We Need To Fight This Trend: Band Geeks

When the question is brought up, “What does band mean to you?” I immediately think of the responsibility, hard work, and dedication and band has given me the chance to learn and strengthen. In addition to these life skills are many others, such as leadership, teamwork, and friendship. The Force has made more than just a difference in my high school career, it has impacted my life and has provided me with skills that will follow me throughout my life. Band means to supporting each other as we work through the hard times and grow closer as a family. Band means working hard and taking on responsibility for yourself. It also means being dependable, that people can count on you and your ability to achieve the unthinkable.

This can be seen in the small town of Lapel, Indiana. When Nicole Flora, a member of the Lapel High School Marching Band and the Lapel Concert Band, was interviewed about her experiences with Lapel’s arts education program, she said that Lapel has a strong, long-standing arts program and that it unites their community (Flora). The community of Lapel takes much pride in their show choir and bands, resulting in much support for the musical groups. In one instance, Flora was in a marching band show performing at the Indiana State Fair Band Day. The crowd began cheering as soon as Lapel’s name was announced, even before the band took their place on the field. The cheering only got louder as the show went on, especially during the famous Lapel Funky Chicken dance step that is the band’s traditional exit (Flora). Not only does this unwavering encouragement instill a sense of pride in the students associated with such a unified and supported group, it strengthens the community as a whole.

It wasn’t clear to me back then, but middle school band in 8th grade was one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. The entire year was full of friends and festivals, but there were three words that could sum up most

George Helmholtz, as the head of the music department at Lincoln High School, is very determined with his regular students and the gifted musicians of the band. Each semester and year at school he dreams of “leading as fine a band as there was on

A marching band is composed of people, playing musical instruments, usually during the halftime portion of a football game, to perform songs arranged by various artists. The band is divided into sections. A section is determined by the instrument one plays. Each section must have a leader. A section leader is one or more people who give rules for other members of the section to follow. While trying to become the best section leader ever, one must develop social skills, a positive attitude, and determination.

In 1995, DSU’s band traveled to England to perform for the Queen and the people of England for the New Years day parade. It was a wonderful performance to be remembered forever. Since then, the band has performed at many more major venues across the world. They performed in the inaugural parade for President Barack Obama, as well as the MLK parade. The band is conducted by band director Randolph J. Johnson. Mr. Johnson is 61 years old and has 13 years of experience as a college band director as well as 11 years as a high school band director. He has lead the band through many great performances.

While participating in marching band, I have also gained many new experiences, friendships, principles, and musician skills. Deciphering music can be a challenge year to year, and each year the music has continued to expand my capabilities as a musician. Apart from the musical component, marching band has taught me true meaning of teamwork to achieve a common goal. Specifically during the last marching season, I learned the importance of

Stereotype’s fills the halls of secondary schools all across America, from your athletic super stars shooting hoop in the gym to the geniuses swiftly flipping through books in the library. However, there is one room where every stereotype mixes together for one purpose! In the band hall people from all backgrounds come together to create a beautiful melody. Regardless of your ability to slam a home run, grow a multitude of crops, or make a scientific discovery, everyone can join together, unite, and play music without any draw backs from stereotypes. Music is more than a class, it’s a sanctuary to escape the typical chaos of school. Participation in band avails each musician to an infinite journey of creative expression connecting to a language

Marching band is a culture that many people in the world participate in whether they're in high school or college. Members of any marching bands share characteristics such as hard work, the strength to keep going when things are hard and to stay calm under pressure. Power is distributed in the group from the marching band director to the drum major and to the section leader. Many people think marching band is something anybody could do with ease, but we practice day to day, which means we practice two hours and five minutes to learn the show. The common nickname is being called ‘band nerds’ which I think is fitting because we live for it. Band is more than a hobby - it’s a sport because of all the time we practice.

Marching band should be considered a sport because the difficulty is equal to any other sport both mentally and physically. Some students need to carry an instrument up to 30 pounds with perfect posture. Before rehearsal, students also have to warm up, do stretches, and even run. Students have to be able to memorize notes, dots, and stay in step with the entire band. In order to do these things, students have to be super concentrated and must constantly practice. Just like any other sport, the participants have to stay committed, and it’s crucial that they are there for every practice. If a student misses, there is a chance they will lose their spot and be very lost when they return.

The Marching Band program of the Greece Central School District (GCSD) provides every child with the opportunity to perform and compete in a unique way. Through the acquisition of specific knowledge, skills and the development of appropriate disciplines, these experiences

Memories began to race through my mind as I started to look back at the time when I first joined the marching band. Coming into high school, I was not reluctant to try out new things, and marching band was an activity that would allow me to open myself up to others and develop a strong sense

Marching band does not sound interesting to most people, at least to me it didn’t. For the longest time I wanted to quit band because I never really enjoyed it, I didn’t think I was good so it made me want to give up. But my mother never let me quit. I hated her for it but I realize now that she was doing something good for me. My mother made me play the flute. The instrument that isn’t like any other, some call it a “hybrid” between the woodwinds and brass. I never liked to practice the flute, but eventually I had to. These factors, hating being in band, my mother forcing me to stick with it, and playing the flute, changed my life.

Marching band offers valuable benefits for students, whether it be discipline, social skills, or physical health, and can impact their lives significantly. It is normally thought of as the “sport” for students who can not play other sports such as baseball and football, but this simply is not true. Marching band is just as beneficial, dare say even more beneficial than other sports that are more and more praised for playing. Marching requires strength, stamina, and discipline. Not only is it beneficial to a student’s physical health it can often be very helpful to the mental health of the student as well. Students who can not seem to come out of there comfort zone can become social butterflies with the help of the

Previously in the year, it was typical for me just write what is on my mind at the time and later go back and organize it. This paper is a stupendous presentation of that obsolete format. It was common for me to leap from one paragraph to another without soundly blending my ideas into the narrative. Despite this, however, many outstanding developments appeared in this essay. This was the essay that helped me further develop my ability to write sensory details, which immediately shows itself in the introduction: “Lights blare down from above. To my left, I can see the crowd cheering as the previous band charges off the field, and we prepare our grand entrance” ( 1). I also highlighted the negative aspects of the band, such as leadership problems: “Aside from inexperienced and uncaring managers, some people are just wholly opposed to taking orders from their peers. This causes an avalanche of tension between them and their section. Arguments will typically break out as to who is right and who is wrong-- especially during marching season ( 3).” Each paragraph, despite flowing strangely, outlined a specific aspect of the band in increasingly detailed methods. One section describes the methods band members use to communicate with one another while another tells of its hierarchy. Overall, this paper, despite its shortcomings, laid the base for which I would later improve upon in following essays.