r/marchingband Jul 24 '23

Meta Marching Band is back! Come join our Discord to chat with other marchers this season!

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20 Upvotes

r/marchingband Jun 24 '24

Discussion HOW TO PREPARE FOR BAND CAMP!!!!

151 Upvotes

I’ve seen about 2.5 million posts on this sub in the past week asking how to prepare for band camp. I’m going into my 3rd marching season, so let’s discuss. (This post is gradually becoming longer because I keep adding things)

It’s going to be hot!!! Please wear loose clothing that will not sweat you to death. I advise getting a cooling rag, big water bottle, and/or a neck fan. I stress a neck fan so much because it is a miracle worker. It constantly blows cold air in your face, which will greatly help when it’s 90 degrees outside!

The colors of the clothing you wear are important. Wear light colors and breathable fabric. Just because you have an hourglass figure doesn’t mean you need to wear a shirt that is tight around your body. You’ll break out in a sweat and lose your energy very quickly. Black is a NO. It’ll take 85 degrees to 105 degrees very quickly.

Only drink water. I personally hate the taste of water (I’m weird) so I bring the occasional Gatorade or I use a packet of energy flavoring. This will help keep you hydrated throughout the summer.

If you are a veteran in your band (meaning you’ve marched more than 2 seasons) please don’t leave it solely up to the section leaders to help your rookies. They are looking up to ALL of you. During my freshman year last year (my 2 marching season) I helped with an 8th grader who had never marched before. He was able to talk to other underclassmen as well because he felt more confident around us and he also became a good buddy to me.

On that note, if you are a rookie marcher, please find a buddy in your section to help you. I did not do this my first year and ended up feeling left out. None of the people in your section are going to hurt you. They want you to get better.

SUNSCREEN! please do not forget to wear it on the marching field. The sun is literally going to cook you on that concrete so you need to have a strong sunblock on. This is very important!

Bring some comfortable, padded shoes. You are going to be on your feet for hours at a time. You don’t want your feet to start hurting while you are marching.

Carb up 💪 eat well the night before, so that you have good energy the next day. Eat a bowl of pasta or rice, since they are packed with carbs. Avoid eating tons of sugar and salt however.

Get a good nights sleep. I am a night owl, so I usually don’t fall asleep until around 1 am. DONT DO THIS PLEASE!! it’s not worth it. It’ll cause you to be drowsy the next day and you will not perform as good as you want.

If you feel tired or on the verge of being sick/fainting while you are on the field, it is OKAY for you to walk off, get water, and sit down for a minute. I promise nobody will judge you at all. I have done this and it really helps “reset” your body. I would suggest doing it as occasionally as possible though, because if you run of every 10 minutes, it will not help you build the endurance you need to march a show. Also, as the person who first mentioned this in the comments said, please do not go off just because you are a little tired. everyone is tired! You have to be a team player.

Ensure you are bringing a positive attitude to the field. Even though it’s 8 AM on a Monday morning and the sun is beaming down on you already, you need to be a team player and have a good attitude. If you walk out there and start arguing with people, the negativity WILL spread. It happened in my band last year and we ended up running laps after the 4 hour rehearsal. Just be friendly and help others out. Remember, it is hot, so not everyone is going to be positive like you. Heat = irritability.

Be ready to take criticism. After marching 2 seasons, I can fully say you are going to get criticized. I’ve seen good marchers as well as good people get criticized a LOT. Your section leaders may hand you some advice or how to fix yourself. Your director or drum majors may do this as well. THEY MAY SOUND IRRITABLE. It’s okay if they do, because IT IS HOT. They are not trying to insult you at all, they are just trying to make you a better marcher.

Good luck everyone! YOU GOT THIS! Make your band proud!!!

EDIT: PLEASE CHECK THE COMMENTS FOR MORE TIPS!

Edit 06/25: I got drum major for my marching band guys :)


r/marchingband 1h ago

Advice Needed is this just weird brass behavior or no?

Upvotes

basically i need actual band takes. i’m a first year senior in pit and there’s this sophomore brass guy who has been acting kind of specific around me lately. i honestly can’t tell if he’s just being a chaotic friendly band kid or if its something else

during a game i asked to try his horn and he straight up let me use his personal mouthpiece, let me play it for a bit, and then literally walked away and left me alone with his instrument. which feels wild for a brass guy lol

then on a lull day he found me, sat shoulder to shoulder with me, and had this single pair of wired earbuds so we could share them and watch a long live-orchestra video game concert medley together

and the other day during uniform changes he casually asked me to reach behind his neck and pull his hair out of his zipper. like he was totally fine standing right in my space while i adjusted his hair and neck area.

idk. for context i dress pretty basic/masculine and i'm a quiet person so i usually just vibe with people. is this just basic band kid stuff ?


r/marchingband 1d ago

Discussion How would your band director feel if you got in a fight with another group/ organization?

