When you think football season, I think marching season. When you think of the football field, I think of the marching stage. When you think exciting games, I think stand charts and marching drills. If you think you get pumped up for football, you should see the band before a game.
Football season is just as important to us in marching band as it is to the football players. Every Friday night means we have to play in front of the biggest audience we will ever see. And we have a lot to do – remember sets, remember notes, and of course, remember to breathe.
Every football game for us is just another rehearsal, however. Right in the middle of the season, we have our own “big game,” better known as marching contest. This is one of the biggest events of our season. We face off against several other high school marching bands in competition. Every football game performance is our practice for this moment, and its one of the biggest, most stressful, and usually most rewarding performances we ever put on during marching season.
That doesn’t devalue every game we march at, though. It always means so much to everyone in band when people stay in the stands during half time to watch us march. It’s just about the biggest audience we perform for, minus marching contest, and it’s great to see so many people interested in what we’ve worked so hard to perfect.
Like football, band is a commitment. We practice every Tuesday for two hours after school and have a one-hour sectional once a week, and arrive at school before 8 am to have morning practice. When football travels to state, we follow. We play at every conference and home game. And we’re always happy to follow our boys and cheer them on from the bandstands.
Football is a huge part of a Har-Ber bandie’s life, especially during the first semester. No bandie ever forgets the way that first game felt, as I’m certain football players feel as well. Just remember, when you go to a football game and stick it out through halftime and watch us march, it means everything to us.
