A lot of people never think about how much work a marching band puts into its show. Each marching band puts hours of work into just one minute of its halftime show, and most people don't realize how much effort it takes. If band members are not working on music, they are learning their spots on the field or spending 20 minutes trying to fix one little move because the curve is slightly off each time. If you think marching band is easy, why don't you see for yourself how easy it is? Marching band is never easy, but the work is worth the result.

1. Band Camp

Spending two full weeks at band camp is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We spend two weeks devoted to the band. Two weeks full of sweat, sunburn, and struggling to stay on your feet. Band camp is all day, every day for almost two weeks. We get really tired, really fast.

2. Multitasking

If you think you're pretty good at multitasking, ask yourself this: have you ever marched different shapes on a field in step and in time while playing an instrument? I think marching band is one of the reasons why I became so good at balancing ten different things at once.

3. Remembering

On top of remembering how to play the instrument in the first place, there are three or four songs, plus 20-30 different moves per song. Add on the stand tunes and a million other things, and you almost have the memory of a band person.

4. Physical requirements

If you think marching is easy, try high stepping at a really fast pace while playing. It’s a workout--moving and standing for hours, plus warm-ups with running and other exercises. It’s basically like a gym class.

5. Playing an instrument

Learning to play an instrument is already a great task. Playing an instrument while marching complicates things even more.

6. Games

Every home football game is spent at the field from beginning to end no matter the weather: zero to 100 degrees, rain or shine, and even snow.

7. Uniforms

I understand that playing a sport in full gear can get really hot, but band uniforms are just as bad. There are so many pieces to put on, each adding a new level of heat. So next time you get dressed for a sport and complain about how hot the uniform is, think about the band.

8. Weather

The weather is always changing in Michigan, which makes dressing for the day very difficult. One minute it's raining and cold, the next the sun comes out and its sweltering hot.

9. Time commitment

Band camp alone is weeks worth of normal class periods all compressed into two long weeks. Bigger schools spend even more time preparing than we do, and I already feel overwhelmed at times.

10. Being underappreciated

During half time, half of the crowd gets up, while the other half just ignores us. We work so hard to put together a 15 minute show, and most of the time its only family who watches. The schools rally around a good sports team--how about supporting a good band?

11. Sticking with it

You hardly ever see a band leave early. Even if the team is being destroyed or a snow storm hits, we stick by them to show our support. We are always there to play the fight song and cheer our team on, even if nobody else does.

12. Team Dynamics

Everyone works together every step of the way. Every aspect of marching band requires team work and paying attention to the rest of the people. If anyone is off, the entire show could be affected.

13. The exactness

Each move has to be precise. One foot can make a huge difference when trying to make a bigger picture.

Next time you are at a football game and see a marching band ready to perform, please take a minute to stop and appreciate all of our hard work. We work incredibly hard to put on a good show and be the best we can be. To all of the people who think marching band is a joke, please join us during band camp. I'm sure you'd be thrilled.