Blanche Ely Marching Band Analysis

On Tuesday February 8th, thirteen high school band members represented our school at the Trailways South Conference Honors Band. It was held at Edgerton Performing Arts Center. The students who participated were Brett Miller, Josh Kupsche, Sierra Wirth, Chris Yezzi, Madison Graf, Tori Nizzi, Madeline Wenzel, Megan Karczewski, Noah Argus, Katie Woodward, Allison Reichert, Summer Manzke, and Arianna Wichman. The students rehearsed all day as a full band with Rick Kirby and performed later that night. It was a day filled with great music, collaborating, and lots of fun. The student performed four songs, “Three Colonial Moments”, “The Willows of the Winter,” “Call of The Wild,” and ‘Crown Imperial March.” The director of the honors band was

The football stadium lights cut through the twilight sky like glass, creating an ambiance similar to that of Aurora Borealis. My heart pumps frantically as adrenaline fills my body, the crowd seated before me ripples and bellows like an ocean. The nerves that fill my stomach are agitated in a similar way, now is the time. I lug the heavy weight of my marimba and my anxieties as I descend onto the track with the remainder of the front ensemble, but the burden of my worries is no rival for the passion that drives my performance. Marching band has defined my life in ways that I had never thought possible. This was not how I expected it to turn out; the zeal that fills my being every waking moment of my performance never seems to pass. The months of summer fever and exhaustion that I had spent perfecting each note were worth it. They always are.

All of this contributed to me joining the marching band, beginning in eighth grade, which has taken over my life now, in the best way possible and given me a defined place. It’s nice to be a part of something like

Being involved in several activities at Skutt Catholic aspire and motivate me to reach and strife for success and accomplishment. A prime example of my accomplishments are shown in the band program. My commitment and passion for band goes deep within the band program. I strictly practice self discipline of constant repetition and long dedicated practices in order to receive superiors in districts and an alternate position in the Nebraska Allstate band my sophomore year. As a the drum major of the marching band I had to uphold several leadership skills that require essential attribute to the position. These essential attributes include excellent musical, marching, organizational, and communication skills, as well as a servant-leader attitude. Being the leader of the band demands that I become the best role model I can be for upperclassmen. For instance I am the first to arrive and leave at practices, I must always maintain a positive attitude at all times, and to humbly go the extra mile to serve the band. Another activity that symbolizes my character was football. Football was both a mental and physical struggle, but what truly motivated me to strap on the green and black helmet everyday was my deep respect for my loyal teammates and legacy of the football program built at Skutt Catholic. During

It began during my 8th grade year, I started to play in the marching band for the football games and parades. Percussion was my cup of tea because I know that I could nail it by reading and memorizing the music more often. It took me days to memorize my music for the half-time performances, especially for the parades. Meanwhile at the football field for the first time ever, I begin to think that maybe it did not turn out to be bad after all. For the rest of the football season during half-time, I finally got the hang of it. Marching fundamentals was quite a bit confusing. So that took me weeks to figure out remembering the fundamentals before the half-time performance. Back then, I heard a person who was cheering on for me and it just made

It doesn’t take a natural disaster or a death to alter the course of your life. It can be as small and simple as a choice—picking a class. My life was changed for the better when, in sixth grade, I chose to join the band. I remember vacillating, nearly in tears, over which instrument to learn before deciding to choose the flute, unaware that this decision would mold me through out my middle school and high school years. Band has taught me valuable life lessons and leadership skills, it has provided me with priceless friendships, and it has fostered a love of music in me. Without band I would not be the person I am today.

Life — it is something filled with opportunity, problems, experiences, and interpretations of those experiences, but something which man often dwells on in life are problems that are faced. To be frank, life is not always perfect, but there are aspects which can bring out the brighter side. The episode “Band Geeks” (2001) from the Nickelodeon children’s series Spongebob Squarepants created by Stephen Hillenburg, the Wikipedia article “Marching Band” (2016), a progressive music blog “We Need to Fight this Trend: Marching Bands Taking Steps to Survive” (2006) by Karina Bland, the film Drumline (2002) directed by Charles Stone, the romantic comedy Major Crush (2006) by Jennifer Echols, and the book American Band (2008) by Kristen Laine all

As I stepped out onto the field for my last marching band performance of high school, I could not help but be overwhelmed by emotion. I knew that my band would have my back and would follow through for a great performance. This comforted me--not because I knew they would listen to me, but because being a drum major over the past year had given me the chance to get to know the people in my band and serve my program in a way I never had before. Leadership and service have become two very important aspects of my life because they have both allowed me to better myself as a person while making a positive impact in the lives of others.

