To Those Not in Band…and Those Who Are

A Commentary about BC’s First Marching Band

First, I want to start by saying that being “first” is something deemed important today. First in flight. First place winner. First lady. First is history; it is success. Even this story started with the word first.

Being first, however, takes work, steps, and practice. This year, the first ever Bluefield College marching Ram Band has been feeling that pressure, and joys, of being the first.

As a member of this historic band, I would like to take everyone into a week in the life of a marching band member. Maybe it will give you a new perspective of band and what it actually means to be in a marching band.

To begin with, half of the band members are playing instruments that we don’t even play. I, for example, am a flute player of about 12 years, and I gave my senior recital in spring 2019 (Yay!) on flute. However, I am playing trumpet for the marching band. Totally different world, almost the opposite, and way more disgusting. (Listen, make sure that you wear no slip shoes in the band room. Those water puddles are not water puddles. You’ve been warned).

Many people don’t realize this, but playing an instrument is extremely physical in and of itself. You have to literally work out your face muscles, fingers, upper arm strength, and lungs every day — all so that you can play one new note at the end of the week. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s progress. Every time I hit a high note on accident, it’s like a mini adrenaline rush. Playing an instrument just makes you feel good if you just do it and do it right.

On top of half of us learning a whole new instrument or playing one that we are not comfortable playing (and basically having one of each), we also have little-to-no practice time, and many of us can’t even make it to that little-to-no practice time because we have other classes. I am one of those students, and I just want to say that one rehearsal behind = two months behind when it comes to band. This week, for example, I came back to the field only to learn that we had received two new pieces and were setting the drill to those new pieces.

“What is even going on?” *Laughter* “No, seriously. I feel like I’m four months behind.”

It’s hard enough to focus during those three rehearsals a week, anyway. When everyone gets back to rehearsal two of three, everyone is pretty much lost and dazed half of the time. When that’s not the case, some moron brass player decides to honk her trumpet mid-song and get spit all over her shoe, which makes the entire band stop because they’re laughing too hard to play (Gee, I wonder who that was?). It’s also a day when, “Where even are we? What are we doing?” is said more than music is being played.

Once the hilarity of the wild goings-on in the band room subsides and rehearsal finally begins, we all just enjoy playing the music and putting it all together. Some of us dance constantly, while some of us just tap our feet to ourselves. All of us sing the songs throughout the week because they’re just so darn catchy. Playing the music is just fun when we finally get it, but when we finally get outside, it’s always a different world.

Remember, we are all students first. Learning content for our multiple classes is priority, and over half of us are Dean’s List and President’s List students (Also many of us have multiple jobs, too. But it’s fine). This being said, it is difficult enough to memorize every single note (muscle memory, hands, embouchure) on a new instrument and the sheet music for multiple pieces (notes, rhythms, articulations, dynamics, to name a few things). I personally can hardly focus on the text that I am replying to, and it’s astonishing that my mind doesn’t implode while multitasking in 15 ways while performing. But it makes me better for that, and it truly does help me in my other studies.

“Marching band will forever be my happy place.” — Ashley Young, junior

Now, once we head out of those chapel doors (from our rehearsal locations) and down to that scarred little practice field, everything goes out the window. Not only do we have to remember everything we have to play, how to play it, and when to play it (or twirl it and dance to it, if you’re in color guard), we have to march to it now.

In addition to the immense mental capacity that band requires, it is also physically demanding. I don’t know about anyone else, but I can hardly walk from my dorm to the caf without getting out of breath. I’m already struggling to breathe enough to play the trumpet sitting down. Now I’m being told that I have to physically move around an uneven field, too?

Now it may sound like band is super tough and takes up a lot of time that doesn’t exist, and that’s true. However, band is also a ton of fun, and the thrill of performing really can’t be matched by much else. When we step onto the turf at Mitchell Stadium, for those five-or-so minutes, all we are focused on is putting on an amazing performance and having fun while doing so.

High school band was all about the competition, the long nights, the travel… but college band is about fun and comfort and an entertaining time. College band is about learning and enjoying what is being learned, too.

We’ve already completed a couple of performances under our feet, and at one of those we invited Bland (VA) County High School’s band to play with us. We’re still working hard on our show, and we’re getting ready for the next few games of the season. Playing music and getting people pepped up is a unique kind of entertainment that really can’t be experienced without doing it firsthand.

Overall, the Ram Band is really a family, in a way — extremely dysfunctional, antsy, and just weird, but it’s a family. We take care of each other; if someone is sick or upset, we stop and make sure they are alright. If we are outside, we make sure everyone has water to stay hydrated. If someone plays a passage really well, we say, “Good job!” and if someone plays a passage terribly, we say, “Try again; that kind of sucked.” Really, band is worth the effort because we are growing together as a band and as people.

I’m not trying to recruit people to join us (though that would be pretty cool), but I do want everyone to consider at least watching us perform once. If you used to be in band and miss it, ask to sit with us in the stands. If you never learned to play an instrument but have always wanted to, do the same thing. Band is important, just as music in general is important, and though it can be a lot of work, it’s all worth it in the end.

Maybe this commentary sheds a new light on band and how amazing it is, and maybe it doesn’t. Either way, please be ready to welcome the first ever BC marching Ram Band to the stadium for the rest of this football season. Regardless, we’re welcoming ourselves, and we’re going to have a grand ole time doing it. Go Rams!