With football season beginning, Chelsea High School marching band practices are in full force, with musicians having to perform during every game. Members face difficult challenges being a part of the marching band.
“I really liked the marching band before I even joined,” freshman Emma Busch said. “I thought it was really cool. Everyone says that the people in marching band are really weird, and I think that is very broad.”
There are many stereotypes about kids in high school that participate in band, they are called the “Weird Band Kids”.
“Just because someone isn’t you, doesn’t mean they’re weird,” freshman Iara Lawrence said.
Members also experience other problems with their health and school.
“I get home really late and I have to wake up really early for morning band,” freshman Lucy Johnson said. “So I’m tired all day, which can affect my academics.”
Band members have very long days with football games and practice on top of their workload from school
“I wake up around 6, I go to school and then we have to march,” Busch said. “But I only have like two hours for homework, between me at school and marching, I get home around 11.”
On top of school, there is a lot of stress that comes with band, members feel the pressure when learning their drills.
“The directors expect more from us, they expect us to have drilled down in two days,” Johnson said.
Although there are some sacrifices band members have to make, there are some benefits for joining the program.
“You get to know a lot of upperclassmen before school even starts, so you already have people to go to,” Lawrence said.
Coming to high school, freshmen usually have trouble bonding with the grades above. Band is a way to create new relationships with others.
“You meet a lot of new fun people and make lots of new friendships,” Busch said.
Plus at football games, members of the band also don’t get to participate in the student section when they are not on the field.
“The only thing I’m really upset about is missing out on the student sections. I just feel like being a part of the student section adds to your highschool experience,” Lawrence said.
Members propose a change that could be made to the band program to make them feel included in the student section at football games.
“Maybe for just one game we could do a white-out with the band and have our instruments, get blasted, then go sit in our section,” Johnson said. “But just play not having the full uniform, just for one game.”
