Personal Narrative: How Marching Band Changed My Life

Music is a way for people to express themselves without having to make a drastic change. The reason I started to play music was because I love music in general to start off with and wanted the challenge of learning how to play an instrument. In sixth grade year there were probably 120 kids in band. Slowly through my band years many kids have dropped out. By the time I made it to the high school there were maybe 30 band students in, my grade and Mr. Rice the band director said, “They weren't able to handle it because band isn't easy.” One you have been in band you don't realize if you struggle or if you can't handle band and it's not a bad thing that students drop out of band. It just shows that they have decision making skills and don't want to hinder the other students acceleration in the class.

I thought I was just signing up for a marching band, not a life-changing experience. It was about a week before my first year of high school started. My mom was reading the newspaper after breakfast when she showed me an ad calling for 12 to 18 year olds to join a marching band. I loved to play the glockenspiel, so I immediately jumped to join the band. I called the number and got the date, time, place, and a brief synopsis. A week after school started, we drove to Pickering High to sign up. Turns out, the band was part of the Ontario Regiment 2525 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps.

I have been in band for six years. I have been in the Northglenn High school Performance Ensemble for three years. I first picked up a flute when I was just an anxiety-ridden 12-year-old who became flustered talking to anyone who I hadn’t known for over a year. I preferred to stay in very tight knit groups where everyone had been friends for five plus years. I made the decision to stay in band when I realized I had made new friends without any effort (an occurrence I had never experienced), and on top of that, I was having a great time. At this stage in my life, my family was experiencing a lot of issues. I practically lived in the hospital waiting room my entire sixth grade year; that newfound friendship meant all that more to me. I officially decided to remain in band and join marching band when I was 14 with much encouragement from my band teacher and the promise of being able to spend more time with my newfound best friend. The summer before freshman year was spent marching on a field in grueling heat with kids who all already knew each other; the prospects of new friendship didn’t look too great… My anxiety had yet to subside but, I was having the time of my life. As the years have gone by, I’ve evolved and grown with those kids who I once was terrified to talk to. They are very much

Marching band is a very hard activity. It’s fun but takes a lot of hard work, concentration and devotion. You have to have talent and the ability to follow directions when asked the first time. You have to follow instructions as if you were in the military. “They also follow directions like a military unit.” For example the conductor says stand straight and your shoe is untied. You cannot tie your shoe until told to do so. You have to wake up early in the morning to perfect the routines. You have to avoid greasy foods, wear sunscreen, and adjust to the heat, if you don’t you may get sick and/or burnt. “Caitlin, another band member, quickly learned to follow band director Mrs. Brooks's tips for adjusting to the heat. She also knows to avoid

Imagine this: You’re playing football for your high school team, you have the ball and you’re running to score, except his football is around 90 pounds, and not only are you running to score the touchdown, you have to keep in step with 100 other players. This is what students do year round in marching band. We have to memorize how to play three songs and around 100 spots based on where we need to go on the field, all while keeping our backs, shoulders, and instruments straight, carrying an instrument that weighs 40 to 100 pounds, and marching in time with 100 other kids. All of these components are just the little parts that lead into something much bigger. We practice as much as other sports, every person counts as part of the band’s score, and what you do for marching band meets the requirements to be called a sport.

The University of Wisconsin Marching Band plays a big part in the excitement of Badger athletics. However, there are many important parts that make up the success of the UW- Madison Marching Band. Students and staff are faced with busy fall and winter schedules and the time commitment of being in the band, however their love and interest in this pastime remains strong.

The first two or three sectionals of marching band, where you go and practice the marching music every Tuesday for four hours, were very awkward because I was by myself. Another flute showed up eventually and helped reduce the awkwardness. It was scary but it quickly became just something I did. Then the long hours, sunburns, dehydration, exhaustion, and fun started. We spent around six to seven hours outside marching, one to two hours practicing music, and one hour to eat lunch. To some people this might seem like nothing but for others it’s the opposite, and no

I participate in marching and concert band. As for concert band I have participated in it for 3 years, and i have only been in marching band for half a year.I enjoy being in both ensembles because it gives me a chance to make beautiful music and connect with my fellow band members. Most of the reason I’m even at where I am is because of my bad instructor Mr.Barz.

To be honest the previous three years of my marching band experience in high school was only a small part of a larger whole. All the way back in the fifth grade when I picked out my instrument and made the choice to learn how it works, to accept the help of others along the way and to assume responsibility for it and other scholarly activities is just the beginning of what got me to where I am. Next came the middle school experience with increased difficulty of lessons and technique as well as the camaraderie between teachers and friends, the same comradery that brought us all together in high school and kept us together to work on, an at the time, an impossible feat. To be honest, the simple fact that not one action or moment defines my experience to this day will also define my experience in the future. Just as i have received help from various sources to get to where I am, I also count on you, the staff of Midwestern University, to help and guide me through any and all fields of study I

would I be taking band in high school, or not? The simple choice consumed my

The summer was approaching its end and it was time to go back school shopping. I was excited to go back to school to see my friends and get back to Marching Band. So on the last week of summer I went shopping on tax-free weekend with my Dad. First we went shopping for school supplies at Walmart. I got all of the necessities like pencils, paper, and binders. Then we went to the mall to look at some clothes. We were going to go to Lenox but it was getting late so we went to Stonecrest. When we got there I went straight to Foot Locker to see if they had the shoes that I had been wanting. As I approached the shoes, my jaws dropped because I could not believe that they were on sale! I thought that the shoes would be more money than that. I immediately

Some students may try to convince you to not join marching band for many excess amounts of reasons. For example, the long hot days we battle, the short water breaks, extensive training, etc.Throughout this analysis you will come into conclusion that in the end it is all worth it. Khalil Gibran once said “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars”. In other words, it doesn 't matter how much you suffer, all that pain will make you someone stronger both personality and physically wise when it comes to marching band. Don 't let others choose for you, and find through your own means whether you 'll benefit from it. There has been

In Marching band, we have one rule we two rules we can never break. We cannot stop the mode of production, and we must always be determined, forever improving our marching and our academic studies. These two rules were meant to represent something bigger then ourselves, to not only think of us as an individual, but to fully comprehend that we have to better ourselves not only for our own sakes, but for the sake of the Band as a whole. We were taught to implement these two rules not only in band, but in our daily lives. This meant to be at our peak performance, all the time. If we couldn’t live to these standards, we would be kicked out. All of this made the Marching band become part of our lifestyle, which reflected our performance as a band

Throughout my whole life, music has been apart of who I am as a person. From church Christmas plays to starting band in sixth grade, it’s one of the only things that I have known practically since birth. One of my favorite activities has always been band, and as a freshman in high school I joined the marching band. Little did I know the hard work it would take, the lessons I would learn, or how I would grow to be the leader and person I am today all from three months of dedicated time. Marching band was first presented to me in the eighth grade when some seniors from the high school came and told us about their experiences.

Marching season is one of my favorite parts of the school year. With marching season comes homecoming and during the homecoming game the band has to sit on the ground bleachers because of the amount of people who come to that game compared to the other games. We were excited for the game because we were about to present how hard we had worked in preparation to make everything look and sound good.