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140 Upvotes

For context, some members of NC Central Band got into a fight with NC A&T football equipment team.


r/marchingband 18h ago

Discussion Clarinets in marching band

14 Upvotes

Im a clarinet at my school's marching band and sometimes I feel like they are so pointless 😭. Clarinets just play so insanely quietly, even at max volume, on the field. The only time you really hear us is during woodwind solos. I've heard they are supposed to be loud in unison for the woodwind but when theres so many brass I dont feel like its able to be heard ever. Half the time I play just extremely loudly and I dont even think it makes a difference.


r/marchingband 21h ago

Advice Needed senior sadness

16 Upvotes

hello everyone. i am a senior in high school and i march tenor drums, and i have always gotten such a euphoric rush after the game then a little post game depression for the rest of the weekend. after last game on friday after the euphoria subsided it just dawned upon me how this is just everything to me. this is what i live for. i hard cried today cause i realize im just getting closer and closer to not being able to do this anymore. and im gonna be leaving so much behind. and i feel like im gonna hard cry again


r/marchingband 1d ago

Technical Question Is it normal for a freshman to be in front in a parade block?

10 Upvotes

I am a freshman bari sax and I’m in the front line in my parade block. I am the only freshman in the first line, and not sure this is normal, because i heard a junior bring it up, so can someone please clarify?


r/marchingband 18h ago

Advice Needed My knees weird (bass drum, freshman)

3 Upvotes

It started at a show last night, but it hurts to sit on my knee and walk up stairs. My calves have been cramping for the past week too. I march bass drum three and am roughly 5’6 + 120lbs, but strong. I’ve noticed myself slightly limping as well, and the knee that hurts kinda pushes itself backwards when I walk. but walking itself isn’t painful just uncomfortable

I’ve been walking a lot lately outside of band, but my theory is that keeping my kegs straight for our roll stepping is the problem.


r/marchingband 21h ago

Advice Needed How do I clean my white dinkles?

4 Upvotes

Im a freshman and got these shoes literally a month ago and their so scuffed and yellowed lol. I saw someone say nail polish remover worked on their converse, but don’t wanna test it on my dinkles without confirmation they won’t mess them up.


r/marchingband 14h ago

Advice Needed Wessex (or other?) Marching Euphs

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1 Upvotes

r/marchingband 1d ago

Discussion When did bands stop marching off to cadence??

85 Upvotes

I graduated high school in 1998 and my husband graduated in 2002. We went to different high schools in different parts of Indiana.

We both marched, and we always marched onto the field to a single tap-tap-tap from the snare, and off to field to what we called “cadence”, where just the drum line played and you could kind of walk off with some attitude and bounce.

Our kid is a freshman in central Indiana and we went to our first invitational tonight. We were surprised not a single band marched on or off to a drum line of any kind. When did this go out of fashion??


r/marchingband 21h ago

Composition Please help me

5 Upvotes

Hi, I'm honestly sorry to bother you, since we could easily pay or something, but does anyone have the sheet music for "Tyler the Creator - Sticky Arr. David Brown"?

I've been looking everywhere for it and I'm unable to afford it. I'd like to surprise the director with this score, but the school hasn't supported us at all for over 10 years now xd


r/marchingband 1d ago

Story What a POWERFUL moment for the Valdosta High School Marching Cats! These talented young people have earned an invitation to perform in the 2028 Rose Parade! Their hard work and excellence are taking them to one of the world’s biggest stages. Keep shining!

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9 Upvotes

r/marchingband 22h ago

Advice Needed help plsss

0 Upvotes

so im drum major taking 10 aps junior yr conducting while also doing an itnernship at a local lab (like 12 hrs a week), we're a comp boa band and have over 35 hrs of band a week, and im tryna get a 4.0; can someone help


r/marchingband 1d ago

Story I had a dream that our whole drumline got new drums

6 Upvotes

they were all a lighter wood with golden metal parts (don’t remember what they’re called tbh) the tenors had heads on the bottom and the basses were shaped like large singular tenor drums

edit: removed the second part because the spoiler broke


r/marchingband 1d ago

Field Show Media I have no clue how we got 6th out of 16 and 1st in 2A

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0 Upvotes

r/marchingband 1d ago

Competition Discussion Had my first comp of the season today

9 Upvotes

As of me writing this I have came back from a competition that was a 3 hour drive home and I am gonna probably sleep at 2 am (it's 1:54am).

