Marching Band

Have you ever signed up for something having NO clue what you are getting into? That was totally marching band. I knew marching band wore uniforms and played music while marching. Robyn came to me and said she wanted to sign up for marching band. Then she told me she wanted to play pit. I was so confused? I thought she wanted to do marching band and now she wanted to play in some orchestra during a play? So bizarre.

I signed her up anyway, and was told that she didn't have to worry about summer stuff because that was just marching band and she was signed up for pit. Someone please tell me what PIT is?? Turns out pit is also called Front Ensemble. When marching band performs, they all stand in front because it turns out that strapping a vibraphone to yourself and trying to prance around is not advisable. So they don't join the marching band ranks until the end of the summer after all the parades.

Robyn dutifully went to her week of band camp. I actually think she had a great time. That was the week she made her cool Snail shirts. She was exhausted by the end, so we stole her away to Lake Powell. (It seemed like a good reward.) When school started, Robyn's schedule was super busy. She practiced three times a week for a long time after school. I wasn't quite sure what it was for. After all, she didn't have to march and she didn't play in pep band.

And then the competitions started. We went to see her right at the beginning of the competition season because it was at our school. They were pretty new to the whole thing. I guess as the competition season continues, they add more fanfare and props to the field. They still sounded really good. At each competition, multiple schools play. We stayed and watched a few before our group came out.

Oh, here she comes, pushing her vibraphone in front of her. She looks pretty snazzy in her uniform. The pit doesn't get to wear hats. I think that would be a relief, but Robyn was kind of sad about it.

Pit comes out first and sets up a lot of stuff. Then the band marches out. They do look pretty crisp, but I think there uniforms are a little dated. They are the classic style, but looking at other bands, you can see that some people are steering away from the traditional. Here they are spread out across the field. I like the bright lights behind them.

I recorded the whole performance. It is a bit longer than a normal song, and the coolest thing is that these kids memorize the whole thing. Add to that marching in formations the whole time (not including pit) and you've got a lot of dedication and time put into these shows. I'm assuming they picked a theme early on because Robyn got her band shirt at the beginning of summer but I didn't understand the joke until after this performance.

Could you tell it was Spy themed? There was a briefcase that gets passed around and the narrator often talks about retrieving and delivering the item. In the other bands we watched, there wasn't any talking, so this must have been a different kind of song. I still liked it a lot. The colorguard was pretty cool with their flag waving and gun throwing. I thought it was strange to throw around a rifle and sword, but every group had the same props. There must be a list you have to incorporate somehow. Our band only had three girls and by the end of the season, only two. But other bands had dozens. I'm not sure if there is a limit on how many colorguard you can have? Maybe it depends on how many rifles you have? Check out the band with flags flying.

Here are some close ups on Robyn. She was playing four mallets and was amazing as always.

Tyler took a little video snippet that zooms in on her and also catches a saxophone solo. Pretty cool.

I'm really glad we were able to come and watch. Most of her other performances were farther away and we couldn't attend. She had one almost every weekend until tour at the end of October. Tour is always down in St. George. I sadly don't have any pictures since I didn't attend, but their group did very well. They came in fourth, but they give out separate awards for percussion and they won Outstanding Percussion State Championship Title. That is pretty boss.

Mrs. Taylor was so proud of them and she sent me this picture which I'm very grateful for.

They took other pictures of the whole band, but I just got info about them today and they cost a lot of money. I'm suddenly wondering why no parent took a photo to send to all the parents? If I were attending, I would make sure to do that. I guess there is always next year. (Update: I finally purchased one. Here is how they look. Not too shabby.)

Marching band has it's own parent president. There is a club of parents called the Band Boosters. They support and ask all parents to help out as well. Forget that you already paid a boodle of money to put your child in marching band in the first place. Now, please contribute food every time they perform. (I'm sorry, do I sound bitter? I'm just surprised the generous amount I paid didn't go toward some meals. It's like signing your child up for dance and then finding out you have to pay another $300 for a costume.) Anyway, I tried to contribute as much as possible, but I do not covet the job of Band Booster President.

Robyn had a great time on tour. She did have a slight malfunction on show day. While coming onto the field pushing their large instruments, Robyn bent down to fix her shoe and the vibraphone behind her ran her over. It bloodied her heel and propelled her face into her own instrument. Ouch! She was sore for the rest of the weekend and all the piggy back rides she received from her lame foot only caused her arms to ache. I spent a lot of Sunday massaging her arms and giggling at her reactions.

But even that didn't ruin the trip. I would say that we definitely have another year of marching band coming up.

There was a banquet after it was all over. That was fun, but they mostly just recognized the seniors. That is fine. I also finally found the facebook page for band and stole some pictures. So here are a few more at the end. Marching Band...you are a wonder.