Personal Essay: Marching Band In High School

My first days of marching band weren’t too bad, they had it to where the freshman came in first to get the basics out of the way like assigning locker, how to march, and other trivial stuff like that. Then the day came where everyone had to come to rehearsal. It was intimidating to say the least. Let’s just say my section has some really tall people in it and I am the second shortest behind the section leader. Another thing to note is that the saxophone section is one of, if not the craziest sections in the band, behind the sousaphones because they are just as crazy and off the wall as we are, and by crazy I mean we are always getting yelled at because we can’t shut up and/or are goofing off. At this time I wanted to quit because I didn’t feel like coming to

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

We have been in band since the fifth grade and gained a tremendous amount of music knowledge. In the middle school years we sought out more experience by starting a jazz ensemble. After middle school, We joined all aspects of band and participated in every event possible. Through our three years of marching experience we led the our respective sections. We focused on making sure our rows and lines were straight. Keeping in step was also a very important

My sophomore year I tried out just to go through the process and be prepared, but my junior year I tried out for real. I was trying out as a minority. I was the youngest junior on the line, now the only girl on the line, and I had been on snare the least amount of everyone else on snare. After a week had gone by, we had our band banquet. During the banquet they would announce all of the new section leaders. They took us into the hall and I was told I was the new section leader for the drumline. This role is held very high in the Northgate Marching Band, because if you hold this position, you are a leader of the band. Now that I had the title I needed to accomplish one more thing. In drumline we have a center snare. The center snare is the most advanced player on the line, they count off all the exercises and they are the person you listen to when playing. Our audition process was intense, because again I was the one with the least experience on snare. I absorbed every piece of criticism I received and I applied every fix to better myself as a

I have participated in district band auditions in ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade. District band is a prestigious music ensemble that must be auditioned for in order to select the best musicians from district 7. The auditions take place in late november, early december; however, the audition process starts a lot earlier, when the audition pieces come out in May. You receive the auditions materials, and then the fun begins.

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

I stood on the podium, looking out at the field and took a deep breath. The fans in the stands behind me were a buzz in my ears as I made eye contact with every member of the band. I held my hands up and clapped three times and then SNAP! The instruments were up and I counted off, starting our first marching band show of the season.

I am auditioning for the positions of Sousaphone Section Leader and Drum Major. I have a slight woodwind background though I transitioned to playing tuba three years ago. I have marched for the Brigade for those three years while playing sousaphone. Before high school, I devoted most of my days after school in the fall to assisting the band in any way they needed. From Band-Aid to Assistant Section Leader, I have always done my best to make it to every practice and every competition. Granted, I have missed a couple marching rehearsals for medical or scholastic reasons, but all were excused. I have always been one to encourage others to participate to their best ability while at rehearsal in order to make the most of it. I have never gotten

The marching band has also felt like a home away from home. If I wasn’t at home with my parents, I was on the band field. While being in the marching band at my high school, my long-term goal was to become their drum major for my last two years. I wanted to be the drum major that would cause the band members to put every ounce of passion into performing the show. Once I decided this during my freshman year, I put my heart and soul into my band. I stepped up to any work my band director needed help with. Whether it was fundraising or running OMEA (Ohio Music Education Association) events or lining the band field, I was there to show my band director I was ready to be a leader. My setback came when I didn't achieve section leader for the flutes

When I first joined the marching band in high school, I was very insecure and unsure of what to expect because it was very unfamiliar to me. Near the beginning of the season, our director and staff began to teach us how to march and play simultaneously. Many people were doing fine but some were struggling and I was one of those kids in that predicament.

Freshman year me really, really wanted to make District band. In middle of August, 2014, the etude for my audition almost four months away

Our first step was to train the freshmen to march and to refresh everyone else on their fundamentals. This is achieved during band camp. Drumline camp starts one week before in

From the moment I decided I wanted to audition, I was in for a wild ride. I had always wanted to be in jazz band, but my instrument (the clarinet) wasn’t included. I also had some knowledge of the guitar, but the role was already taken by one of the best guitarists in the state. It wasn’t until two weeks before auditions that I heard that the guitar player was giving up his position to pursue swimming. That day I went home to dust off my guitar and got to work. I needed to learn improvisation, scales, and a prepared piece.

Because of MTW being a distance away from my hometown, I was unable to try out for any other productions. Still searching for something to set me apart, in fifth grade I decided to join the band at my school and join the junior football team in Pratt. In band, I quickly found interest in percussion and started to become very passionate about playing percussion in the band. I continue to perform even to this day, and have taken many snare and timpani solos to our instrumental contests. I had received many Superior ratings on my solos in middle school and then it continued into high school; I was able to receive a Superior rating on my snare drum solo at the regional contest and had the opportunity to perform my solo at the state level, receiving an Excellent rating there. While in high school, I also found a liking for the quads/tenor

While watching the marching band perform at Kennedy Middle School for three years, I was always amazed by their talent, precision, and energetic spirit. I knew that the oboe was not a marching instrument, although that was the instrument I played in the middle school band. I was destined to find a way to be apart of the amazing experience that is, the Wall of Sound. I emailed as many friends that I knew in the marching band and talked with the directors to find out how I could become involved with marching band. They suggested doing the Color Guard Workshop, a training camp for eighth-graders interested in being apart of the color guard. I worked so hard during this camp to enhance my skills in hopes of one day being apart of the Wall of Sound