Some assume that all the people in their football stadium stands are there to support their team and think nothing else of it, but what they don’t know is how many people show up wearing band booster pins and bring their stadium seats to watch the marching band perform a much practiced routine that wows the audience no matter why they may have gone in the first place. Marching band was such a big deal at Plano East Senior High School and people of all ages would go and support friends and siblings that practiced hard to pump up the fans cheering in the stands. I believe that every student should have the opportunity to experience marching band and all the thrills that come with it, as a player in the band you have the chance to learn basic life rules in such a fun setting. As a middle school student, on my way to Plano East, I participated in the band program and worked hard to be accepted as a freshmen on the high school marching band. I was prepared and ready to go. Naturally, just as the auditions were right around the corner, my parents decided to move to Colorado. To be completely honest, one of the biggest letdowns of the decision was knowing that all my hard work had gone to waste and I could no longer be a part of this group that was so much more to me than a bunch of people moving in patterns on a field.

Marching band is an organization of teenagers, designed to help them grow in their musical ability and just have fun while doing it (Tapron Springs High School). There’s something about learning a routine outside of the classroom that makes the experience so much more entertaining. It does more than just help a student learn an instrument, it also provides you with traits that are useful for the rest of your life. There are five main lessons that are learned in the process of marching band. The first is multitasking, it’s certainly not easy to move your feet to the beat of one metronome and play an instrument to a different tempo, yet surprisingly that is the simplest part of the marching band curriculum. Second, memorization is the key to success. When people sign up to be a part of marching band, they really don’t know what they're in for. Quickly they find out that over half of their summer will be consumed with learning a marching routine and memorizing a corresponding piece for their already quite difficult instrument.The third lesson is teamwork, marching band may not be considered a sport, but it is definitely a team activity. People create memories and experiences that will last for a lifetime, but without each other it wouldn’t be possible. In a band people rely on the others to do their part and complete it well, as it is often said “The group can only be as strong as it’s weakest link.” Next, they learn about time management, July to December is spent constantly busy with rehearsals everyday after class and football games weekly. Also, as a group the members are constantly preparing for UIL, State, and paired competitions. Through all that, students are still expected to keep their grades above failing and be ready for each class. As that hopefully informed, the marching band participants have little to no free time. Finally, students learn resilience, they know that if they mess up they have to keep going (Ray). Get knocked down? Stand right back up again. Judges and directors make calls that not everyone is going to agree with but each criticising remark sparks a new idea for the routine.

Band is a family, marching band is a place where students not only belong but depend on one another. They learn values and standards that are useful in the everyday life of modern society and take on great responsibility. Students are encouraged to figure out their weaknesses and strive to overcome them daily (Tapron Springs High School). I know that not every high school can easily afford the equipment required to have a marching band, however that doesn’t change the fact that anyone should have the opportunity to experience this. The Crested Butte Community High School could have the option of providing a marching band to interesting and dedicated students, so lets make it happen. I honestly believe that creating a CBCS marching band could improve a lot of things about Crested Butte’s school and create a place for someone that might have stood out more before.