Personal Narrative Essay: My Marching Band Journey

Of all the things I’ve ever experienced, being in the Blanche Ely Marching Band was the most meaningful. Growing up I couldn’t fathom the value of life’s intangible things, but my perspicacity grew when I made the decision to stay in the band. The most important lessons I learned while being in the band would be: the importance of resilience,

The Marching Band program of the Greece Central School District (GCSD) provides every child with the opportunity to perform and compete in a unique way. Through the acquisition of specific knowledge, skills and the development of appropriate disciplines, these experiences

The Evergreen Marching Band and Colorguard (EMBC) has stewed in accomplishment, success, and hard work, for more than two decades. People don’t know, that we 're not just a normal halftime marching band--we are a competitive marching band. Like any football, drill, or soccer team, EMBC strives to compete amongst the greats. For a couple decades, EMBC has marched to success and we don 't want to stop now; however, the competitive program was close to being slashed this year, due to lack of funds. Students and parents raged at the thought of no competitive season. Competing is the best part for everyone in this program. If we lost that it wouldn’t be as much fun. We were so far in debt that if we couldn 't raise enough money, it would 've been game over.

My most memorable event is being in the 2013-2014 Lee Summit North Bronco Marching Band is here’s why is it, September 28 it was my first band competition and it was Park Hill South the weather wasn’t all that it was was warm but the rain just wasn’t giving us a break we got to Park Hill South and suited up well when we went down to the school we stretched and then we got in our lines and we were halfway down to the field and we had to go back to the school because it started lighting and with the tubas it just wasn’t safe to go and so we sat waited for like 30 mins and then we went down to the field and I heard “Lee Summit North you may now take the field” well I heard front ensemble play and it was real,it was time,and it was now my first

For 4 years, I’ve dedicated my efforts to the people I call family so that we could finally reach our goal an all superior year. By being marching captain, I have come to understand the importance of patience, open mindedness and what it feels like to dedicate my all to something. I have learned that not everyone learns at the same pace and that there is a creative solution that will enable anyone to succeed. These lessons that I have acquired from band are ones that guide now me in everything I do.

Even though the process of writing was long and difficult, I am really happy with how it all came together and how much it has evolved from the beginning. Being in a marching band is about more than just playing music in a large group or building life-long bonds and friendships. It is also about the way of life for many people who have dedicated hours and hours of practice and exercise to ensure their performances are perfect. Marching bands are a part of life where many good or even bad things can happen. It's where you experience new things and maybe even emotional feelings.

You know when you have one of those friends you feel like you will have forever? Well, I have already found mine. This is the story. The first of seventh grade I stayed with the same small friend group and didn’t talk to people if it wasn’t required. Fast forward to eighth grade and I had made some band nerd friends because they had my sense of humor and the same love for band. Band was probably my favorite class and the class where I could be myself and not worry who was watching. I had made some friends with some fellow clarinet players and found out that they weren’t that bad once you got to know them. There was this one girl, her name was Nina Zeiler, she was the type of person that hanged out with the outcasts and was more of a rebel but was on the cheerleading team. I tried not to talk to her then which sounds ridiculous now that she is my best friend.

When I was in marching band finding my identity was one of the hardest things that I had to do. It took me to my senior year to fully understand what it meant to fully identify myself as a member of the Titan Regiment. What made me understand that I was a member because of recognition that I received in my last two years? Having the honor to lead my saxophone section in marching band and to be an inspirational figure to them recognized me. When this happened, it confirmed to me that I was really a member of the Titan regiment. This community defined me because it's built on top of my leadership skills that I currently had and it also help me to make more mature decisions as I got older. This experience did that by challenging me

Not many people are familiar with marching band because the sport only lasts for a fall semester. Because the season is short, marching band does not have many competitions. A typical marching season has only one or two competitions. However, even though there are few competitions, each group practices for weeks on end. Each band strives to meet that one goal, which is to do well in a certain competition. When a marching band performs their absolute

8. I am in competitive marching band. This means that I can compete up to 16 different bands at a time. In band we all have the mindset of a winner. Right when we march onto the field as a band, we know that we will own that field, and that we will win. Winning does not mean everything, but it means

When I first joined the band, I was a quiet, emotionless guy. I didn’t have any close friends in the band either, so honestly, I wasn’t having the best time. The people around me always seemed so happy to talk to others, and it confused me in a way. But then when band camp rolled around, people started to talk to me, so naturally, I began to respond to them, and eventually I began to start conversations for myself. I was a whole lot less awkward as days turned into months, my stuttering was reduced to almost none, I'm pretty loud, and I'm pretty friendly too.

Sophomore year of marching came. This year was a surprise for everyone. With our show being named ‘Masterminder.’ The band members marching were under control by the color guard soloist; the puppeteer. This show was pretty exciting, too. The judges also thought that. We made it past regionals AND semi-state. What? Yeah, we all thought the same thing. We had made it. We had FINALLY made it after so many years of just trying to get past regionals for once. It was a bitter-sweet feeling waiting for placement awards at Lucas Oil Stadium. The instructors went around to each band student one by one. The congratulated us on an amazing season. I started tearing up, but that isn’t surprising. As we marched our way out of Lucas Oil Stadium that night, I knew that this was only the beginning of a new generation for the Marching Marksmen.

When I was little we had no money so the local parks were the fulcrum of my summers. Whatever the City Parks and Recreation offered, I was there, a stranger, as I was at UNIS (originally on scholarship). An only child of a single mother, we went to the Brooklyn Academy of Music for free concerts and later lessons. The Botanical Gardens, Coney Island and the Park’s Little League Sports were my world until the Metropolitan Opera Company hired me. Then the Children Choir occupied all of August to train for performances, costume fittings, music lessons, and perfecting my solos.

Music has affected my life in many ways. Everyone listens to music, but not everyone appreciates and understands it. Almost everyone you ask will have a musician or band that has influenced their life in some special way. It has helped me develop personal goals, meet new people and realize music is a priority in my life.

Not only this, as competition marching bands are performing, the members are required to keep their shoulders perfectly parallel with the press box sideline, no matter what direction they may be traveling. On top of all the physical attributes, performers also have to have all music memorized to perfection. Part of playing music is to count—mentally count in time and tempo. To make the activity of marching band more difficult, members also have to be able to play while moving to at fast speeds to exact locations on the field to create new forms. To, as they say “put a cherry on top,” all of this has to be done at the same time. For all members of a competition band, they have to multitask throughout the entire performance with no mental or physical breaks. Mr. Spettel, Marion Local Schools band director, compares marching band and sports as “Physically and mentally it shares all the same aspects because the mental aspects of memorizing music, playing expressively, and using dynamic contrast. All of that is just like football or volleyball: remembering plays, strategizing to get the best possible outcome. And I think one could argue that marching band is just as physically demanding as a lot of other athletics.” All of these items lead to having a strong mental presence as members are