Hollywood has always portrayed students who participate in Marching Band as the “band nerds.” As I child watching movies that depicted the stereotypical high school environments I thought that same thing, and I definitely did not think when I got to high school I would be one of those band nerds. But like most people when I actually became a high school student, I was not who I thought I would be. I was not a Sharpay or a Regina George. Nope, I was a band nerd. But guess what, I’m a proud band nerd, because being a part of marching band was one of the best experiences of my life.
For those of you who don’t think marching band is as hard as football, you could not be more wrong. We spend 10 hours a day for two weeks rehearsing in an event you may have heard of: Band Camp. It’s not anything like Van Wilder’s Band Camp if that’s what you're thinking. It’s two weeks of pure torture marching around on the field while playing an instrument, or in my case spinning a flag, in 90 degree weather. We have hours of rehearsal a day going over and over our eight-minute show. Making those shapes on the field is way harder than you think, it’s a level of multitasking most people will never know.
Also, if you think we do all that just to perform at halftime for a football game, you have lost your mind. Halftime is almost like another rehearsal to us. What we are preparing for is a lot bigger than halftime. Marching band competitions are a beast of their own. Bands from schools all over the state compete to prove who puts on the best show and to earn the title of State Champion in their class. And when you're standing on that field at awards trying to stand as still as possible because you're shaking so hard and you hear “1st Place” you just lose it. Tears start falling down your face, and you know that all that hard work was worth it.
While winning is a great feeling and creating a show is a big part of marching band, the greatest thing about being a member is the life long friends you will make. Being a part of band means you are a part of a family for the rest of your life. It means you are ensured 100 birthday Facebook posts, 100 people that are willing to make sure you pass that tough class and 100 people who will be your shoulder to cry on when things get rough. It means that you spend countless hours with people all working to achieve that same goal; you share that winning feeling with all those people. Like members of a family, in a Marching Band we support each other, love each other and even if we argue at the end of day we are still band members, and we always will be.
If you were ask to me who I still hang out with from high school all of them were in band with me. I met my best friend on the marching field; I poured more sweat, blood and tears onto a football field than I ever imagined. Being a band nerd made me stronger, more intelligent, more faithful and most importantly more open to new experiences. Some days I wish I could go back to those 90 degree days doing the same set over and over again. Now that I’m in college all I can do is look back and be grateful that I was able to have the experience.
