Marching over the football field, fans see musicians dressed in purple marching in unison from the stands. They hear beautiful music during halftime and catchy songs played throughout the game. They make the turns of the flags and melodies of the songs seem easy. Little do the fans know the commitment and responsibilities these marchers truly give to their program.
Students view band as just another elective that involves no extra time or hard work or a new family created through the program. Well that couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are tons of different roles present in the marching band, and each one has different responsibilities.
“My responsibilities are basically being in charge of the band,,” junior Nicholas Osorio said. “I’m a drum major so my job is being responsible for everyone around me “We have to do different activities or projects on the weekends for our marching band theme. We also have practice for three hours after school Tuesday through Friday, but technically we go to the football game to play on Friday so it’s a lot longer than three hours.”
While one drum major’s perspective is being responsible for being in charge of the band another drum major’s perspective or what he thinks his responsibilities is helping newer members.
“As a drum major I am responsible for teaching younger members to learn to march, help them learn and memorize their music and the instrument and band maintenance,” junior Drue Walker said. “Another big part is helping them be a part of the culture or our band.”
There are different positions or leaderships in the band, and they are all responsible for a different piece of the puzzle for marching band. Some people have their ups and downs about band but they love it all the same.
“I am a snare captain and a section leader so I’m responsible for leading the drum lines,” junior Wesley Burns said. “The heat is the absolute worst part of marching band, but the best is being able to play music for people. We are usually pretty busy on the weekends building props and helping around the band hall.”
Community is a ginormous part of what makes band a special elective. The connections and friendships these marchers make is beyond comparison.
“My favorite part of band is the community, and obviously playing music surrounded by all my best friends, ” junior Reed Stallberg said. “It’s just a really fun experience playing drums with friends.”
They know the pressure is on when they step out onto the field. Any mess up will lead to everyone messing up. The pressure and commitment is top notch.
“Band is a big commitment.,” freshman Marcela Ugarte Urdaneta said. “We have to be prepared, we have to have everything we need, we have to memorize music, memorize the sets, and where I go and what to do and what everyone else needs to do. Because it’s not just me out there, it’s a whole group and if I mess up I will then mess up someone else.”