I was a clarinetist in the EAHS High School band during the marching season (July-November). We practiced after school on Tuesday through Thursday every week leading up to our largest competition- The Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands. On Friday nights, we performed our show, The Seasons, at the football game and played music in the stands to cheer on our team. The hard work paid off as the band placed 2nd place overall at Showcase. This is the best that the EAHS Spartan Band has ever performed at this competition.

My decision to join marching band was the best choice I’ve made during my high school career. Over the years, I’ve learned countless of important qualities; punctuality, determination, courage, and responsibility. Not only did I learn those qualities myself, but we learned them together as a band. If one of us forgot our drill cards or was late to practice, we all knew that meant running and tybo jumping jacks. In one way or another everyone learned that we had a responsibility to uphold. If we didn’t work together, the band was going to crash and burn.

Just a few days ago we were heading in the opposite direction. When I say “we” I mean all of us, the whole band. It’s a sort of mentality that was driven into us since sixth grade, that we are a collective unit and are only as strong as our weakest player. I was once again alone in my bus seat with my headphones on, blasting some sort of screaming music into my already damaged ears. Even though it was still day I slept away most of the trip. The bus was heading towards Indianapolis; the Godwin Heights marching band of 2010 was having its final hurrah at the Lucas Oil Stadium. We had just got first at the Ford Field House which was hosted by The Michigan Competing Band Association, and our hopes were high to repeat that. The show that year was

Five years ago, I was introduced to the subject of band by my best friend and that introduction sowed the seed to join. The next decision I faced was the important choice of an instrument, which was not very hard for me. I chose the clarinet because it was the only one that responded with a grateful sound. Without my license and parents working late at night, I had to search for a ride since I assumed my friend, who attended band on a different day, could take me. Getting up an hour earlier than most students proved to be a struggle for me, but as time went on it became less challenging. Joining band was and is more than a musical exercise for me; it equates unity with harmony, personal growth with rhythm, and benefits with melody on the larger playing field of life.

The Marching Knights are working extremely hard. They have been working since the beginning of July and everyday after school on their new show, In the Name of Love. The show is supposed to represent how the power of love trumps all. In the show there are three different movements that are played, and the characterization is shown in the set and music. In an interview, Flute player, Lisa McCollum said herself, “Marching Band is a lot harder than most people think. We do a lot and put forth a lot of effort, we’re always out in the heat everyday, even when it's raining, just to achieve a goal that we all want, we all work together as a team, and one whole as a family.” When asked her opinion about the show she said, “It's interesting. There

Sophomore year of marching came. This year was a surprise for everyone. With our show being named ‘Masterminder.’ The band members marching were under control by the color guard soloist; the puppeteer. This show was pretty exciting, too. The judges also thought that. We made it past regionals AND semi-state. What? Yeah, we all thought the same thing. We had made it. We had FINALLY made it after so many years of just trying to get past regionals for once. It was a bitter-sweet feeling waiting for placement awards at Lucas Oil Stadium. The instructors went around to each band student one by one. The congratulated us on an amazing season. I started tearing up, but that isn’t surprising. As we marched our way out of Lucas Oil Stadium that night, I knew that this was only the beginning of a new generation for the Marching Marksmen.

Had you asked me as a gauche and unkempt eighth grader how I’d be involved in high school, the response probably would have been a shrug hiding the actual existential dread and anxiety which filled me. But now, as I stand in the scorching rays of the summer sun with beads of sweat silently dotting the smooth bars of my marimba, I feel more accomplished than ever. Being in band has been the most drastic experience in my high school career by far. It has been the source of every high and low, from playing my first solo to losing drum line competitions. More importantly, though, it has developed me as a person, teaching me lessons beyond clean buzz rolls and keyboard runs.