Before and After The Hash

Chronicles of a high school marching band geek

[elijahbarnhill]

Who Puts a High Schooler in Charge!?

Being a leader in marching band has taught me a lot about leadership, how to communicate, and how to tolerate others. As we all know dealing with teenagers in high school is not for the weak. Prior to participating in leadership, I was not sure if I wanted to or not. The deciding factor was when the previous Tuba Captain, the leadership position for the tuba section, recommended me. The previous Tuba Captain felt I was a better fit for the position than anyone one else in the tuba section. His words had convinced me enough to at least apply for the position. After interviewing with the directors, I was awarded the position as Tuba Captain. Student Leaders, Extra Help on the Marching Field - The Instrumentalist

Once I was awarded the position, my leadership started at spring training. At this training I learned that there would be two new tuba/sousaphone players for the fall marching band season. At first, I was concerned about how to communicate information to the new players. Although I was competent of the information I was providing, I was not confident that I could communicate effectively. I did not was to discourage the new players, but I still needed to guide them to improve their skills. How to Teach Anything to Anyone. My teaching experience | by Paul Fishwick | Creative Automata | Medium

What I learned later is that when it comes to marching band it is best to provide support when needed. It is also important to bring to their attention issues that they needed to correct. Such as bad habits, getting to practice on time, and staying focused at practice. I learned it was important to not correct them constantly but just enough to remind them to improve.

When in leadership, I found that what you instill in others depends on your own actions. If you are kind, they will be kind. If you are critical, they will be critical. Most importantly. if you are lazy, they will be lazy. The Case for Marching Band: Unveiling Skills Beyond the Field

The leadership experience has taught me so much about how others learn and communicate. It has also helped me with understanding effective ways to help others. I do not regret one bit participating in leadership in marching band. The skills I learned will help me in the future when I am not just a high schooler in charge.

[elijahbarnhill]

A Day in the Life of a Band Nerd

There are many nuances of the day to day of someone in marching band during marching band season. Far more than I would have ever thought. The Power of Marching Band: Boosting Academics & Life Skills

Every morning when you wake up, marching band consumes your thoughts. When eating breakfast, you think about the drill and will any changes be made that day. While brushing your teeth you go over the music in your head for the show. Next thing you know you are at school in the band room with your other band members and you are talking about the previous day's practice. When band class starts and the sousaphones are out of their cases, that usually indicates the previous day's practice was not to the liking of the Band Director. Class will then be focused on marching band and perfecting the show. If the sousaphones are not out of their cases, then the Band Director was happy with the previous day's practice, and the focus is on concert band.

Once the torture of class is over, the day progresses through the school day, but thoughts of afternoon band practice is always in your thoughts. How will the weather be? Will everyone show up for practice? Will the bugs try to take over and run us off of the practice field? Will the band director be in a good mood and not make us run laps? So many questions. Soon enough the school day is over, and it is time for band practice.

Depending on how hot it is that day, band practice is either right after school until 7pm or if it's crazy hot outside practice doesn't start until 6pm and last until almost 9pm. Those late practices can result in a very long school day. But usually everyone hangs around school waiting for practice to start so it is a good time to just hang out with your band friends. Some sections while waiting for practice to start, will pile in whoever's car and go get dinner at Chick-Fil-A.

Once practice starts it is an intense 3 hours of nonstop practicing. It starts with exercising, possibly running laps. and warmups. Once this is done it is run after run of either sections of the show or the entire show. It is not uncommon to perform ten or more reps of the show at one practice. This can be both physically and mentally tiring.

After what feels like a million years, the band director will say " come see me at the 50". That's when you know practice is ending. The entire band will meet at the 50-yard line to have the directors' final thoughts and possible a pep talk.

Once you are home from practice you work on any other school assignments besides band. At this point you hope to get to bed at a decent hour and that you have gotten all your assignments done.

What Being in a Marching Band Teaches You About Life | CBC Docs POV

As you drift off to sleep with the sound of the metronome playing in your head, you think " I get to do this all over again tomorrow" and can't wait to see what the next day in the life of a band nerd has in store.

