colorguard/band-os...please stand up!
 

Since WE aren't jumping on the post-"Drumline"-movie band wagon (I'm sure next year there will be HUGE turnouts at recruitment camps)....I think all the GC-ers that were involved/are involved in HS/Collegiate Marching Bands, Colorguards, Drill Teams, Winterguards, etc. should post here and take a little bow.
We all know what it's like to REALLY go through band camp.
We know what it's like to stand around and wait for the football team to lose so we can play the school song and then leave to party.
We know what it's like to march in a dumb parade for some town we've never heard of, but that is "paying alot of money to see you smile so shut up, suck it up, and go spin with pride!"

I'm proud to have spun flag, rifle and sabre for 4 years, and have been able to dance in a WGI - SWO - Percussive Theater unit for 2!
woo hoo!

Played drums & percussion in jazz band in HS.. I'm a violin player and we had no orchestra (although I did play fiddle for other school functions like mass, musicals, etc). I even got to march once (we had no marching band).

My girlfriend is a music ed major and has been on the school's drumline for the past two years. So I sort of know what ya'll put up with:D Makes me glad I'm a strings player;)

LOL!!!
 

I was in color guard in HS and college....

You forgot about standing in the rain in band camp w/ 6-foot aluminum poles in the air, and an electrical storm approaching.

Lessee...........
Doing a pre-game for the soccer team, where the teams outnumbered the fans. Oh joy.....

Hiking up a 60-degree hill to get to the practice field.

(Segue to college band years)

The old Commonwealth Armory as a practice stadium. Great for use in bad weather but no ladies latrines and rats big enough to look like Cadillacs with feet.

Standing around the exhaust pipe of the ambulance parked by the field. In November, it's the warmest thing around.

(Segue to winter pep band in college)
Just WAITING for the hockey team to score 10 goals so that the band director would have to put his money where his big yap was and buy us all beer. (It happened my junior year at the Beanpot against Harvard--the director never made that promise again.)

Ah, the "good ole days".....

Adrienne
:)

I played flute in marching band for two years, then went on to be head Drum Major for my junior and senior year. I also played tenor sax in Jazz Ensemble.

To add to your list LuaBlanca, we all know what it's like to get in fights with the cheerleaders.
We all know what it's like to march around in 30 degree weather and sleet wearing no gloves because you can't play otherwise.
We all know what it's like to do 50 pushups for not making your set in time.
We all know what it's like to rehearse for 8 hours and then go to a competition.
We have all heard the "This one time at band camp" jokes.
And we still loved it.

Even though I'm not majoring in music, I've come back to be a marching band instructor for my old high school. It has been without a doubt the most rewarding experience of my life. I didn't march in college so I'm kind of living vicariously through them. And it's amazing knowing that you make a difference in some of those kids' lives. It takes me 20 minutes to leave rehearsals every night because all the kids have to come hug me. That truly means a lot.:)

In high school, I played flute, guitar, & the violin. I was also in the colorguard my entire high school, and was captain for 2 years.

Our high school band directors were nothing sort of psycho, but that helped us win qualify for state competitions every time they rolled around! I'll never forget our marching practices when there were SWARMS of mosquitos, but we couldn't move because we were at "attention" and would have to run if we did move.. when there was a terrible thunderstorm, but the band practiced on. .. The hours and hours of practice before and after school & best of all the bus trips to football games... those memories were priceless :)

So it might sound like I was a major band geek, but at my school, it was cool to be in the band :cool:

i did the color guard for 3 years in high school, and my first year decided to pick up percussion for WGI. It was an experience that definitely affected my life. i mean where else can you toss 6 1/2 foot poles around like they were feathers?

I played flute from fourth grade up until my senior year of high school. I was in marching band for all four years of high school. That's a chapter of my life that ended a few years back. :)

I was in color guard for three years in HS...partly because I played drums and didn't want the PIA of marching w/ one.

I played percussion during football season (bells for most of the time, but a short stint as a bass drummer and a cymbal player) During the off season, I played Bass Clarinet. Percussion totally rocked except for when we had to run a mile every morning before practice.

Well, let's see

6th grade: Started playing the sax and kept on for the next 10 years

Junior High: Still paying the sax and picked up the clarinet too. Was on my jr. high's rifle/colorguard. :)

High School: Still playing the sax and was on my high school's colorguard for all 4 years :D

College: Played the sax recreationally, but not for my university.

I had so much fun and enfoyed being a "flag girl". ;) That's what we called them.

Getting ready for Parade season...
 

