Marching Band Stereotypes

Keep Calm and March On “Left. Left. Left, Right, Left.” Everyone notices the football players during the football games on Friday nights, but almost no one notices the halftime show. Marching bands have been around for a long time and can range from levels between high school and professional. One would mostly likely see instruments such as trumpet, trombone, snare drum, piccolo, and bass drum in a marching band. Marchers are likely found on football fields, in stands, and on the streets in a parade. Instead of having “games”, marching bands have shows, or performances. To prepare for these performances, marchers go through camps and sectionals, and are constantly working to improve their sound and tone. Marchers and directors go through all
But, to be honest, being a band geek has nothing to do with marching band. Being a band geek means that they go overboard with being in band, not that they are in band. This stereotype is the main reason why people don’t appreciate marching band and the work that they put into a performance. Everyone notices the work and performance of the football, basketball, baseball, volleyball, softball, track, cross-country, golf, and soccer players, but not the marchers. This is because society has told the general population that being in a sport automatically makes them “cool” and that everyone needs to pay attention to everyone that plays a sport. So, based on this logic, if marching band is found and counted as a sport, then every marcher would be considered “cool” and would probably be invited into the “popular” crowd, instead of being stuck as their own group that hangs out only in the band room. This is why so many people have been debating over the topic of marching band becoming a sport. They don’t want the “band geeks” at the same level of popularity as they are. Aside from all of the fears of marching band becoming a sport, here are some reasons why marching band should be considered a sport. Marchers work just as hard as football players. Marchers and football players both practice for crazy amounts of time and prepare for one event. Sports teams and marching bands all work towards one
Sadly, even after all of their hard work, no one rarely ever goes to football games for the marching band performance. They don’t because society has shown them that marching band isn’t important through the history of marching band, the lack of publicity towards marching band, the cultural neglectance of the halftime performance, the lack of funds towards marching band committees, neglecting to regard how hard marchers work on a daily basis, and refusing to let marching band be considered a sport. Marching band stemmed from army bands, and the main reason that musicians were involved in army band was because they were too weak to be in the actual army. There is never a segment during a news broadcast that has to do with the daily schedule of marching band, as it is with sports. Marching band is unique to American culture, yet, society has neglected its importance. Many marching bands around the area are going into financial crises because of the lack of funds and sponsorships for them. Marchers are some of the most hard-working people that are involved in a sport, yet, people neglect all of the hard work that they put into the performance. Marchers practice the same amount of hours that other sports do and they also have uniforms and equipment that is needed for them, yet teams such as football and basketball are allowed to be documented as sports and marching band can’t.