Yeah, dude, I’m totally on that field.
Band’s not really a sport, no matter what your dorky friends in high school tell you. But it does require a lot of talent, athleticism (for lack of a better word), determination, skill, willingness to learn and competence in drunkenness.
Time Management and Responsibility:
It definitely had its drawbacks and downsides. It ate up a lot of my free time. But that ended up teaching me a lot about time management. If I wanted to enjoy the perks of the marching band, going on trips and attending all sorts of athletic events, I needed to get my academic shit together. For someone who was always really smart without really trying, that kind of time management was a hard but oh so valuable lesson to learn.
There were also opportunities to be responsible for other people. Older people in band end up in positions of authority and leadership. I actually tried my hardest to have as little of that responsibility as possible, but you do end up in some ways, trying to make sure that new kids know what’s going on and how do get stuff done, so that everything always runs smoothly.
The Love of the Game, and the Player:
I freely admit I didn’t really know or understand football my freshman year of college. But being in the marching band was a crash course in appreciation of the game. It’s hard not to care about something when everyone around you cares so much. There’s something almost magical in that kind of positive energy, sharing that level of excitement with strangers and best friends, alike.
The band brought me into close contact with some amazing athletes. The relationship between the band and the football program at my school has always been incredibly positive and supportive. The players show up at the band’s end of year banquet and the band plays for the team at jock rallies before every home game.
I’ve seen some incredible college football. I’ve watched up close as some amazing athletes have displayed incredible skill. I wouldn’t have had that opportunity anywhere else.
Confidence Building and Arrogance in the Face of Adversity or Awkwardness:
Bands have a lot of interesting traditions. But one important thing you can gain from that is confidence.
One of my anecdotes about being in the marching band is how much shit you get from opposing fans. I’ve had keys jangled at me and someone once hit me in the arm after they lost to our football team. If they can’t pick on the football team, which they can’t, they’ll pick on the marching band. The important thing to do is not react. You’re representing your university, your athletic department, and yourself, and though it may be hard, it’s important to learn how to turn the other cheek from some drunk person with a bad attitude.
It takes a lot of confidence to keep your head high in volatile situations like that, win or lose, and you gain an incredible amount of practice at it when you’re in a college marching band.
It’s also a lesson that’s applicable to so many situations in life. It’s always going to be important to be the bigger person. It takes an incredible amount of confidence and self-assurance to be the bigger person.
Worthwhile Things Require Endurance:
You might have to wake up at 4 am to march 6 miles in the rain. You might have to wake up at 4 am to march 6 miles, wolf down “two In-N-Out hamburgers, a apple, a bag of Lay’s potato chips and a bottle of water” and immediately go perform in a pregame show, stand during the entire football game, perform a halftime, and post-game, and then go home. You might have to spend a week in August, day in, day out, before you start your freshmen year of college, with a bunch of people who seem so much older, wiser and stronger than you, learning how to march and carry an instrument properly, running countless laps because you’re new and don’t get it yet, sweating your head off, and wondering what you’re doing there.
The payoff is when people on campus look at you and say, “Hey, you’re in the band? That’s so awesome.” and give you a high five.
The payoff is running through the tunnel and onto the field of a football stadium that holds over 93,000 people.
The payoff are your sexy calf muscles and your ridiculous alcohol tolerance. Your best friends.
It doesn’t come easy. But it’s worth it.
It might be silly, but I’ll always be glad I did it. I learned a lot of valuable things, incredible memories and made some friends that I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life.
