Essay On Marching Band

Summer before junior year of high school, I was looking at a lot of standardized tests, essays, a heavier school workload, college applications, and getting a driver's license; my most immediate concern, however, was the soon to begin marching band season. Spring semester of sophomore year I had decided to audition for a leadership position in the band, and I suppose I was the best candidate because I managed to snag Section Leader for my instrument, clarinet. As the final days of July passed by, I anticipated the start of a season where I would be mentoring and teaching my fellow clarinet players the complex art of marching band. A few days before leadership camp I received a letter in the mail from the Head Band Director, Mr. Larry Brown, and immediately I knew things were not going to be what I expected.

As my high school years come to an end, I've realized something about myself. Since I stepped foot in this school as an up and coming freshman I've noticed that the drum major truly captured my attention. It was like when little kids see someone cool on tv and think, “When I grow up, I'll be exactly like them.” That's exactly how I felt, when I became a senior I wanted to be that person. Finally the time has come for me to show that I am capable of being the best drum major Orland has ever seen.

After doing exceptionally well in my district-level audition, I had the opportunity to continue to try out for the state level. Now, throughout the first audition, I had the help of a few people. Of course my middle school band director, Mr. Carter, had helped me on this treacherous road; however, a man named Andrew Bennett had also decided to chance with me.

“Roll those feet! Keep those toes high! Square your shoulders! Keep the tempo moving!” This can be heard by directors, in most marching band rehearsals, as the band is racing around the field while playing mentally demanding music. Competitive marching band, the highlight of some high schoolers’ fall season, is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a group of musicians who play instruments while marching together at a parade or sports event” (“Marching Band”). In comparison a sport is defined as “a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other” (“Sports”). High school competition band is where a band practices from July to November to prepare one show to be

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

The position of drum major is a vital role in the entire team of a marching band. As the 2017 drum majors we promise that we will have the band in mind when making decisions and when developing the best show possible. As a group we know that we posses the necessary qualities of a drum major.

During the past year, I have made several contributions to the marching band. Most profoundly, I made up one of four drums working in sync to combine separate parts into one. Without my presence the music would be disjointed when played. As part of percussion, my contribution to the band is providing a steady and consistent rhythm to support wind instruments. More broadly, I have contributed my time to attend all practices arriving on time, and meeting outside of school for additional practices and sectionals. On the other hand, I have also helped other members of my section with music when needed, Lastly, I have helped stay after on occasions to clean up, load, or help unload equipment.

The achievements of the Edgewood drum line has lead my transition from childhood to adulthood in many ways. My director has shown me how to be not only a good percussionist, but also a good leader. From these leadership qualities, I was able to lead our drum line to success in 2016. The the indoor drum line finals at the MEPA finals in 2016 where the Edgewood Drumline was awarded first place for our performance. This accomplishment was many years in development after getting third and second place for 3 years in a row. This achievement meant a lot to me and my peers at Edgewood, as it is one of the most major endeavors that Edgewood's music department has accomplished.

The drum majors’ jobs include leading rehearsals five day a week, organizing Saturday’s pep rallied, and bonding with their fellow band members. They also must be in control of the football game. This means they must know what is going on in the game at all time, in order to call for the appropriate songs or stadium cheers. The most difficult part of their job is providing their fans with the level of excellence and finesse that people expect of the Million Dollar

Around # of students came to play, one of them being Carter Kucier, the only mellophone in our Marching Band. He said that, “*Insert Quote*”, which shows just how amazing this opportunity was. Mr. Magaro, the band director in charge of the trip, was especially

The summer of 2013 was both a time of celebration, as I had just graduated middle school, and a time of insecurities, as I started my journey as a member of my high school’s marching band. In middle school, I was normally a shy, quiet person, so it comes as no surprise that I felt uncomfortable at my first marching band practice. In addition, very few of my band friends in middle school had continued into high school marching band, creating a feeling of isolation over me.

Ever since Mrs. Bissell mentioned about Marching at Football Games, Showcase, and Parades, I knew I wanted to be a drum major but she said I would be better off as a color guard member in the back. From that day on, I want to prove her wrong by joining Marching Band. You don’t need to be the greatest or the best player to have leadership skills. No everyone was born to be a successful leader, but it takes a lot of practice, responsibility and a positive mindset to have the skills. I was influenced to become a drum major from Aaron, Christian, and the pervious drum majors because all of them left band with a legacy no one will ever forget. But, it’s not just the previous drum majors I was influenced by. Nick, Michael, Vy, Mr. Sebastian, and my wonderful section leader Sarah also inspired me too. However, many previous drum majors set the standards at a high level and it's my privilege to keep the tradition going by setting the standards even higher. One reason why I will be a good candidate is, I want to be one of the leaders who can help other marching band members and listen to their problems, because I love helping everyone and put a smile on their

Left, right, left, right... Those two words rung in my head while I marched until the thunderous voice of my drum major was heard. HALT, I was brought back to my senses. The banging of the bass drums, the turf under my tattered marching shoes, sweat rolling down from my shako. I was here, at assessment, the vibrant sound of clapping from the bleachers and the sight of judges ready to mark how we perform. “Pride of Potomac marching band, you may now take the field.” That is our cue, time to deliver our show, The Heist. Finally, after three months of sweat, tears, and blood, literally, I will earn my superior rating. I mean, what could go wrong right? Or at least that is what I thought until I heard the sound that will haunt me for the rest of the day, thud.

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.

Over time, the band was playing better, and our entertainment skills improved. However, we did notice that one band member seemed to be tenuous in his ability to play drums. The other band members and myself thought that over time our drummer would improve his playing as we were all new to playing heavy metal music. Time passed by and our drummer was still lacking the ability needed to make our band successful. As the leader of the band, others looked towards me to make a decisive