At my elem/jr. high school, I was on the pep squad. I have been the Pep Squad sponsor at my job for the last 4.5 years.

:o

My resume...

Played in the band until junior year of HS, when I made drum major (both a blessing and a curse). Our high school band was huge - around 250 by the time I graduated, and now they're around 320, I think. I also played a bit in college (concert band).
For college marching band I was on guard, and also did WGI. I'm now a guard instructor. Out of the three (playing, DM, and guard) guard is by far the most fun (and by FAR the most physically challenging)!

I was a flag girl for 4 years in high school. When I was in college, the flag girls were known as silkies.

BJ

YAY
 

How true! I remember doing 100 pushups one day b/c one kid could not fall into set.

I've played clarinet from 6th grade to now, I'm a junior in college.

:)

I played the clarinet and sometime base clarinet in 4th/5th grade but then the program got cut due to lack of funds. So 5 years goes by, and they start the music program back up for the grammer school and high school (I live in a really small town, population 350). So I was like what the heck, why not, I haven't played in 5 years. So I play in the band my junior and senior year. It was lots of fun (oh the guys that played were athletes too and cute and my friends :) ). I'm glad I did it, except for the "zero period" thing where we have band class before regular school. And let me tell you practice does count, I really sucked not playing in 5 years. But hey I still got an A in the class.

I played flute from 4th grade on (still do, hobby-like) and piccolo from 10th-12th grade for HS Marching Band. I was never hazed in my GLO, but my band camp days certainly had me ready for it. Did anyone mention drill downs and that magical fabric that band uniforms are made of, that provides little-to-no protection against the elements in winter and yet manages to absolutely COOK the wearer in warm weather?

I played flute from 4th grade on (still do, hobby-like) and piccolo from 10th-12th grade for HS Marching Band. I was never hazed in my GLO, but my band camp days certainly had me ready for it. Did anyone mention drill downs and that magical fabric that band uniforms are made of, that provides little-to-no protection against the elements in winter and yet manages to absolutely COOK the wearer in warm weather?

OMGoodness, band uniforms were literally a HOT MESS!! :eek:
All those polyester layers...and lest no forget to mention the HATS with the 8ft (or at least it seemed like it) PLUMES!! :eek:

We flag girls wore this short pleated skirt thing with a tuxedo-like top. It was way cooler.

i loved my band experience.
i am from a small town , with small schools (only 1 high school with 650 kids).
i remember my freshamn year was the 2nd year that marching had been brought back to the band. we marched in old old old nasty hot uiforms until that spring when the band boosters had raised about 25,000 to get us new uniforms.
i remember playing at football games...the cheerleaders dancing to our songs. we did a field show once my junior year--i was crazy. i think it had been like 15 years before our town had seen another field show from the band, and we kicked ass!
i remember my first review...i was so amazed to see all the bands, and what i was really a part of.
no one can know what it is like unless you expreience it.
i still have not seen the movie, but i am going to see it!! it looks so good. i still get goose bumps when i see a really good band, and feel like that little freshman again when i see so many good bands all at once.

Oh yikes.....
:::shuddering at horrible memories thought lost forever:::

We had one reprieve from the Evil Band Uniform Fabric--
The color guard wore calf-length dresses. So every so often a quick breeze would, ah, ventilate us from the heat.

I know, I know..... TMI.......

Adrienne
:)

*stands up and takes a bow*

I'm a 1st class band nerd and proud of it!!! :D

I'm a Music Education major and am proud to be a member of the ASU Marching Indians, as well as Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band. As far as marching band goes....

People may laugh at us. But the week before classes started, when all of you were kickin' back, hanging out with friends, etc, we were getting up early for 9am band rehearsals that lasted until 9pm(or later)for a straight week.

All the late afternoons you spent taking naps, or goofing off, we were out in 100+ degree heat for an hour and a half, four days a week, learning drill.

All the Friday nights you got to go party with your friends, or go out with your significant other, we got stuck playing at Pep Rallies.

All the Saturdays that you got to spend doing whatever you wanted, we were coming in at least an hour before football games to play at tailgate parties. And then we played through the whole game, no matter HOW bad our team does we NEVER lose our spirit, and we're the last ones to leave the stands because we keep playing.

And there are the occasional away games, exibition shows, etc.

Yeah, maybe we ARE "band geeks". But we're DAMN PROUD band geeks, and what would colleges(or ANY school?) be without us? Not very spirited, I would guess. And as much as we complain about going to all that stuff, we love band, and we're proud to tell people we're a part of the Marching Indians.

