What is a band? According to Dictionary.com, a band is a group of instrumentalists playing music of a specialized type. Additionally, what does it take to be in a band? When I was little, me and my family used to go to a bunch of football games. Most of them were in Gautier, Pascagoula, and Moss Point because my aunts graduated from Moss point and my mother graduated from Gautier, but went to school in Pascagoula till her senior year. At every football game there was a band performance, and at halftime the band members would march out at attention, dressed in navy and gold with their feathers gently fluttering in the wind. After the drum majors instructed the band to step out on their step, flags soared into the air and the music blasted into the bleachers for about a five minutes. After the last note was cut off by a simple fist thrown into the air, every band member was silent and at attention until the first chair percussionist lead them off the field with a …show more content…
The very first day of highschool, I got off the cheddar cheese colored bus and started up the walkway toward the glass, double doors. Mrs. Ware was standing three feet away from the double doors in her in four inch heels that matched her black, fitted two-piece suit when she greeted me with “Morning” in her southern accented voice. I passed the main office, that was filled with frustrated parents and students, and headed toward that band hall. Finally, I reached that band hall. The band hall was a place of peace and security for me because I wasn’t a social person, and all my friends were in the band. Anyways, on a typical school day, everyone would put their instruments together and before the bell would ring we would hustle outside to form the arch to warm-up. Then we would run the part of the show we had perfected and then worked on the other parts that looked and sounded horrendous. This continued until marching season was
Sweat dripping down my face and butterflies fluttering around my stomach as if it was the Garden of Eden, I took in a deep breathe and asked myself: "Why am I so nervous? After all, it is just the most exciting day of my life." When the judges announced for the Parsippany Hills High School Marching Band to commence its show, my mind blanked out and I was on the verge of losing sanity. Giant's Stadium engulfed me, and as I pointed my instrument up to the judges' stand, I gathered my thoughts and placed my mouth into the ice-cold mouthpiece of the contrabass. "Ready or not," I beamed, "here comes the best show you will ever behold." There is no word to describe the feeling I obtain through music. However, there is no word to describe the pain I suffer through in order to be the best in the band either. When I switched my instrument to tuba from flute in seventh grade, little did I know the difference it would make in the four years of high school I was soon to experience. I joined marching band in ninth grade as my ongoing love for music waxed. When my instructor placed the 30 lb. sousaphone on my shoulder on the first day, I lost my balance and would have fallen had my friends not made the effort to catch me. During practices, I always attempted to ease the discomfort as the sousaphone cut through my collar bone, but eventually my shoulder started to agonize and bleed under the pressure. My endurance and my effort to play the best show without complaining about the weight paid off when I received the award for "Rookie of the Year." For the next three seasons of band practice, the ache and toil continued. Whenever the band had practice, followed by a football game and then a competition, my brain would blur from fatigue and my body would scream in agony. Nevertheless, I pointed my toes high in the air as I marched on, passionate about the activity. As a result, my band instructor saw my drive toward music and I was named Quartermaster for my junior year, being trusted with organizing, distributing, and collecting uniforms for all seventy-five members of the band. The responsibility was tremendous. It took a bulk of my time, but the sentiment of knowing that I was an important part of band made it all worthwhile.
I always passed by it on the freeway feeling curious as to what it was about. There was a big sign in front of the place that had huge red letters reading “Bass Pro Shop”, with a yellow background and a big fish. What stood out to me every time I saw it, was right under the store sign was an even bigger sign that read in huge letters “Outdoor World.” Every time I passed by, there was always a multitude of cars in the parking lot, which made me assume it was probably a cool place to go to visit, so one day I decided to go to the place and I remember getting out of my car and feeling mesmerized as to how big it was. I remember smelling food from the restaurant that was inside of it and seeing all types of commercial boats around the place. Bass Pro Shop to me looked like an enormous cabin.
Band is family. When your student walks onto campus, he or she is instantly adopted into the strongest society on campus. They will be spending their school days among the top achievers on campus, with fellow students who look out for one another and steer each other away from trouble instead of towards it. Teachers, staff, parents, and volunteers watch over all the kids as if they were their own.
Large bands, full of unique instruments and amateur musicians, were required to play at festivals and ceremonies. Similar to the evolution of the Wind Ensemble, the Concert Band is derived from military purposes. Instruments, such as the trumpets, horns, and drums, were often used for signaling. In contrast to Wind Ensemble musicians, these Concert Band musicians never played their instruments for military enjoyment.
The low reed section to me is not just my section, it is my family, and I would love to have the honor of calling myself mom. However, Lauren will always be the original mom and my biggest role model in band. She was the first one to give me hug whenever I was upset, she made sure I didn't get sunburned during band camp, and was overall the most loving, caring section leader I most likely will ever have. As section leader, I would like to devote all my time, love, and leadership to my section and show what an amazing marching experience truly is. Throughout this essay, I will evaluate what Lauren did well, what she could have done better, what I would do differently, and why I am the person for the job.
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 the face of the earth. And each year it came true”. His certainty that it was true was because he believed there was no greater dream than his. His students were just as confident and in response, they played their hearts out for them. Even the students with “no talent played on guts alone” for Helmholtz.
