The marching band is a running joke. It’s supposedly where the freaks, geeks, and other assorted losers hang out. Mention it and you’ll likely get NSWF quotes from the American Pie movie series.
Full disclosure- I didn’t march myself when I was a kid. My high school band director hated marching when he was a kid and swore he wouldn’t do it when he was a director and so we didn’t. But we DID have an award winning concert band. And I attribute band with being one of the reasons I survived high school at all. So yeah, it’s a big deal to me.
But my nephew was and now my niece is in marching band. And while being in band in general is great for teaching teamwork, personal goal setting, leadership, discipline, and much more, marching band ratchets it up. In a concert band setting it’s not immediately obvious to everyone if you make a mistake. In marching band? Every man is an island. In concert band the director conducts. In marching band the drum major is in charge.
As I mentioned earlier, band was the safe haven for me during a time when I didn’t have many of them. In the band room I was respected for my skills and my directors saw me and cared about me. I know that my niece and nephew have had amazing directors who set up up for success just as mine did. And since my niece is in the color guard, she is learning an entirely new skill. And yes, she is crushing it!
So the next time you want to laugh at the marching band maybe think twice. Those kids are learning life skills, making life-long friendships, and maybe, just maybe finding a safe place in the scary world of high school. That’s worth a hell of a lot.