The geeks are alright

Y’all excuse me for a second.  My soapbox beckons.

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Band geeks are some of the best kids you will ever meet.  And marching band is great.

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Yeah, I was in band.  And honestly, it wasn’t cool back then.  But I loved it.  I was captain of the baseball team, one the top 4 kids in the class in terms of academics, well liked by almost all, & I loved band.  And that’s coming from a school that didn’t have a football team.  So I never got to sample the cream of band performing, marching band.

There’s a good correlation between band & football.  Mighty Mite or Pee Wee football equates to those early band concerts.  Nobody expects a whole lot, everyone is very encouraging, & parents commit everything to video.  As you approach junior high, some people start to get serious, & individuals with real talent start to stand out.  Then you hit high school & it’s either enjoy your 4 years, or consider using your talents to help you get to college.  You get bigger crowds & chances to really shine.  Then maybe, just maybe, you get a college interested in having you.  Maybe even get a scholarship.  And if you’re one of those few, you may even get your shot at a big time division I school.  And here’s where the correlation ends.  For there is no pro league for marching band.  A fortunate few can continue to pursue music as a career whether through teaching or symphonies.  But the art of marching band that entertains hundreds of thousands of fans every Friday & Saturday in the fall ends there.

And as a former band member, the parent of a high school trumpet player & future tuba player, & someone who has spent time around people associated with marching band for a years, I can say that is truly a shame.  Your general marching band participant is fun-loving, creative, friendly, intelligent, dedicated, & just great.  Get to know some of the young people in the Michigan Marching Band, The Spirit of Troy, Pride of the Plains, or Florida A&M’s Marching 100.  Not only are these the kind of people you want to hang out with on a Saturday night, they’re the kind of people you want working for you & with you.  Or in my case, have as your own children.

For example, take those chosen few who participate in the holy grail of marching bands, drum corp.  My daughter’s dream is to be a member of her favorite drum corp, the Phantom Regiment.  To make it, she would have to go through an audition camp that stretches over 3 days in November in Rockford, IL.  If she was then selected, she would have 3 day camps once  a month in Rockford until May when she would have to move to Rockford for spring training to begin.  Then, beginning in June, she would travel around the whole country performing sometimes as many as 6 nights out of 7.  Rehearsing even on the days they have to perform.  Sometimes up to 8 hours of practice a day.  Still finding time to have fun & make some of the closest friends they will ever have.  And usually ending up sleeping on a gym floor.  Think about the dedication needed, the work ethic, the commitment.  I want to be the kind of person who would do that.  Who would have that kind of character.

The time has come to cast off immature high school notions.  Band is cool!  It’s time to begin the band revolution.  Check out the groups above.  Or the Blue Devils, the Cavaliers, the Cadets.  Go old school with the Madison Scouts or find a YouTube video of the Velvet Knights.  Come on.   We’re all grown up now.  We know band people aren’t really geeks.  Now excuse me while I change my pocket protector.