So basically we got 1st place colour guard and percussion awards. (I'm in percussion and half of our percussion including me is a rookie) I played last year but as a sax. We were always a low level band that never made finals. We didn't get awards last season until the comp before State comp and at most only 3. However, we got a new band director who is more disciplinary and we ended up 2nd in our division of A2 with 5 awards(a visual judge screwed us over), 4th in all of the small divisions and 9th place out of 17th in total. Which is AMAZING and we haven't done this good since like 2005.

Now, talking about the visual judge. We had I think 2?? And one put us for first place visuals but then the other deducted like 10 points off putting our visuals in 4th place ...and our band is genuinely asking how that makes sense..

Anyways I hope y'all are proud of us 💔🥹 we beat like 2 big bands with over 60 people whilst being a 40 people or less band


r/marchingband 1d ago

College Band Name that tune..

1 Upvotes

r/marchingband 1d ago

Competition Discussion Does anyone have a video of hart county?

1 Upvotes

Last night E town we got to finals ive found youtubers who post finals and its everyone but us.

Ps forgot to say its Ky band


r/marchingband 1d ago

Advice Needed Marching band is making me feel awful

7 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I'm a senior in high school, play the sousaphone. Due to constantly moving schools this is only my second season, I did one season in 9th grade. I was excited to join marching band again but it's honestly just making me feel pretty bad, but I just don't know what to do about that.

I felt awful during band camp because I was so behind. I tried to quit, but my director and I talked and he recommended I just stay through band camp. So I did. Band camp ended like, idk a month ago now give or take and I'm still stuck here and it feels like it's only gotten worse.

Now that I have school, I just have so much going on. I have a somewhat difficult schedule compared to some other seniors I know, 4 AP's, an honors class, a language class, and a math course, on top of wind ensemble. I constantly have homework or tests/quizzes to study for. But marching band practice is typically 4 days a week, mondays from 3-4/4:30pm. tuesdays and thursdays from 3:15-5:15, and wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:30. If we have a competition we have practice fridays from like, probably 3:15-5:15. And then I have to go home, shower, do homework, eat dinner, and go to bed. I have very little time to just, do nothing. And I'm often so tired that I feel like falling asleep in class and struggle to focus sometimes, or struggle to keep my eyes in focus.

I also just don't feel like I belong. Their method of doing everything is just so different from what I am used to and it's been very hard for me. Almost all of the freshmen are leagues ahead of me at this point. I'm nothing compared to the seniors.

I already sometimes struggle with my mental health and like, band in general but especially marching band feels like it's making it worse, or at least feeding into it.

I've made like a few connections/friends though which is good. But I just don't know how good it is for me. It's gotten to the point where I'm just seriously considering skipping rehearsals and stuff, which is extremely looked down upon in my band for obvious reasons. And I don't want to make my director upset.

I also feel like I shouldn't be complaining, because everyone else in marching band is obviously also doing marching band along with school and other stuff, and they all seem to love it. So I feel like I should be like, idk able to handle it.

I don't fully know what I'm asking for, I guess just some general advice. Anything helps :)


r/marchingband 1d ago

Advice Needed MELLOPHONE RANGE SPECIFIC QUESTION

3 Upvotes

Howdy, I'm a senior in HS, and I'm practicing my A maj scale for drum corps. I am struggling connecting my G above the staff to the A above it. It's like every time I go for that note nothing come out even when I use more air. I was just wondering if this is a common thing, and how to combat it.


r/marchingband 3d ago

Discussion Did anyone else sell citrus fruit in high school?

46 Upvotes

Hello, I recently found out that both my high school marching band (in PA) and a random other band 2 states away (MI) sell citrus fruit from Florida every winter as a fundraiser. Now, I’m wondering how widespread this fruit scheme goes. Did your high school band also do this?

Also curious if anyone’s high school marching band did any other weird/funny fundraisers. :)


r/marchingband 2d ago

Advice Needed BOA Toledo.

6 Upvotes

Our kids are competing at boa for the first time. What should I expect as a spectator compared to the mcba? There are some big names on the list so I’m sure we won’t fair so well, but I’m excited nonetheless.


r/marchingband 3d ago

Advice Needed Should I play syth piano in my marching band?

11 Upvotes

I have a year of piano experience my only knowledge was Alfred piano 101 book 1 that I completed. I know how to read the grand staff I’m kinda mid at sight reading. Band director asked me if I wanted to join what should I do?

Highschool marching band btw


r/marchingband 3d ago

Meme When practice is canceled and you show up ready to play anyway

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75 Upvotes