - and eventually, family. Everyone is there for the soul purpose of performance and the love of music, and that's what bands everyone together! These people you graduate alongside will be your closest friends for (hopefully) the rest of your life, and you will soon understand that the hours you guys spend on the field together will translate into hours of friendship and support.

Ok, that last part was a little deep... but my point is, throughout this season, don't get discouraged, and don't give up. Most everyone has a hard time learning new things, and learning to march and play your instrument doesn't just come naturally. You have to practice, and you have to put your all into rehearsals. Trust me, it pays off a million times over in the end.

Good luck to all the rookies out there! Either beginning high school or college marching band, you are still in a new environment, and I wish you the best of luck and lots of fun over your next years in marching band!