When someone asks me what marching band means to me, it’s very difficult to come up with a simple answer that everyone can understand. Marching band means belonging to something bigger and more worthwhile than just a “team”; It means having a stake in something that is a treasured part of both our school and our community. Even if it means going to bed feeling every muscle in my body ache and knowing I may wake up feeling worse, I always look forward to doing it all again the next day (and the next year). Marching band is a challenge that pushes the limits of my physical and emotional endurance in such a way that I can’t wait to come back for more because I know I will be a better person for it.
Band is an elective given in elementary schools through college schools around the world. Many schools come together and compete with one another. School bands also perform at football games, basketball games, and in parades. Most school marching bands are accompanied by a color guard, a group of performers, who add a visual interpretation to the music by using props, flags and rifles. A school marching band apparel includes a military type of style, the school's colors, along with the school's name and mascot. It is important to have band as an elective in schools because it helps kids display their emotions and maybe for some it is a hobby. Band directors have said that having band helps young emotional development, helps contribute to a more intellectual culture, builds teamwork and self confidence. It is hard to imagine being in this amazing class and coming upon these out of the box stereotypes and misconceptions of being a nerd, lazy or unathletic. These stereotypes and misconception mainly come from basically movies, shows and books things that are being aired. For example, a kid show, spongebob, kids from ages three to twelve are watching these shows maybe even teens and adults. A spongebob episode fifteen, season two is titled “band geeks”, putting this low degrading name on the group of kids performing at football games with instruments
They argue that there is not much to marching band. In truth, there is a lot to marching band. A person must be able to play the song on their instrument. Some instruments are even heavy. Then that person must learn the drill. After that they have to put the drill and music together. Some bands even memorize their music. These bands will do this at least three times. They will also practice basic marching. If a person works hard, they could even get a scholarship for college. In most schools a student can get a gym credit for marching band like other sports. Unlike other sports there is not a bench. Everyone plays the whole time. Finally, there is no quarters or innings. A band gets one shot to be the best. That is why marching band is a
It is about who I am off the podium. For the past five years (I marched up as an 8th grader), I have been proving something to these people, so that they trust me in this position. The character of drum major or leader is one I have been perfecting since I was a freshman. For a long time I was just an actor trying to be a character. Eventually, I had acted the part so much that I became it, and it was my role. I give respect to receive it. I build real relationships of with members to achieve trust, accountability, and effort. When people are torn up inside because of their home life, which is quite frequent in Lenoir City Tennessee, I am their shoulder to cry on, or a set of ears to vent to, or a buffer to dull their anger. When people are frustrated with me for some reason, I seek them out and learn what I can do different. When there are five flavors of gum stuck to the floor of the band room at 11:30 on a Friday night, I get on my knees with a plastic fork and start scraping. When the band director constantly yells at me for this that and the other, I take into account the criticisms and practice harder. The band and the director see this character I have transformed into, or maybe the one I have always been, and that is why I have the honor of standing on the podium and wearing the gloves. I have become the band’s teacher, nurse, cattle driver, answer dispenser, and friend. Somehow, those all add up to leader. I refuse to let them down, rather I lift them
What changed my life the most was probably band. I've been in band for about 3 or 4 years now,and I really enjoy it. Band has helped me out in a lot of ways and will continue helping me until I no longer need help. In band, originally I wanted to be a percussionists like my older brother but they told me I was quite good on trumpet, so naturally I chose trumpet. I still play trumpet along with horn,baritone,etc..
I have played music for over 11 years and I have studied different types of music, like Jazz and blues. But now there is a style that blends these two and more together. This style is called Jam bands. They have been around for years but it did not have a name until now. But it does not just have to do with the band it also has a lot to do with the fans. There is a type of dress and things that they say. I will tell the type of dress, the way the fans talk, and the different bands that are in the scene.
October 25th, the day of the 2014 Beach District Cheerleading Competition and our chance to go to Regionals. I woke up that morning with a knot in my stomach because I knew our time had come. We worked so hard those past three months to perfect our routine; we knew we were ready to win. As we were in the waiting area for our team to get called, my heart was pounding in fear and excitement. While watching the other teams on the projector, which I would prefer not to do. In a cheerleading competition I worry if the performing team is perfect, because the competition is more serious. Just my luck, it's our turn to warm-up. At that point, I'm terrified, my body became numb. I hate when my body does that because I feel as if I would pass out. Our
The members of each marching band gradually develops an impenetrable, socio-economically distinct society. Within a marching band, students organized a culture of expectations and acknowledgements of individuality that maintained a capable assistance group, that an abundance of students described to a perception of family. The quantity of these friendships in this organization help reinforced students’ personality within the group’s general identity, thereby adequately generating a balanced marching band group identity for individuals’ commitment to the composite integrity. Although in the end, a strong group identity always involves the individuals that participate in the group and, these individuals work around the obstacles to bring in the balance not convinced from other’s terrible
As the dark stadium filled with fire, with the sounds of guns and bombs exploding everywhere, the crazed fans yelled at the top of their lungs. The enormous stage was rumbling with the sound of a single guitar as the band slowly started their next encore performance. Soon after I realized that I was actually at the Sanitarium concert listening to Metallica play "One", I thought to my self, "Is this real, am I actually here right now?" I had a weird feeling the entire time because I had worked all summer to simply listen to music with a bunch of strangers.