If you’ve been outside in the mornings, you’ve undoubtedly heard the drums or the instruments from the Mount Vernon Marching Mustangs. What you may not know is that all this effort, along with the work that happened during Band Camp in August, is to prepare the yearly show that they perform at each home football game and take to the Marching Band Competitions.
When we arrived in Mount Vernon and our oldest daughter joined the Band, we were surprised to see just 35 students in the program. She had left a strong band of 400 students (one-fourth of the student body). We knew we were coming to a smaller school district, but didn’t expect to find such a small band here.
During Laura’s years playing in the band and performing with the Color Guard, we started to see the band slowly grow. At the end of her junior year, the students found out that Mr. Moore was moving and a new band director was going to be hired. She and her sister, Clarissa, were nervous about changes that could happen, just as the band was starting to grow.
They didn’t need to worry at all, because when Mr. Weber came to Mount Vernon, he took the rising momentum and energized the band program to grow to the potential that it had all along. He instilled in the students a sense of pride to be representing not only their school, but their community. He also has worked hard to make the Marching Band a family where the students know they belong and can trust the people around them.
This year the Marching Mustangs number 120 students, a far cry from the 35 students we saw on the field 10 years ago. This also means that one-fourth of the student body at the high school is involved with band, just as we saw at Whitehouse High School in Texas.
The next time you see the band perform, please realize how much work has gone into the show you are enjoying. The students have learned and memorized the music. They have mastered a difficult marching routine, which is completely different for each individual student. The color guard has learned the choreography that adds “pizzazz” to the show and has to make sure they weave in and out of the band members. Each student had to be measured and fitted with a uniform. All the equipment and backdrops had to be put on the field and then taken off in time.
I read a post on Facebook that the East Tennessee University Band had written to help put into perspective just what high school band students go through to participate in this activity: “Here’s the big deal about high school marching band. Students spend hours upon hours working to perfect a show for performances that will last around eight minutes. Each performance is a big deal.
“If someone has a bad twenty seconds, it can wreak havoc on the entire band. If someone is confused, or not quite sure of the next move, there is no opportunity to call time out and get clarification.
“The band gets seven to eight minutes to showcase what they’ve spent hundreds of hours working on. They don’t get four quarters or nine innings; just a few minutes. If someone isn’t feeling well, twists their ankle, or gets knocked on their rear, they can’t call time-out and ask for a sub. The show must go on.
“Everyone works hard, day in and day out, for the team, the group, knowing that they will not be singled out for special recognition. All the work is done for the good of the group. That’s extremely awesome.
“Hug a band kid, or at least give them a high five after their next performance. GO BAND!!”
Being a part of the Marching Band has made a huge difference in my daughters’ lives. My third daughter, Sadie, initially wasn’t part of band, but when she saw that all of her friends were having a great time at the games and competitions, she asked if she could join the band. Mr. Weber was thrilled to have her and asked what instrument she played, to which she told him that she only played cello. Undeterred, he helped her to find an instrument and she learned the marimba.
Our last daughter is a senior this year and has played the mellophone and French Horn all of her years in the band. Margaret has made some of her best friends in school from among her fellow band members. She has learned what it means to “have someone’s back” as she has participated in this activity. She knows that even when she is exhausted, she owes it to her Band Family to work a little harder for the good of the group.
Truth be told, I wasn’t a band kid in high school. I was in choir and so the world of band has been very foreign to me. I’m still learning all of the instruments and I still confuse which ones are brass and which ones are woodwinds. Nonetheless, I am a Band Mom and I am so very proud of our Marching Mustangs and how hard they work to represent their school and their community. Cheer on these kids for all the hard work they’ve put into this difficult activity.