Here's a good quote too long for the title:
"Marching band today isn't your grandmother or grandfather's marching band where the band walked out onto the field, stopped and played a couple of songs and walked off the field. These students are moving thousands of steps at high tempos all the while playing an instrument or using a piece of color guard equipment during one show."
~ John Carlin
The quote that's the tittle was said by Patricia Velasquez.
Okay, to make this post different, from here on out, I'm writing this post in third person.
As the marching band climbed on the bus to drive to there destination about an hour away, Alexis penned a couple of thoughts about marching band. First was frustration. She wanted to leave the football game early two days ago. The band was planned to arrive back at school at 11:30 or so, and she felt that she was going to be exhausted. Alexis was grumpy after competition #2, and she went to bed around 10:30 or so, and the competition today is much later. Another emotion by Alexis was one of a sense of fitting. She feels that she would miss the marching band community. A siren went off at the beginning of practice, and a hilarious upperclassman trumpet told the brass players to take their mouthpieces off and buzz with the siren. Only in the marching band. Jokingly, another flute player was told that Alexis felt left out.
*During rehearsal, the piccolos were called out for bad shoulders. The guard director (not the one who's said this in the past) told Alexis that her technique for marching backwards was good.
*Told by her marching band mentor, the band was one of two in the division. Her marching band mentor said that the other band isn't good. So Alexis knew from that moment that the band should get first. Another local band that was big competition wasn't at the competition.
*Alexis felt pretty confident. She felt that her part of the show locked in her mind. Previously, moving to a modified third position was a bit iffy, but it was more solidified in her mind after the three hour rehearsal.
*One other frustration was the amount of new material added to the show. The band was given a new sash to attach during the third part. They were only given one opportunity to practice attaching it to the Velcro that was sewn to the uniform. It wasn't at all graceful. It was more of a mad scramble to get it in the right place.
*Another frustration. A few weeks before, the band was given different music for the beginning of the ballad. Now, the directors wanted them to switch back to the original music. So for the ballad beginning, it was silent, music, different music, music. Alexis just wanted the directors to make up their mind and stick with it!
*A spin was added, too. It's horns up on one while spinning. Too much going on.
After Competition:
Everyone in the band felt that they had done well. Alexis made some little mistakes, but it's nearly impossible to have a perfect show. She got her sash across, but she didn't quite make her last set. The band was crammed in the stands. The poor band on the other side. They were crammed on both sides. Alexis, through marching band, has learned to do anything with gloves on. She can play and march the show with regular, uncut gloves, and she was writing with them on. Some people in the band were chatting with the band sitting near them. It was interesting to meet the "competition."
What Alexis is famous for in marching band:
1) Flinging fruit.
2) Not being able to get her lock open.
3) Always being prepared. She always has food.
After awards:
*First Place
*High Guard
*Seemingly tough judging
*Around an 84
*To Alexis, it didn't seem as much of a victory. A band mom told the band that they would need to get an 89 to keep up with the rest of the bands. The biggest local competition got an 87 at a different competition. Judging is different at every competition. Alexis felt that the band really needs to work for our upcoming competition.
Alexis started talking to an upperclassman whom she wouldn't normally have talked to. She found out that this year's seniors are 1/3 of the winds. The band is going to lose A LOT of people for next year. She told the upperclassman that she struggled, as an underclassman, to manage her time. She wanted to know how upperclassman with AP classes managed. She said that it's tough. The guard has had an undefeated streak for the past two years. Three years ago, the show was pointless. Four years ago, they were pretty good. The guard has been pretty good. Again, many of the really talented people will graduate.
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