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Last week, my
eighth grade daughter blew through the door and announced “I am going
to be in marching band next year.” My child is in her fifth year of
clarinet and is dedicated to practicing and perfecting her musical
strengths. Ok, there. I’ll stop. A parent is allowed to brag once a
week about their children and not be labeled annoying. What a great
opportunity. I could remember sitting at football games in the
freezing cold, just to watch the marching band.
Last week, LIFE magazine’s cover story, “We’re With the Band”,
explored the enormous popularity of high school marching bands. All
over the country marching band is a hit. According to Anya Strzemien,
“It's not just jocks who rule the high school corridors these days.”
She interviewed members of different high school marching bands at the
Mid Iowa Band Championship to find out why the term “band geek” is out
and “rock star” is in. Kids love being in their school’s marching band
and describe it almost like a second family. Participating in the
marching band provides an instant group of friends with similar
interests, music education, travel, and leadership opportunities. What
more could anyone want?
Brad Dubbs, Associate Director of Bands for Rio Rancho High School
echoes this sentiment. “Being a part of the marching band and band in
general does take a lot of hard work and dedication, but it truly pays
off in the end. There is a sense of teamwork and belonging in band.
Students are able to meet new friends and work together in a positive
environment. I can’t say enough about what a good experience it is for
students who participate in band.”
Back in the early 80s during football season at Ohio University, it
was the marching band that got people to attend the games, not the
football team. Those athletes tried so hard, but unfortunately never
really had the draw that the marching band did. You knew this because
after the half time show, the stands practically emptied out. The
Marching 110, as they were known, was one of a kind. I was used to
seeing marching bands march and stand in place as they do in parades.
But the first time I saw “The Most Exciting Band in the Land” take the
field, I was mesmerized. It wasn’t so much their sound, which was
superb but very hard to hear over the screams of approval. It was
their movements that set them apart. Each member was playing their
instruments while dancing, kicking, and swaying with the music. It was
like watching Earth, Wind and Fire twenty fold. They were the coolest.
No geeks here. It seemed their style has caught on. Marching bands all
over the country choreograph their routines with great expertise and
creativity.
It is no surprise that marching band is the hot ticket now. Rio Rancho
High School has had a marching band every since the school opened in
1997. The band is very active. They perform at five or six football
games a year plus several parades including the New Mexico State Fair
parade, the Homecoming Parade and the Rio Rancho Holiday Parade in
December.
In addition, the RRHS Marching Band competes in three competitions
each year; one in Albuquerque, a regional festival and a state
competition at UNM. “We won the state marching competition in 2004 and
2005,” Dubbs explains. “With regards to competition, we always stress
that students should always strive to do their best and that we never
go to a competition to win. With that philosophy, we have been
extremely successful and have had a very positive attitude from our
students.”
If you think “bank geek” is a put down, think again. This is 2007, it
is a compliment. The newest rock stars of the cafeteria are the kids
in band. Rock on.
Quote of the Week: “You’re a shining star, no matter who you are.
Shining bright to see what you can truly be.” – Shining Star by Earth,
Wind and Fire.
Jennifer Huard’s column appears each Thursday. She welcomes your
emails at jhuard@abqjournal.com
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