Many years ago I learned that my school was getting a new principal as part of a district wide administrator transfer. I immediately contacted the band director at my new principal’s former school to get the skinny on what to expect. His report, unfortunately, was not good. “He doesn’t support the arts,” he told me. “He is all about athletics. Don’t expect to see him at any of your band events. Don’t expect him to help your program financially. All he cares about is that you have a band at the football and basketball games.”
With this report I was obviously concerned about how things would go, but as I got to know my principal I quickly discovered that our mutual love of sports created common ground and often provided a conversation starter. Talking about the football game the previous Friday night opened doors for discussions about upcoming marching band competitions. When I asked him to hand out trophies at our home marching band show, he came early and watched several bands from ground level. When he saw the percussion and sound equipment some of our competitor schools had, it helped him understand our needs better and got him to provide some money from the school budget to make purchases.
One day during our second year together, this principal (who by this point was a great friend) said to me, “Bandman, why is it that we get along so well? I’ve never had a good relationship with a band director until you, no matter how hard I tried.” Then he continued, “I think I know what it is. You know sports. You speak my language.” I responded, “Yes, I know sports, and you are learning that there is much more in common between band and football than you thought.”
There is a lot more in common between football and marching band than the field they use, and sharing those commonalities with football lovers can help them understand our activity and even learn to love what we do. Besides the administrators who can help us with financial and physical support needs, there are parents who don’t know why their child chose band over football, local business owners who advertise every year in the football program, and teachers who are often willing to put in extra time helping students catch up when they miss class to attend a festival or competition. So how do we help them understand marching band? We draw direct comparisons with the sport that so many Americans know and love.
Who is the Quarterback?
One day, in conversation with my principal, he said, “I used to think that the most important student position in the school was the starting quarterback, but I now realize that we have many ‘quarterbacks’ in the school. Isn’t your head drum major the equivalent of a quarterback?”
That was a great day! Just by observing the marching band in performance, my principal had learned the important role of the drum major. Like the quarterback, he or she is responsible for running the offense. The drum major has to observe the situation, know when to act (call the play), give the commands that start each part of the show (run the play), and be prepared to correct any issues that may take place during performance (audible). Like the quarterback, the students in the band look to the drum major as their leader on the field.
But what about the rest of the band? The low brass and woodwinds provide the foundation of the band. Without their big, beefy sound the music (play) gets nowhere. Doesn’t that sound like the offensive line? The high brass and upper woodwinds generally handle melodic material. The woodwinds especially often get music with a high degree of technical demand. Perhaps the trumpets and mellophones could be compared to the running backs, who sometimes dance gingerly through holes and other times gain ground through sheer power. The woodwind section is the wide receiver—they constantly run intricate routes, are the fastest players in the band, and when the ball is thrown to them they take full advantage of the opportunity. The percussion section is the heartbeat of the band, and the drumline captain position is arguably the second most important position in the band. He or she works with the drum major to make sure tempos are correct and that the band has a successful musical performance. In effect, the percussion section is the first line of defense (defensive line, linebackers) when it comes to preventing potential musical issues and the drum line captain (middle linebacker) calls the plays for them. Football coaches often refer to the three phases of the game; namely offense, defense, and special teams. The color guard is the “special team” of the band. Like the player returning a punt for a touchdown, they can electrify the crowd with a dazzling display of skill with a flag, rifle, or sabre. Like special teams, they move the furthest of any in the show, have to be in precise positions at any given time, and are often the most underappreciated but critically important part of the game.
What is Our Playbook?
Football players spend hours memorizing the plays they will use in games. Likewise, band members are given a “dot book” that includes the coordinates for every set in the drill. There is one significant difference, however. Football teams will keep the same plays for years, adding new plays and eliminating those that don’t work as they go, but bands will use one playbook for a competitive season and then have to learn a completely new playbook the next year.
What Do We Practice?
Marching band rehearsals start with a conditioning exercise, a marching basics block, and a full visual and music rehearsal. Just like a football player, a member of a marching band must have the conditioning to handle the high degree of physical demand in a show. Like the drills that football teams run at the beginning of practice and prior to a game, marching bands work on marching basics to improve body posture and carriage, foot time, and overall technique at the beginning of rehearsal and at the beginning of their warmup prior to a show. Have you ever heard about coaches running a play over and over again in practice to get every move perfect? The drill for the show is broken down into smaller chunks (plays) which are repeated over and over again until everyone has a clear understanding of their visual and musical responsibility—always seeking perfection.
Football teams often work on their three phases (offense, defense, and special teams) separately to perfect what they do during their practices. Likewise, marching band rehearsals often have their three phases (winds, percussion, and color guard) work separately before convening as a group to work on the full product.
What Do We Wear?
Obviously, a football uniform and a marching band uniform are vastly different, but both serve an important purpose. The uniform is a symbol of who we are. It replaces the needs of one with the needs of many. The uniform fosters team spirit and establishes a feeling of unity. As a high school band director, I watched with pride every year when my rookie band members donned their uniform for the first time in the fitting room. Their eyes were so bright with excitement they could light up the entire room! I also watched at the end of the season when seniors took off their uniform for the last time. Many tears were shed on those uniforms as students realized that an activity so treasured by them was now over. I had the same opportunity to watch football players leaving the field following their final game with the same emotions.
What Do We Learn?
I had an assistant principal who played football growing up and eventually coached at the high school level before he became an administrator. When his son chose marching band over football, he was initially upset and tried mightily to convince his son that he was missing out on all the great lessons football had taught him as a teenager—but by the end of his son’s first season he had changed his tune. He came to me following our last performance and said “I never realized that there could be an activity other than athletics that could teach the importance of teamwork, provide a great group of friends, get parents engaged, and provide so many other life skills. I will always be an advocate for marching band.” Following my band’s first performance in the Rose Parade, my principal (the one I mentioned at the beginning of this article) said “I never knew that something could bring as much positive exposure and notoriety to a school as a state football championship. When your band marched in the Rose Parade it was easily the equivalent.”
Speak in a Language They Understand
Do you struggle sometimes to explain the marching arts to someone who would rather go buy a hotdog during halftime then to sit and watch the marching band? Have you ever tried in vain to explain the marching band or drum corps activity to a sports enthusiast? Perhaps you need to speak in a language they understand! The next time you have a chance, perhaps you should start your conversation with “what do you know about football?” Trust me, that will get their attention. Tell them about the marching band quarterback and the three phases of the marching band. Talk about band conditioning and rehearsals. They may not understand completely at first, but I guarantee they will watch the band’s performance from a different perspective and will immediately have a greater appreciation for what they see and hear. You may even win over a new fan!
