Marching to the music

They give up every weekend for two months. They practice in the sweltering heat of mid-July and the frigid early morning chill of late October. \nUp to five months of the year is spent perfecting a seven-minute show.\nThis is the life of a high school marching band student. And this weekend was the last weekend of the season they had to sacrifice to that activity. \nIt was the state marching band finals in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, and one can be sure that it was an experience they wouldn't give up for anything. This was the time for thousands of students in the top 40 bands in the state to shine.\nState finals were the culmination of rounds of elimination not unlike athletics in which the highest scoring bands in a district competition advance to one of two regional sites. Judged on the quality of music, marching and the overall effectiveness of the show, the five top scoring bands from four classes will then advance to the state finals.\nCompetitions are not about winning and scoring. It is about the feeling members get coming off the field knowing that they gave an incredible performance. It is about improving a show every week and putting on the most perfect one at the end of the season. \nThis is an activity where self-improvement is usually more important to the students than winning. And many will say it gives them a love of music and lessons of life that will often extend into their later lives. \n"One of the best aspects of marching band is meeting new people and making memories that will last a lifetime," said North Harrison High School snare drummer Megan Asher, a senior. "It is not about competing and winning." \nFor some this love of music will take them to college marching band. \n"High school band members are taught valuable lessons in teamwork, organization, a sense of school spirit and an 'esprit de corps' not found in other organizations," said David Woodley, director of marching band and assistant director of bands for IU. "Almost all of the members of the IU Marching Hundred started their musical careers in their high school band."\nHigh school marching band is decidedly different from college marching band. While marching bands in college change their shows every week, high schools practice for the same show all year. Also, many high school shows have began to take a less traditional approach to marching band putting on a more theatrical production and employing the use of elaborate props built and designed by dedicated parents. But competitions are not part of college band. \n"Since competitions are not part of the college scene, our approach here is simply to entertain the crowd," Woodley said.\nBut the activity is all for the students. It is their love of music and performance that drives them further. \n"In high school you get a general knowledge of music," said Marching Hundred freshman tenor drum player Brad Snyder. "It gives you a thirst for more." \nWhether this thirst leads them to college marching band or to becoming professional musicians, the four years of high school marching band gives them an experience that will affect them in a positive way for the rest of their lives.