As a freshman in high school, all I wanted was to fit into this new, overwhelming school. Its walls seemed to tower over me as soon as I walked into the building. I found my escape from the academic burnout, algebra woes, and homework pile-ups through joining color guard. Before being accepted into color guard, each participant was required to participate in a clinic where we would learn a short flag routine, flag drills, and show off our potential color guard prowess. After a week of rehearsing in my front yard, and lots of bruises later (ouch), I was ready for tryouts, and to hopefully land a spot in the marching band.

After performing a decent three-minute flag routine from memory (and lots of practice), I waited for a whole week before tryout results were announced on the band room wall. To my excitement and surprise, I joined The Big Red Machine, my high school marching band at Crestview High School, and this would begin my four-year journey of color guard during my high school career.

So, now what?

SWEET SUMMER REHEARSAL: AKA BAND CAMP
Being in the marching band requires your entire summer, school nights, and weekends until you are able to perform the show in your sleep. While not a requirement, you will eat, sleep, and breathe band. Even though it’s fun to hang out with friends during the summer at band camp, band kids will be faced with brutal temperatures, marching in the heat, and dealing with attending rehearsal after rehearsal. Band kids practice in sweltering heat for hours, perform in rain, wind, and the cold, and lug heavy equipment and instruments up and down the field.

They get to school at 7 a.m. to practice before competitions, and stay until 10 p.m. for football games. During competition season, we sometimes didn’t get back to the school until two or three in the morning. We spent many sleepless nights riding to and from competitions in the district area. I also can’t tell you how many times I “took one for the team” and slept on the floor of the bus.

While the long nights, early mornings, and extended rehearsals can be draining, seeing the production come to life was always worth it.

THE BAND GEEKS ARE TALKING
Marching band offers a wealth of opportunities, however, it is often perceived as a less cool extracurricular activity compared to sports like football, soccer, or volleyball. Teens involved in marching bands might even be tagged with hurtful labels like “band geek.” However, the truth is, marching band offers a wealth of opportunities. Each extracurricular activity has its own merits, and marching band is no exception. It allows students to perform and compete against other high school bands, participate in hometown parades, and even travel to prestigious locations like Disney World, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, or the Rose Bowl.

Besides offering unique high school experiences, participating in marching band also opens up opportunities for students to join college marching bands or even teach music themselves.

BEING A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER
Teenagers often view the world through a narrow lens. From the outside, marching band seems like a lot of work with no payoff. Also, long hours wearing a tight, long-sleeve uniform seems grueling–especially in 90º weather. While marching in the heat is absolutely no joke, there is a lot of merit and value in being a part of something bigger than yourself. In fact, during my high school career, my marching band, The Big Red Machine, won countless trophies, performed at Carnegie Hall, and won District Championships against some of the best marching bands in Florida. It was so rewarding being a part of something bigger than myself. Not to mention, being part of a high school marching band looks impressive on a college application and resume.

Once I graduated from high school, I realized that the one thing I missed the most from my four years in school was marching band. I missed the allure of dazzling the crowds, the late nights laughing with my friends on the bus on the way home from games, and of course, those Friday night lights. While marching band isn’t for everyone, encourage your teen to try it. They may just reminisce on it for the rest of their life.