Mark Time, March! One, Two, Three, Go.

      I would just like to take a moment and bask in the amazingness that is encompassed by the all powerful...wait for it...MARCHING BAND. First things that come to mind: funny hats...a humongous tuba, students with no lives other than their instruments. Well I may be the first to tell you that your preconceived notions of marching band are completely...RIGHT! We wear the funny hats with plumes (feathers on top), we have a humongous tuba, and we do absolutely love our instruments. But I'm not sure if anyone not a part of marching band actually understands what's so great about it.
     We are in the depths of February, meaning that football season is pretty much over, so it's not exactly high season for the marching band. But we actually do much more than just march at football games and play concerts full of music that nobody likes.
     Today at school I just took part in a Sidewinder. For those of you who don't know what a Sidewinder is, it's a glorious event that occurs whenever a school team places first or second in State. This event was in honor of the swim team in which the band treks all the way through the school playing our instruments louder than the human ear desires. Most band kids aren't exactly fans of this event whenever it comes up, seeing that all of their classmates come out of their classrooms to watch us take part in an activity which is tagged as being "nerdy".
    I happen to love Sidewinders. I get out of most of French class, and it's a time when we can dig out our old marching music and play really easy and fun music such as "Jai Ho", "Poker Face", "Bad Romance", "Don't Stop Believing", etc. I don't care if I'm labeled as a band geek, I adore the band and everything we do. Whether it's six hours a day of learning marching drill at band camp in the grueling heat over the summer, playing and marching in front of hundreds of football fans in the freezing rain and cold, or venturing through the halls of the school to commend our school's sports teams, I love it all.
    Most people are either on a sports team, or really into choir, or art, whatever your thing may be, I'll bet that within your team or group, you feel a bond with all of those people around you who share your same passion. That's how band it. When amongst your fellow band mates, you are amongst family. Call me a band geek, I will consider it the most flattering of compliments. To be a band geek is to belong to something amazing.