The members of the Color Guard are required to register for marching band in their class schedules. Their rehearsal responsibilities include Color Guard camp, which meets the week prior to band camp; band camp, which meets August 18th- August 29th; early morning rehearsal and period 1 during the school day for the 1st semester. There may also be additional sectional practices called which the members are expected to attend. (The additional practice are called depending on the progress of the group). These performances are all required as part of their grade. In addition to these performances, Color Guard members will be graded on rehearsal attendance and periodic performance exams.…
DCI’s mission statement is “We seek to promote and inspire unparalleled excellence in music and performing arts throughout the world”(DCI) They want to improve marching band and inspire others to help. DCI isn’t a walk in the park, it’s a bunch of hard working athletes who pay to play in these…
I am writing concerning Tripp Moore, whom I have come to know throughout my years as the Flomaton High School “Hurricane” Marching Band drumline instructor. As Tripp’s instructor, it was a pleasure to get to know him. Tripp has been a great student of mine and it has been my pleasure of being able to teach him. He has some great qualities of a human being and qualities that you would love to see in a leader. Tripp’s hard work and his dedication to music helped him as he joined band and made awesome strides to be on the best percussionist. Tripp also dedicates his time to being a part of the Flomaton High School Jazz Band, and being the drummer at his church First Baptist Church of Flomaton, Alabama. Tripp will one day be a great leader in his…
Dear Principle Spencer, Associate Principal Lee, and Athletic Director Fry: You do so much for this school. The goal of success for all students is incredibly apparent through your actions. It is obvious that the football team is amazing, and so are the other sports. They all put forth hard work, and earn their greatness. But you are neglecting a major part of home football games: the marching band. The Turpin Marching Band is one of, if not the biggest team in the school, with 150 members. These people train just as hard as the football team. I can tell you with experience, with how many times I’ve pushed a heavy synth cart through the mud, or up the hill to the stadium like King Sisyphus’ boulder in the underworld. I’ve marched so hard I…
To those of you who say marching band should not be considered a sport because it doesn’t compete, that isn't true. Marching band should definitely be considered a sport. There are competitions within schools. And guess what, there is scoring and ranking. Also, if carrying and blowing into a heavy instrument while walking a mile in seven minutes isn't physically exhausting, then maybe you just are more athletic than average. You must be physically and mentally healthy for marching band. Also, you must practice a lot and memorize music and drills. You also go to practice at school as much, if not possibly more, than a football team.…
Marching band is analogous to a machine. All of the components must properly function in order to complete a certain task. Therefore, each member should possess dedication in order to produce a triumphant show and capture the audience’s attention. If one member fails, the whole organization collapses. Through these experiences, I learned that determination and dedication contributes to a successful lifestyle. Otherwise, dreams could never exist.…
As a member of nearly two years with Seminole, I have been able to experience an atmosphere of genuine love and acceptance that I now hope to further encourage and foster. This will be my sixth year as a part of the marching arts, during which I have had the privilege of playing and marching for two different ensembles, as well as maintaining leadership roles in both (leading two front ensembles and being relied on heavily at my place of prior attendance). With all the time I have dedicated to learning and plying my craft, I now seek to instill in others that same sense of wonder, amazement, and motivation that…
I am a leader. I have all the qualities that make a great leader, but I was not born this way.Experiences and how someone reacts to those experiences are what truly make a leader. One of the most influential experiences I have gone through is called the Lebanon High School Marching Band. I am certain that I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for marching band. Before coming to high school I already had leadership qualities, but band helped bring all those great qualities together and helped me get past my two major flaws: my lack of self-confidence and the fact that I was probably one of the shyest people you would EVER meet. When I joined marching band, I spent most of my waking hours sweating and suffering alongside wonderful people that I longed to…
Although last year I was not given the position of Drum Major, I was awarded the title of “Low Voice Section Leader.” Being named section leader made me feel so honored, and I was ecstatic to be in the position. As a section leader, I truly experienced what it is like to be a leader in a marching band. Although it is difficult, it is definitely rewarding. Throughout the marching band season, people often approached me for advice and help, and I was delighted to be able to assist different people and see how much they improved with my aid and…
