Being in the high school marching band means being a geek. Unappreciated. Misunderstood. But whether your kid is in the band or not, there are a lot of things to appreciate and even admire about them.
I worked all day recently at my kid’s school when they hosted a marching band competition. Twelve bands from all over the region were there. Suburban and rural schools, big and small schools, big and small budgets.
My volunteer jobs were at the entrance gate and at the “Air Grams” table. I talked to dozens of kids and encountered hundreds more. And I observed some important admirable qualities of the weird band kids.
1. Playing by the rules
Each visiting band member had their hand stamped before they left their bus. This stamp was their “ticket” to go in and out of the stadium as needed during the day. But, as you can imagine, the stamps don’t last long when the kids are working hard, changing clothes repeatedly, in hot weather. Some sweat them off, some rubbed them off, and some even admitted to washing them off.
They would approach the entry gate in big groups, all ready to show me their hands or wrists, and the ones with faint or absent stamps seemed really nervous that I might not let them in. What they didn’t notice, though, was that everyone in their group was dressed alike. Some wore their bibbers (band pants with suspenders) all day. Even when out of uniform, they had matching shirts. The color guard girls even had matching hairstyles and elaborate makeup. I could tell they were part of the group. But they really wanted to show me their stamps, every time.
I think this comes from the amount of discipline necessary for all parts of marching band. If you have a chance, volunteer during your kid’s band camp next summer, or just bring your camp chair and observe one of their outdoor practices. You’ll see what I mean.
2. Silly Sense of Humor
“Air Grams” are short announcements, sold for $1.00, that the P.A. announcer reads to the bands before or after their performances. Most of them are one of two things: pithy parental encouragement OR inside jokes from band members to themselves. The kids can spend half an hour composing the perfect message that will make their friends laugh. “To the tubas: TOASTER!” Okay…
And sometimes we get a joke for everyone.
Why did the mushroom go to a party? Because he’s a fun-gi.
And, later in the evening…
Why did the fun guy leave the party? Because there wasn’t mush-room!
What they don’t generally do is pick on each other, even though it’s really easy in the band. We suggested jokes that made the kids at the table laugh, but that they didn’t want to broadcast.
How many trumpet players does it take to change a light bulb? Five. One to change the bulb and four to say, “I could do it better than that.”
What’s the difference between a mouse and a clarinet? You can’t hear a mouse squeak over the entire marching band.
Oh, and they also won’t hesitate to tell you when they think you’re NOT funny.
3. Strength and Endurance
The weather for this weekend’s competition was brutal. Mid-October, but hot and sunny. The adults were melting. The kids were melting too, but they (mostly) weren’t complaining. They are used to working in the heat for hours every day. They fuel themselves with nachos and Gatorade and hot dogs and snow cones and are at 100% when it’s their turn to perform.
If you have any doubt that marching band is a sport, just go watch a practice. These kids have better cardiovascular health than most of the team-sport athletes at their school.
4. Respect for Weird Classmates
Even among band geeks, there are some geeks that stand out. Socially awkward, even for a band geek.
Read my post about geeks, “Normalizing the Nerd,” here.
The band kids seem to really respect these fringe-on-fringe kids. They tolerate, accept, try to understand, value, and befriend them. I wonder if they know they could be saving lives by doing that.
5. Respect for Competitors
This was a competition. But every band was supportive and appreciative of every other band. Kids who talk constantly will stop talking during someone else’s show. They stay seated and don’t move around during the shows. They recognize difficult music, difficult drill, and difficult skills, and they cheer when they see something good. Large marching bands with large budgets show up to watch and support the little bands, and vice-versa.
Our county school district is very large and has 13 schools with marching bands. 12 of these are similar, drum corps-style bands with elaborate front ensembles, props, etc… The other one is an inner-city school with a fine arts magnet program. Their marching band is more traditional, small, with vintage uniforms and a dancing drum major. We see them once each year when every band in the district goes to one school for exhibition performances. The kids from the suburbs love seeing that band’s performance and cheer more for them than for anyone else!
I think they also know that many bands don’t get this much attention or respect at their regular appearances under the Friday Night Lights. It’s amazing to see what happens when the whole stadium is full of band people. You’ll feel proud to have a band geek in the family.
Betty Stevens
Cary Busby