Physical Training and the Rigors of Marching Band

I know marching band has long gone and the band has moved on to another section of the musical saga but I feel that marching band deserves to be discussed. Around the world, the debate over whether or not marching band is a sport still runs strong. The number of nonbelievers has lessened since the "sport" has intensified but nonetheless, there are still nonbelievers.
In order to prepare for your first game of football at the start of a season, the players on the team must make sure they can last a full hour without becoming fatigued. I have never been on a football team but I imagine their practices consist of running 5-10 miles every practice, at least 100 push-ups and working in the weight room. Granted, a marching band show only lasts 8-10 minutes compared to football's 45-50 minute games but in order to last an 8-10 minute show, you still have to be physically ready. Members of the marching must stretch throughout each practice just like any athlete must. Members also have to run a mile almost every practice. Unlike football, push-ups aren't required to help you perform but they are used as a punishment for misbehavior and mistakes. Depending on how many mistakes you make in a practice, a member could be doing from zero to as many as 100 push-ups in a day. Talking with members of the DCHS football team, they practice for about 5 hours a day 3-4 times a week during the summer. The marching band practices from 8-12 hours 4 times a week in the summer. Aside from what I've already mentioned, there really isn't any more to add. Although marching band doesn't involve weight training in their season like the football does, I would say practicing at least 3 hours longer makes marching band just as physically draining. Both SPORTS require physical readiness to last a whole competition. Physically, there is nothing more to discuss but mentally, a whole new discussion will emerge.

Nerves

Like any athlete, pressure is always added for you to succeed whenever you perform in front of hundreds or thousands of people in a big stage such as a playoff event or cross town rivalry. My stage was just a little different. Last Saturday, I traveled to Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio to audition for a music grant and be admitted into one of many of their different music programs. People had been asking me all week if I was nervous and my answer was always the same. I was not nervous. I had no reason to be nervous. For many weeks, I had been practicing the two songs required for the audition and besides, it's not like my entire college decision will depend on how well I performed at the audition. Nonetheless, when I took my first step onto the campus, all the courage I had mustered vanished and like any competition, the nerves hit me. It is normal to be nervous, Some people actually say being a little nervous is good for you. In a way, I agree. If you truly care about a performance and you have been practicing then you should be nervous. Being a little nervous just means you're ready for the challenge at hand.
Unlike the superbowl, I didn't have the eyes of the nation focused on my every move. My stage consisted of one person wielding a notebook and a pen. The judge was friendly but he didn't have anything to worry about. We introduced ourselves and after a quick discussion he asked me to begin. The first piece started off a little rough. Definitely not how I imagined it but when planning things, it is best to expect nothing to go according to plan. The judge stopped me halfway into the song and asked me to begin my second piece. The second piece began wonderfully, I had finally gotten used to the nerves that ravaged my first song. Again, the judge stopped me halfway. I never did find out if having me stop was a good thing or a bad thing but the judge told me I was well prepared. Hopefully he wasn't just being nice. I have learned that nerves are just something you have to deal with, even if they make things a little more difficult. Like I said before, nerves mean you care and that you're ready. In a few weeks, the final auditions will be finished and I will find out if I have earned a music grant. Then we shall see how much help nerves played in my audition.

Audition week

After many weeks of practice, it's about time to see how much my practice has paid off. I have finally moved up to a harder, stronger reed for my saxophone. Changing strengths of a reed is difficult but once you have made the switch, your tone will improve almost overnight. The downside to switching to a harder reed is that you should never EVER play on a softer reed again. Doing so will undo all the hard work you put into trying just to get a sound out of a harder reed. I am now playing on a reed strength of 4. Four is about as hard as most reeds can get but there is the occasional strenght 5 or 6.
Saturday, I will be travelling to the University of Xavier in order to play my scholarship audition and be admitted into their pep, jazz and concert band. I will be performing Introduction to Czardas and something else...I forget what it is called but it begins with an A. I'm fairly nervous about it but I should do well enough to get in. I have a lesson tonight with Mr. Clark, the band's renowned woodwind instructor, just to make sure my performance is solid. I have heard that colleges require musicians to know their basic scales which, I don't know but hopefully they won't want that. Overall, I feel ready for this performance but wish me luck because a little bit of luck never hurt anyone.

College

I would have liked to compare the rigors of marching band to many sports but at this time of year college auditions seems more appropriate. Like any athlete, playing a sport in college is almost as good as hitting the big time. Every athlete begins preparing for their college sport the moment they enter highschool, if they're serious about it. In a few weeks I will be performing auditions at various colleges for a spot in their music program as well as scholarships. The colleges require that you play a technical piece which is much more difficult involving fast fingers, good hand position and lots of practice. The second piece must be a lyrical piece which is more about the you put out of your instrument. Tone is the sound that comes out of your instrument. I will be playing at Xavier in Ohio, University of Evansville and Bellarmine. I will be minoring in music so the auditions aren't as big of a deal unlike majors in music. Nonetheless, practice is expected as well as a good performance.