“Left. Left. Left, Right, Left.” Everyone notices the football players during the football games on Friday nights, but almost no one notices the halftime show. Marching bands have been around for a long time and can range from levels between high school and professional. One would mostly likely see instruments such as trumpet, trombone, snare drum, piccolo, and bass drum in a marching band. Marchers are likely found on football fields, in stands, and on the streets in a parade. Instead of having “games”, marching bands have shows, or performances. To prepare for these performances, marchers go through camps and sectionals, and are constantly working to improve their sound and tone. Marchers and directors go through all…
In seventh grade I used to be in marching band. I had done band in sixth grade as well, but this year it was marching band. I played the clarinet and I was pretty good at it. In the middle of the school year we had a parade that our band had to march in. It was something that I had never done before, so I was a little bit apprehensive about doing it. People who who were new to marching band like me were referred to as “newbies”, which wasn’t very many people. During marching band practices all of the “newbies” were put in the back because we didn’t really know what we were doing. Over time all the newbies got better, but that didn’t seem to apply to me. I could keep tempo and play my instrument while marching in sync with everyone and I would…
My cheer team, Spirit Celebration, practiced almost every night for the last month and could practically perform our routine in our sleep. This competition is what we prepared for all season. As our team gathers together, we stretch listening to our music over and over reviewing the routine in our minds. As we walk to the practice gym we glance at the other teams and laugh when they mess up. We performed our routine on the warm up mat perfectly. Walking to the on-deck area, we talk among ourselves with not a worry in the world. As we stand on deck we prayed not only to hit a clean routine but to have fun and that no would one get hurt. The emcee announces, “Performing now from Richardson, Texas, Spirit Celebration”, and it’s time to compete. The lights are bright and I can see nothing beyond the blue performance mat but black spots. The music starts and the crowd goes wild blowing air horns, banging wooden blocks together and trying to make as much noise as possible…
Before I had even started high school I hit a very deep depression. I struggled with it for years. I felt I had no family and no friends. It was a very hard time for me. I didn't enjoy talking about my feelings or being around people due to the fact that I felt I just annoyed those around me. Despite this, I continued doing what I loved most: music. I began marching band my eighth grade year and loved the feeling of being on the field in the lights when our assistant band director would come over the loud speaker announcing the "McClain Marching Tigers and Tigerettes". It helped me find and accept who I am. I gained confidence and learned to lead and understand. It even introduced me to my closest friend whom introduced me to his friend group, giving me the first group of friends I had in my life. I've met so many new people and learned so many new skills throughout my marching career and I look forward to finishing out my senior year with the people who have been there with me from the beginning.…
The Ohio State University Marching Band has been a big part of The Ohio State University campus and band history for a long time. The Ohio State Marching Band has influenced many people around the state and the country. Although becoming a member of The Ohio State Marching Band takes great effort and discipline in high school, staying a member of the band all four or five years of college takes even more tenacity.…
What stuck out to me particularly was the concept of combining a therapeutic activity with a fun, pleasurable activity such as the drumming. It encouraged the participants to get involved and put in effort. It also mentions how playing the beat in unison with their fellow group members and sharing that rhythm brought about universality. It created an environment where they didn't feel so alone because they were playing and making music with others in their situation. The different aspects of the bucket drumming included memorizing individual parts, and learning to play your part while other people started to play theirs. This taught the members to ignore multi sensory distractions and filter out distracting stimuli, and emphasized focusing on your own task. These are extremely beneficial skills to gain, for anyone. I think our group would get a lot out of learning techniques to filter out outside stimuli when we are trying to concentrate on our own tasks and responsibilities because it is so easy to get distracted. This is the exact reason I rarely study in the library because there's usually a…