Five Life Skills I Learned in Marching Band | edCircuit

[elijahbarnhill]

Friday Night Lights Are Not Just for Football

When you go to a football game on a Friday night what do you think about besides obviously the football players? Some may say the large field, some may say the concessions stand and some may say the bleachers. For us in band, the thing we think of is of course the marching band. Being in marching band during a football game is probably the best part of marching band. From stand tunes to traveling to away games with the pep band, football games were not just for the football players.

Stand tunes are smaller pieces of music that the marching band plays in the bleachers when the football team does something cool like a first down or a touchdown. Or to encourage the defense when they are trying to stop a drive by the opposing team. Stand tunes can be standard tunes like Day of Wrath or something cool like Sweet Caroline/Seven Nation Army. One of my favorites is Land of 1000 Dances. This song was usually played following halftime. to get the crowd excited about the second half of the game. This song is special to me because it is exactly what I like about stand tunes. It is loud, fast paced, and most importantly it is fun.

Sometimes the marching band would travel to the away games as part of a pep band. A pep band is a smaller part of the marching band that would go to play stand tunes. Sometimes during the games if my school is the pep band or if a pep band was brought by the opposing team to our home games, the two bands would have a stand battle. Stand battles are when we would play a stand tune and then the opposing team's band would play one. Then we would play louder and they would then play louder. It would then evolve into which band could play louder. These battles were always one of the best parts of traveling with the pep band.

But what is better than playing against a band? Well of course playing with the opposing team's band. Sometimes the two bands would play the national anthem together at the start of the game. Additionally, sometimes both bands would perform together on the field at halftime.

So next time you are enjoying a Friday night football game make sure to check out the marching band. Actually, you can probably already hear them. Like I said Friday night lights are not just for football.

[elijahbarnhill]

Bands of America AKA the Big Leagues

Have you ever had stage fright? It is the term to describe when you start to get anxiety in front of a crowd of people, caused by the fear of failure. Now I want you to imagine, you are giving a presentation about something you know. Then imagine the best of the best in that field are watching this presentation in a Super Bowl size lecture hall. Where the people in the audience are cheering and clapping. To make matters worse, it is streaming for thousands of people to also see. That is the feeling of competing in a Bands of America Marching Band-or as us band nerds call it BOA- competition for the first time.

Bands of America BOA Marching Championships - BOA Marching Championships are national marching band competitions that are hosted all over the United States. High Schools from all over the US come to compete with each other. It is the best of the best.

Going to my first BOA competition my freshman year of high school, was very overwhelming. At this point I had only competed in one local competition. Going to BOA was like going from little league to the Super Bowl. I was a pretty green marching band student at this time, but I guess you have to roll with the punches.

The site of this BOA was located at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Jax State - The Friendliest Campus in the South. This was the first time I had ever been in a college football stadium much less performed in one.

Competitions are usually an all-day event. A BOA competition is a whole weekend event. It started with arriving at school early Friday morning to practice and make final adjustments to the show. Around lunch time we got on the charter buses that would take us from Lexington, SC to Jacksonville, Alabama. We did stop at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia to eat dinner. By the time we arrived in Jacksonville it was time to get in our rooms and try to get some sleep for the big day. The BOA competition was on Saturday and Sunday was a travel day back to Lexington.

On Saturday, the day of the competition, we arrived at the stadium at Jacksonville State University very early in the morning. Once off the buses it was a nonstop day of walking, practicing, and performing. At this point my entire body was sweating and I was so anxious about what was going to happen.

I remember feeling like I was going to throw up walking out onto the field to perform. I had never performed in front of thousands of people that were cheering and clapping. I now know what a deer in headlights feels like. To say it was overwhelming would be an understatement. The performance was a blur to be honest. But it was one of the most exciting things I had ever done.