That's my 2 cents. :D

ah yes.....except that was only a perk of being a majorette at pre-game rallies. the official "colorguard" wore what we have affectionately named the "banana suit" which resembled what i assume to be a feminine version of a soldier's uniform. it was a yellow jacket with off-white pallazzo pants that were of course hot or cold depending on what we really DIDN'T need that day!

doesn't it seem like EVERYONE'S practice field was either UP or DOWN a steep hill? I remember stretching to do the splits during band camp one year and our advisor had us do it on the hill...whoa...that was painful.

and yes, i agree w/ SoProud2BeAnAlphaXi.....the band-associated hazing was far worse than most people like to think! ours were created by the seniors, and had to be okayed by the band directors/guard advisors. we kind of always did some version of a talent show so that the other upperclassmen could have some fun with it as well. (like we had done a karaoke thing, "Who's Line Is It Anyway?" "Gong Show" etc.)

*ahhh gooood times :)

i'm impressed at the number of band geeks on GC! woo hoo...we rule!

I was a BIG band geek in high school. Every afternoon I was staying after school practicing for concert band, jazz band, orchestra, marching band. I played flute from 6th grade until 9th grade. Then I started playing tuba and am still playing that. In 10-12th grade I played tuba and trombone in jazz band. I played tuba in marching band 10th-2nd year in college. I also played baritone one year for marching band. I think it is easy to say I am a band geek. We were not the coolest people in school but we didn't care what everyone else thought, most of them sat at home every afternoon while I was standing in 90 degree weather with a sousaphone!

Band Geek And Proud Of It!,
Anne Marie

I was the announcer for the marching band for two years in high school and four years in college.

The college band was great. I was a disc jockey at a local small town rock station at the time. The band played very comtemporary rock music (which I helped the band director pick), and the director used to "fade" the band during down fields like I would fade a song on the air and talk over it.

The drum major and I would take part of a Thursday or Friday practice and work out where he would start his whistles so there would be no "dead air" between the end of my announcement and the beginning of the next song.

Great production!

This past Homecoming I was MC for an Alumni Band dinner and was given an award for being instrumental (no pun intended, since I can't play any instrument) in the "new" band, and continued support of it over the past thirty-five years.

One of the very coolest awards I've ever received.

Another band geek weighing in ;)
 

I played flute from 7th grade until graduation from college last year. Played in both marching and symphonic bands in high school and college. I have to say I was very fortunate to be a part of very good AND well-funded programs. I was a music major in college so *not* being in an ensemble is weird to me now. Definitley some very fond memories :)

I went to a performing arts school from 4-12 grades, meaning no sports, meaning no marching band.

5th grade: Began clarinet. Got all the way to advanced wind ensemble in 10th grade and was first chair Senior year.

8th grade: Began violin. Got to intermediate string orchestra before I realized I never was going to get into advanced (I couldn't play vibrato on it to save my life).

10th grade: Quit Violin, began string bass. Got to advanced orchestra and jazz band.

I was also in pit orchestra for when we did productions. I played bass clarinet and regular clarinet in Paint your Wagon, Sweeney Todd, She Loves Me and Broadway Sampler.

I got too busy in college cause I work every day. I was asked to try marching band because I'd get priority registration, but our band is awful, and I kinda don't want the band dork rep again.

Violin 1st-4th
Trombone 4th - present (4th yr college)
T-Bone in 9th grade marching band
9th Grade Guard in Renesance
10-12 Dance Line
2nd-4th year of college - CU Guard
CU winterguard

3 years active in TBS!!! :) "The Band Geek Sorority" - to quote my bio. sister...

oh my god...how could i forget....i was the shit at drill downs. i always made it to the last 5. yeah, josh8o was a pimp. lol!

hehe..I'm a band geek.. :)

5th-6th grade: clarinet
7th-college: bassoon
8th-college: trumpet

I did orchestra, symphonic, marching, and small ensembles all throughout school. :) Our school's band is pretty bad...so..I just kinda show up just for the scholarship money *nods sadly*
So now, I may be transferring to Ohio University in the fall to be in the Marching 110 to be in a decent band again....lol :)

I went to a VERY small high school with no football, therefore no marching band. I never marched before college, so drilldowns my first year were hell! I had no freaking idea what I was doing.

Oddly enough, I'm going to be our section leader next year. :D

hehehe yea .. there's a perk about being in colorguard.. the uniforms were always WAY cuter and more feminine than those bulky polyester layers :p