Emma Fischer | staff writer
The beating sun casted down on the students, teachers, brass, plastic and wood that stood on the asphalt. The black band pad shot the heat right back up at the musicians, but even through the struggles of the August sun, they worked hard for regional championships.
“While in marching band, you are moving constantly. There’s no stopping. You have to mind your spacing between different people when you’re going to move while you’re playing without looking down at the ground. You have to always look at whoever is on the podium,” freshman Gabriela Rivera-Vega said.
Band is known in two forms: marching and concert. Many people understand the time commitment, but many may not understand the differences in the time dedicated to create the music and art.
“During marching band, it controlled my whole life until it ended. In concert band, it’s more relaxed and everything is calmer,” junior Aulixandera Hardin said.
For specific people who play an instrument that cannot march, they either have to learn another or be a part of the color guard or dance team.
“My instrument differs between concert band and marching band because I play oboe in concert band, but that instrument can’t march, so I play alto saxophone during marching band. Most people play a single instrument during the whole season,” freshman Emily Abshere said.
Some people, like freshman Alyssa Decker, play two separate instruments between the seasons, not because only one can march, but because there isn’t enough spots for those instruments.
“I play flute in marching band and I play flute and piccolo in concert band. For one, in marching band, I only play flute which means I don’t have to have alternate fingerings for everything,” Decker said.
Marching band includes student leaders within sections and, of course, the drum majors.
“In marching band, it’s more student led,” Hardin said. “There is multiple drum majors who conduct in various places on the field.”
Concert season does not involve the constant moving, but it sometimes involves standing up and clapping during some of the UIL pieces. This year, every band won sweepstakes during UIL, except fourth band, which received a 2 in sight reading, still a higher score.
“In concert band, it’s a lot more chill and things are a little bit easier. The time schedules are completely different. [There is] way more work into marching band than concert band,” sophomore Audrey Gonzales said.
The practices for marching band are usually longer and are outside, sometimes at Blossom or Heroes stadium.
“Marching band is a more rigorous schedule. We sometimes have practices [till] almost ten o’clock at night. Marching band also starts a month before school starts,” Decker said.
Although marching band has been known to have a more callous schedule than concert season, people of the band sometimes prefer the intensive work.
“I would prefer marching band because everyone is in the same group so you can asked anyone around you for help with music and/or marching because everyone is playing the same music and doing the same thing,” Rivera-Vega said.
The excitement of the activity and the attitude of those participating is also motivation through the months of practices.
“I would prefer marching band because of the vibe everyone puts out,” sophomore Hannah Garener said.
Through the beating heat, countless hours memorizing music and the time spent perfecting every step, people enjoy the rigorous activity.
“I would probably go with marching band because it’s really fun. You’re with everybody,” Gonzales said. “There are no separate bands and we’re all together doing something that we love.”