Although we did not make it to finals that year, I was very happy with our performance that day. The experience at BOA, although was nerve wracking, it was also awesome. It was another thing that I love about marching band. I have gone on to compete at more BOA events that we did make it to the finals. This past October we placed 3rd at a BOA event. The first time in River Bluff High School History to place in the top three at a BOA event. 2025 BOA Scores | bandScores

[elijahbarnhill]

The Tribulations of Being a Tuba Player

Throughout the four years of my marching band career with River Bluff High School, I have encountered many tribulations in playing the tuba-or sousaphone- if you are a band nerd. I vividly remember the first time I played the sousaphone during winter training before going to march at Disney World.

To start putting on a tuba/sousaphone (TUBA Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster SOUSAPHONE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster) has a learning curve. If put on incorrectly you could wake up the next day in a world of hurt. But you must learn to put it on and off quickly and correctly or suffer the wrath of an angry band director at practice.

Once you have mastered the art of putting the tuba/sousaphone on without lasting damage, it feels easy to carry at first. The average weight of a tuba/sousaphone is 30 to 40 pounds. Which isn't too bad at first but coupled with the odd shape and that all the weight is on one shoulder, that 30 to 40 pounds can starts to feel like a hundred. I think I kept Icy Hot in business that first summer at band camp.

As time has progressed, I have gotten use to the crushing weight of the tuba/sousaphone on my shoulder. Who needs to lift weights when all you have to do is go to band practice.

Another issue I had to wrap my mind around was the sound difference between playing the tuba and playing the sousaphone. I don't think I will ever get used to that. Simply put, trying to play well on the tuba is far different than trying to play well on the sousaphone. The sousaphone sacrifices quality of sound for sheer volume. Sometimes that can really mess with me. Feels like I have to relearn playing the sousaphone at the start of every marching band season. The Differences Between Playing Tuba and Sousaphone - Denis Wick Products Ltd.

My best advice to anyone that that wants to play the sousaphone is to work on strengthening your core by doing planks. This will help with putting on the sousaphone without hurting yourself or dropping it on unsuspecting fellow band members. The percussion section hates when they are taken out like a bunch of bowling pins. Running to help with increasing your lung capacity. Lastly make sure you invest in some Icy Hot because you are going to need it. Sousaphone Technique – Preservation Hall Lessons

[elijahbarnhill]

Summer Band Camp is No Joke

The summer before my freshman year of high school was my first experience with band camp. I know there are lots of jokes about band camp. Let me tell you band camp is no joke.

Band camp started at 7:30 each morning with warm up exercises such as jumping jacks and planks and lots of stretching. Total Body Warm Up for Marching Bands, Color Guards, Drumlines, and Drum Corps and ended with a group meeting at 6pm.

We would spend the mornings outside learning the drill Glossary of Marching Band Terms and the afternoons learning the music Free Resources. The days were long and hot. I did not realize I would drink so much water. I lost 10 pounds that summer at the 2 weeks of band camp. Being outside in the southern heat in July with 80% humidity is not for the weak.

I don't think that people realize or at least I didn't, how much physical training and conditioning goes into marching band.

The days were long and more physical than I ever thought marching band would be, but I left everyday feeling excited about the things I had learned, the new friends I had made and how the marching band show was coming together.

This past summer was my last summer band camp. I will definitely not miss the heat and humidity but will miss the fun and camaraderie of summer band camp.

[elijahbarnhill]

Marching Band Equals Trip to Disney

In middle school, I signed up for band. We were required to sign up for some sort of performing arts class and band seem liked the best of what was offered. I was assigned to play the tuba. While not an exciting instrument, it is vital to the band- Tuba | Brass Instrument, History & Uses | Britannica.

Towards the end of my 8th grade year, my band director let the class know that the high school marching band ((20+) Facebook) was going to Disney in the spring and if we committed to joining the marching band, we could go to Disney.

At that point I was not interested in marching band but a free trip to Disney was all it took to make me interested in marching band.

On the trip to Disney not only did we get to visit 3 different parks but also got to march in the parade at Magic Kingdom as part of the Disney imagination Campus Performance Experience. Welcome to Disney Imagination Campus – Student Travel Reimagined

The experience at Disney coupled with the friendships I made on that trip were the start of my love of Marching Band.