The gentle fall breezes lead the way into the crisp evening air muffled with the sounds of.....
...bellowing fans and musical brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments...
High school football season thrills the amateur sporting enthusiast and awakens the teenage hormones as Friday night games between rivals commence. Marching band members perform their perfected half-time show for their eager parents and friends and encourage the crowd to engage in cheer during the competition. Experiencing this "sporting" amplitude is a much look-forward-to event.
As young parents, I can not reveal that our goal for our children was performing in a High School Marching Band, however, it is certainly a "pay-back" moment for all the hours spent coaching, persuading, bribing, pleading and yelling for more practice time on their chosen instrument.
The dynamics of such a group have benefited the social needs of our boys and given them confidence in performing and committing to a rigorous schedule of events. Dedicated directors, leaders, and mentors have carefully molded the incoming freshman (mine included) into fine-tuned musicians and marchers.
Remarkably, even small High School's across the country gather musicians and train them in performance etiquette, marching, and instrumentation. The sense of "belonging" to a group is categorically pivotal to success in high school.
Marching band members take participation in this group seriously. If one member is absent, a gap is left and must be masked by others, making it challenging to complete the drill.
Stereotypes of band geeks may prevent the stalwart teen from entering the performance field, however, at the high school my children attend, the "band geeks" are almost always the student-selected winners of the Homecoming and Prom King and Queen Courts!
Increasingly, marching bands are performing indoor concerts that implement many of the songs, traditions, and flair from outside performances.
Most marching bands use some kind of uniform (often of a military style) that include the school or organization's name, shakos, pith helmets, feather plumes, gloves, and sometimes gauntlets, and/or capes.
Dedication to practices, drills, maneuvers, music memorization and weather flexibility make a Marching Band Member one of the most noticeable students in the school. The stand-outs have a reputation of honor, respectability, morals, intuition, and intelligence.
Whether the uniform is militaryesque or bright yellow, collectively marching as a group and performing demanding musical shows creates harmonious group dynamics. This spirit of belonging resonates with a student's confidence and academic achievement.
High School marching band is the place to be!
