The Species Known as “Band Kids”

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Chris Snider
October 7, 2009
Filed under Clubs, Student Life

“ If you think it’s hard to:

Carry forty-five pounds of dead weight on one shoulder and stand up straight, practice in the heat and perform in the snow, get along with 200 people you really like (not really), stand in close proximity to twenty guys hitting drums with everything they’ve got while bobbing your head like you’re into it, blow until your lungs explode, wear an eighty-pound uniform in 110 degree heat, watch your music and the director while exhaling, moving your fingers, coordinating that with your tongue, marking time with your feet, while continuously listening to the other people around you so that you can make one of a thousand adjustments, learn several foreign languages (some of which are completely made up), maintain good posture while holding a horn and running the 100 yard dash (some players occasionally faltering, thus making it 100 yard hurdles), understand the subtle difference between ‘as loud as possible’ and ‘just a bit louder than that,’ ride the yellow dogs while the football team rides the grey hounds, sell band fruit to fund a trip to some strange and exotic land (often not so strange or exotic), wear those 1930’s q-tips we call shakos and chill in public, march behind the equestrian team in the local parade, listen to a bad tuba section, listen to a good tuba section, wear those monkey suits while your parents make it a Kodak moment, pay more for your instrument than you did for your car, or remember to always show up to every practice with all the little things like your valve oil, gloves, YOUR HORN (you know, the little things)…

Then MAYBE you’re not tough enough to be in the BAND.” –Anonymous

The majority of the Jacket Regiment during one of the summer mini-camps

There have been several articles published describing various aspects of the band, such as the Color Guard and the Jacket Regiment’s performances. However, it seems that only those in the Jacket Regiment, or who were in it at one time, truly understand what it means to be a band student. The above quote is pretty true when it comes down to it; band kids have a lot to think about anytime they practice or perform a show. Quite frankly, it’s intense. They undergo so much pressure, practice, sweat, and intense training that they are quite unique from the average high school student. The following is a description of those strange and often misunderstood creatures that most people simply call “band kids”.

The student leader of the band kids is the Drum Major, and it is their job to direct, lead and instruct the entire band. This year’s Drum Major is senior Ryan Wise, and as the Drum Major, he represents our Jacket Regiment. It is up to him to maintain the proper tempo, cue in the various entrances of the different sections, and to basically hold the band together and provide the method to all the madness. Without a Drum Major, there is no band. It takes tremendous talent to do this job; not only must a Drum Major have a vast understanding of the show they are directing, but they must also be a natural leader; Ryan naturally garners respect from his fellow band members.

You've been warned. (Note: I am the trumpet section leader.)

The band is essentially divided into four main factions: the Color Guard, the percussion, the brass section, and the woodwinds. These can be subdivided into various sections, such as clarinets, flutes, and trumpets, with each section having its own distinct personality.

The brass section includes the tubas, baritones/trombones, trumpets, and mellophones; brass players are typically loud, obnoxious, easily distracted by shiny objects, vulgar, and overpowering playing-wise, since they believe themselves to be the backbone of the band. Freshman mellophone player, Katy Dyches, agreed saying “the brass section is kind of dirty, but hilarious. The mellophones, well, they’re my family. I love them, I hate them, and they’re some of my best friends.”

The Jacet Regiment during a musical rehersal

Woodwinds include: saxophones (alto, tenor, and baritone), flutes, piccolos, clarinets; these players are often called the “air-heads” because they are among the most arrogant since they are referred to as the ‘icing on the cake,” and frequently play fast and crazy melodies. Clarinet player Nicole Felak is a perfect example of a typical woodwind, saying “I have a lot of friends within the section and we always joke around and mess with each other, but we can definitely KILL it when it comes to our musical responsibilities!”

Several members of the drumline doing...something.

The Percussion can be divided into the front ensemble, which plays marimbas, xylophones (actually glockenspiels) and various other instruments, and the drumline, which plays various sorts of drums and cymbals; these unique students are also among the most arrogant of the lot because they are “gifted” with rhythm and provide the tempo, without which the band could fall apart, but they are also the known for the paradox of being both the most relaxed and the most serious of the sections. Sophomore Erin Roberts admitted that the drumline is very often the most lax section, saying “We always are cracking up and being dumb all the time.” The drumline is also one of the tightest knit sections since they have much more sectional time. Erin commented,

“The drumline is like my family. I don’t know what I would ever do without them. They get on my nerves sometimes, but I love them.”

The Color Guard during an indoor rehersal.

The Color Guard provides the visual aspect of the show, spinning and tossing flags, rifles, and occasionally each other. They practice more than any other section and have some of the toughest jobs, and yet are often the least appreciated. Color Guard members are known for their drama, as well as their acts of compassion and violence. Color Guard captain, Taylor Wapshott, laughingly explained, “We’re like the mafia; you mess with one of the family and we will come down on you!”

Regardless of the section, it takes tremendous amounts of skill and concentration to be in a marching band. Unlike other teams, the entire band must perform at all times and points are deducted for any mistake made by any individual, meaning that a band is literally only as strong as its weakest player. However, it is also very team-oriented since everyone is a major contribution to the performance. Junior, Amber Trautman agreed saying “Band is one of those activities where its not about just how you perform but how everyone performs, because with out everyone doing their best you wont succeed.”

Thus, the band must undergo a great deal of not only physical conditioning, but mental as well. Points may be deducted if a person’s leg is not straight when executing a move, if the heel is not in sync with another players, if the shoulders are not angled the same, if the sections play with different levels of intensity, if a form is not coherent enough, if the articulations of the music is not performed properly . . . the list goes ever on. Players must always be aware of how they execute moves, their techniques, their relation between the surrounding players at every possible count, the exact way to play the music, how to execute a visual move, etc. Sound difficult yet?

In order to develop this level of perfection, the band must attend band camp, which is essentially a two-week-long, never-ending practice. However, the band embraces camp, not only for the plethora of inside jokes, but because it is here that the tight-knit relations are made. According to band alumnus, Elizabeth Layne, “Band is a cult…but a fun one.”

Mr. Deen in fact admits that band is “very much like a family; we protect and look out for each other.” This is often where the band kid’s weirdness factor comes in, which often receives ridicule. Jasmyne Foresman commented saying that people who condescend the band program “wouldn’t last an hour in some of those conditions they march in. Cold, hot, cloudy, sunny, “tornadoes”, etc. (that’s right, tornados) they are always there practicing. What do (those people) do all day? Play video games and be lazy, adding to the American stereotypes.”

One of the band's numerous traditions is their infamous push-ups.

While it is true that band kids are at times strange and annoying, it is true that it takes a tremendous amount of skill and effort to do what they do. They basically have a couple of minutes to convince a panel of “bubbas and bubbets” (band speak for judges) that none of the other bands even compare to them. Sacrificing time, money, blood, sweat, and tears, the two-hundred band kids come together to perform a show to both awe the audience, and make them go crazy. Band is not all about playing instruments; it’s about a huge group of amazing people doing something that no one else can do, and according to senior Jarrod Murdock, “It’s about the great experiences we all have practicing and performing together.”

I would like to do a series of posts similar to this one, analyzing the various “species” of high school students. Have any suggestions? Then leave a comment!