Marching Band Camp

The marching band has a week-long camp every year in August, usually within two weeks of the start of classes. It's the time where we introduce new members to the basics of marching as well as learn the new drill and music for the halftime show.

This year, we are playing a selection of songs by Santana, a group I have never listen to before. Not knowing the music makes it more difficult to learn; just last year we had done the Beatles which wasn't hard for me to master because I already knew most of those songs by heart. The drill Dr. Stuber wrote is also quite complex, more so than usual. It was going to take a lot of effort to master.

Doing anything outdoors in Greensboro during August is a grueling task in and of itself, and learning the drill was no exception. Our outdoors sessions were complemented by intensive musical rehearsal inside the band room, which would quickly grow hot and stuffy as well. This was coupled already with my general distaste for marching band. It did not make for a particularly enjoyable week.

By the end of the week, we had pretty much mastered the music and had learned the drill to one of the tunes, though not without considerable effort. I was feeling overall pretty good about the show, especially since I had learned marching techniques that would have previously been unfathomable and mastered difficult music; even if you dislike something, it's hard not to feel proud after you have put a lot of work into something. Hopefully the student body will like it.

Given that this is my last marching band camp, I could not help but reflect on my overall experience. It has not always been enjoyable, and I don't think it's something I'll miss. But you'll have to do many things in life you don't want to, and marching band has taught that if you put in effort, you can at least be proud of what you did, even if the doing wasn't so pleasant or enjoyable.