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Returning to high school band letdown


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I only marched one summer in high school - the summer before my senior year. Even though we had a very good, very competitive high school band, it was apples and oranges. And for whatever reason, I had the presence of mind prior to coming back that it wasn't going to be the same and to not expect it to be.

That said, being back from tour was a general let down. Very similar to the feeling I always had coming back from four weeks of summer camp. Everyone at home was less interesting and just didn't "get it" like my summer camp friends.

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I marched in Drum Corps from my freshman to my senior year in high school. I found no difference between the two, as we had a Band Director who marched drum corps, and we had a large instructional staff that marched and taught drum corps. The same level of dedication and skills I had to bring to the Cavaliers, was the same level of dedication and skills I had to bring to HS colorguard. It didn't hurt that Steve Brubaker was my instructor for both. It also didn't hurt that my HS band was at a MBA competitive level.

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Interesting topic and excellent advice by many.

I should probably clarify--one person mentioned that he/she was glad non-dinosaurs were adding to this post. Compared to some on DCP, I am not in dinosaur land, but compared to you I am a fossil.

There's probably a 99% chance that the drum corps you marched with is better than your school program, just as traveling soccer teams are usually better than school teams, AAU programs are often better, American Legion baseball is often better than school teams, and semi-professional theaters usually are better than school drama clubs. We know that because you only join these activities if you take it seriously. School programs usually have to include all kinds of abilities and often have younger participants which is the way it should be. That being said, your band may not be as sophisticated as your corps and the demand may not be as great, but there are still life lessons to be learned so keep an open mind. Pick someone to mentor. The confidence it took you to audition for drum corps and the gifts you have to have made it have to be considerable. Perhaps you could help a less gifted member and if you can do it without the person even knowing it, all the better and you could change a life. The person may not audition for drum corps, but perhaps will be confident enough to apply for a job, or join an activity. Drum corps skills are transferrable.

As you can probably tell from my above comment, I am a huge fan of student leadership. If you have a confident band director and you have a combination of self assurance and humility--they go together amazingly well--you could be an integral part of the organization, but this could be tricky. I've known some band directors who welcome drum corps members and others who resent them. I've also heard from kids who have marched that design is where there can be issues since the demand is so much greater in drum corps and in some cases, the drum corps member may have a better idea of the actual needs of design than the person who designed the show. Grin and bear it and do the best with it. It still looks great on college applications to be as active as possible, and school activities can often hold more weight since it demonstrates to a college you want to be part of a community.

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Interesting topic and excellent advice by many.

I should probably clarify--one person mentioned that he/she was glad non-dinosaurs were adding to this post. Compared to some on DCP, I am not in dinosaur land, but compared to you I am a fossil.

There's probably a 99% chance that the drum corps you marched with is better than your school program, just as traveling soccer teams are usually better than school teams, AAU programs are often better, American Legion baseball is often better than school teams, and semi-professional theaters usually are better than school drama clubs. We know that because you only join these activities if you take it seriously. School programs usually have to include all kinds of abilities and often have younger participants which is the way it should be. That being said, your band may not be as sophisticated as your corps and the demand may not be as great, but there are still life lessons to be learned so keep an open mind. Pick someone to mentor. The confidence it took you to audition for drum corps and the gifts you have to have made it have to be considerable. Perhaps you could help a less gifted member and if you can do it without the person even knowing it, all the better and you could change a life. The person may not audition for drum corps, but perhaps will be confident enough to apply for a job, or join an activity. Drum corps skills are transferrable.

As you can probably tell from my above comment, I am a huge fan of student leadership. If you have a confident band director and you have a combination of self assurance and humility--they go together amazingly well--you could be an integral part of the organization, but this could be tricky. I've known some band directors who welcome drum corps members and others who resent them. I've also heard from kids who have marched that design is where there can be issues since the demand is so much greater in drum corps and in some cases, the drum corps member may have a better idea of the actual needs of design than the person who designed the show. Grin and bear it and do the best with it. It still looks great on college applications to be as active as possible, and school activities can often hold more weight since it demonstrates to a college you want to be part of a community.

Super, super post, Tim.

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My first year of corps I was a junior going into senior year. Our school was a competitive band in the state circuit and when I came back I found out the director changed circuits. We were now in the "feel good" circuit where showing up gave you a 50 already. There weren't any championships and the season ended almost a month earlier. I had to make a promise to my mom that i wouldnt come back and be like other kids that went from corps back to marching band. I showed up and didnt really care about the season but i made sure i did my part. I learned my music and still helped other kids because thats what i learned in corps. Yes it was a huge letdown but i didnt do it 4 years to quit the 5th.

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I was in a community marching band. We would go see a DCI competition and come back to practice and be let down and there was no high school involved.

Members who just don't show up, who cry when told to get back into form (mostly woodwind players), who complain to the Director when told about getting back into form because it hurt their feelings, guard members who can't count, cymbal players who for the life of them couldn't slam them together on the down beat, members whose chief interest was talking to whomever when called to attention.

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I guess I have just been lucky listening to the stories . Personally bitd with dozens of drum corps people in my HS none of us marched in band except for 1 BUT as far as my teaching experience going from Drum corps back to teaching band was as intense as drum corps. Of course not 24/7 but every day for sure ( except for Sundays..lol ) and with most of the bands I have been with the student was expected to produce pretty close to what was expected of a summer student.

Harder? sure, as rewarding? it can be, but there is something said having a person captive 24/7 for 3 months..lol

AS I said, just lucky I guess

Edited by GUARDLING
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A competitive HSMB has a different sort of intensity. Instead of the single laser-focus of perfecting a corps show in the simmer, marching band members have to focus on a wide array of scholastic activities, from academics to (possibly) sports to other HS clubs to the MB committments, plus maybe some non-scholastic activities in the community.

I am often amazed at just how good bands get in a short time-span, given the sheer amount of demands placed on the members in the fall.

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I was marching Drum Corps since I was 10 and when I got to HS marching band my junior year I found it easy to march the drills we did. Basically we were given a number and a list of instructions......i.e., TTR (To The Rear), FM (Forward March), etc it was easy

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I marched in Drum Corps from my freshman to my senior year in high school. I found no difference between the two, as we had a Band Director who marched drum corps, and we had a large instructional staff that marched and taught drum corps. The same level of dedication and skills I had to bring to the Cavaliers, was the same level of dedication and skills I had to bring to HS colorguard. It didn't hurt that Steve Brubaker was my instructor for both. It also didn't hurt that my HS band was at a MBA competitive level.

This pretty much echoes my own experience.

We were fortunate enough to have a fairly competitive MB. We had a large number of staff that had marched and taught drum corps. It also helped not being the only student who did drum corps, as there were a few who marched with me in the summer, or with another corps. Not exactly the same level of intensity, but still enjoyable.

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