With the new school year starting and fall sports rolling in, it means that the 23-24 band season is now in full swing.
When we hear sports, the last thing most people think of is band. However, it has many similarities with the level of teamwork and dedication involved with more traditional sports. Our band puts in the same physical and mental effort that all our other teams put into their sports and doesn’t get enough recognition for it. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of football season, the marching band is out in the parking lot, working hard and strong to make the halftime show enjoyable. After football season, the band is still hard at work, turning around and putting on concerts every month between December and May. So why aren’t we cheering for them and celebrating them in the same way we do football? Without our band, our football games wouldn’t be the same. Of course, the cheer team and 6th Man bring an amount of enjoyability to Friday Night Lights, but the band brings the music and the energy. Just imagine games without the music behind cheers and the entrance music for the football team. The band deserves so much more credit from the student body, and as a school, we can give it to them.
Sophomore Jacob Truong is one of the trumpet section leaders this school year. He’s been playing the trumpet since the 6th grade and shared his hopes for this year’s seasons.
“I hope that this year’s marching season can bring everything that was promised last year. We [were] promised things pertaining to being supported and having [more] opportunities for leadership, for example, having committees that would deal with different parts of band, outside of just music, but none of it really made an impact, so I hope this year we start seeing those things,” Truong said.
With a new wave of kids coming into marching band, it means finding a balance between having fun, but also making sure that they can make their season and performances amazing. It requires a lot of effort and resilience that isn’t appreciated enough. Sophomore Gabriella Andrijiszyn, a clarinet section leader, provides insight on how she maintains that balance.
“We give breaks and just talk about anything that isn’t band-related. It takes the edge off a little bit of trying to be perfect and just brings us closer together. We also have traditions that are special to each different section and for me, that is a unifying factor to why we are friends outside of just band,” Andrijiszyn said.
The band is putting everything they have into this year’s season, both on the field and off the field. A new year means new dreams, and with the band, it means coming out bigger and better than before. Each member is excited for this year and can’t wait to see what the future holds for them individually, but also as a team.
