When I went off to college, one of my older relatives said, “So you’re really going to stay in band? You know it’s like a job in college. You won’t have time.” I tried explaining to her that I don’t think I could bear not being in band. Her response? “Well you could do so much more! It’s just band. So I considered her advice, and joined the Weevil Marching Band. Many people ask me why I stick with it. It’s hard to see what is so tempting about marching (and for colorguard, sometimes jazz running) in up to 105 degrees, having raw feet at the end of summer band, and constantly being frustrated with myself, but it isn’t about the hard days. It’s about the good times. Here are a few reasons why I’d kick myself if I didn’t join a college band:

1.That moment when the college band becomes the choir in the stands. If you have a tune like "Crazy Train" or "Hey Baby", you can expect the band to belt it out. We might not all have the voices of angels, but you’ll definitely be able to hear us! We even make up our own songs from time to time. A UAM Marching Band original goes “I’m so glad I go to UAM…” and even has a comical remix (that mentions pass offs and and endless amount of laps!).

2.We are literally the best hecklers, like, ever. I’m not even joking. Sure stand tunes are great, but when we get the chance to talk mess about the other team, it’s great. The remarks range from “childish” to “woah, can we say that?” They don’t always make sense, but are guaranteed to either cause a scene, make people laugh, or both. At times, the band has heckled so hard that we have caused a false start. I guess you could say we’re good at what we do.

3.The directors are like college kids wrapped up in a college degree and job title. I’ll never forget the game when one of our previous band directors went insane on the bass drum, or when another director dabbed in front of us. Even our current director often utilizes his sense of humor on the practice field and in the stands. Band directors in general are pretty much just really cool, and really smart college kids.

4.We can go from a bunch of lousy misfits to a close knit family in a matter of minutes. Now let me say there are some strange people in band. I’m not going to go into details about how wild some band people can be, but if you’re in band or have friends in band, you already know. We are full of just about every personality, background, education level, and even religion you could think of. Regardless of how we are all different, we stick together for the most part. I have some friends who all we have in common is the fact that we are in band together.

5.We all pull together to make halftime great. The clock runs out. It’s finally halftime. This is literally what we have worked so hard for. This is the band’s time to shine. While we are on the field, marching with our friends, our acquaintances, and sometimes even our enemies, all of that fades away. Broken hearts swell with pride, home lives take a back seat, and the daily pressure of school and work are nonexistent for a fleeting, yet endless halftime. It’s our time, and we know it. The percussionists flaunt, the colorguard prances, and the winds fill the stadium with melody after melody. Every measure, every step, every beat is full of pure passion and pride for doing what we all love. This is what the band lives for. We all go through strenuous rehearsals, never-ending sectionals, and so many individual practice times to come together and create something beautiful.

To some people, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but I promise if you just ask one of us why we do it, it’s for how we feel after a great performance. It’s for the relationships we have built while reaching a common goal. It’s for all of the times we have ached and agonized together. It’s for all of the times that we got together and cheered ourselves on when no one else would. I work with some of the craziest, most hardheaded, and the strangest people to grace that field―and I wouldn’t have it any other way.