A Day in the Life of a Marching Band

Cougar Pride Marching Band

Have you ever wondered what your child does all day on a competition day? Why do they get to school so early? How does everything get where it needs to be? Does my child ever eat?

It is incredible to watch what goes into a competition day and how over the season so many things happen and fall into place. Did you know there is a lot of behind the scenes action that happens? From the directors and staff challenging the kids to better themselves each day to the reliance on parent volunteers that work to get so much done for the kids to be the best they can be. And you will be amazed at how much responsibility these kids have in the day's happenings. Hoping this post will give you a glimpse into what goes on during a competition day's schedule.

Show Day!

Arrival

Depending on show day performance times, rehearsals may begin early or later in the day. Kids arrive and begin preparing their instruments and materials needed for the day.

Warm-ups

When it's time for practice to start, kids move into their warmup blocks

The Pit heads out to the field to begin their warmups

The Color Guard works indoors to warmup and refine routines

Winds and Battery move to the practice field to stretch and warmup on instruments

Feed the Kids crew begins

While the kids are working on warmups... inside, the Feed the Kids crew is preparing the meal of the day. Lead by a parent volunteer, meals are created, a donation list of food is sent out to families, food is collected and a team of volunteers are gathered to prepare the competition day meal. The high school has been kind enough to let the crew use the FACS labs within the building to prepare this large volume of food. Feed the Kids concept was started to make sure the kids have a good meal on competition day and lessen the need of purchasing items from the concessions.

Practice moves to the turf

After warm up time, all the groups-winds, battery, pit and color guard-gather onto the turf field for whole group practice of the show. Drill work, music and a full run through is done.

Parent Volunteers Assemble

While the band is practicing on the field...more parent volunteers are busy preparing items for the day.

Some of the prop crew volunteers are prepping materials and making sure trucks are ready for loading.

Uniform volunteers are getting racks of uniforms and shako boxes (these include the shakos (hats), gloves and gauntlets) ready.

Other parent volunteers are setting up the food serving area in the band room.

Time to load the trucks

When practice ends, kids are in charge of getting their instruments and equipment to the needed areas. Some instruments get loaded under the semi, in the semi and smaller instruments go onto the buses. Props need to be broken down and loaded onto the different trucks. Pit equipment has to be rolled up ramps onto the truck. With this year's larger props, it is like an intricate puzzle to piece everything into the right places.

Time to feed the kids!

As kids finish their loading jobs, they get in line to be fed. Dependent on the day's schedule, feeding the kids can happen before leaving the school or it may happen at the competition site before or after a performance.

Preparations begin

As the kids finish eating, they may have some time to relax, socialize, play games and prepare for getting ready to leave. Hair is braided, color guard members work on hair and make up, kids make sure they have on needed under garments for their uniforms and uniform dressing is started.

Meanwhile...

Final loading is being done by prop parents.

Chaperones arrive and meet to discuss the day's details.

Time to head to the buses!

Kids are in charge of bringing everything they need with them on the bus.

Every inch of possible storage is utilized on buses and trucks. Shako boxes are loaded under the buses.

Off to the Performance Site!

Each year may vary on the number of vehicles that travel to a site.

This year 5 buses are used to transport the band and color guard to the performance site. Chaperones are in charge of a bus.

Also this year, there are 5 vehicles that transport needed materials, such as larger instruments, props, uniforms and food. This includes one large semi truck, 2 box trucks, and 2 trucks with trailers.

Arrival at the Performance Site

Once at the performance site, everyone is busy unloading and preparing. Students unload their uniforms, shako boxes, instruments, props. Prop crew starts assembling props if needed. Feed the kid volunteers assemble snack bags (if food is not being served at the site). If food is being served after a performance, tables are set up and food gets set out after the performance by feed the kids crew.

After unloading has occurred and kids have their instruments/equipment ready and uniforms on, they gather as their section into circles. Sections have different rituals they have developed over the years for what they might do during this circle time. This is a time for the kids to begin focusing in on the upcoming competition as a team.

Meanwhile...

some of the staff get focused in too!

Headed to Warmups

When the time comes, the group gathers and competition preparation begins! First stop is visual warmup where the horn line, battery and color guard stretch and review some body. No instruments are played during this time. This lasts about 15 minutes.

Next stop...Music Warmup which is about 30 minutes of time.

Winds warm up and go through parts of the show and tune.

Guard starts going through their parts of the show with equipment.

Pit and Battery warm up and work on techniques and show parts.

Prop Crew on the Move

While the band and guard warm up, the prop crew moves any props to the gates to be ready to move onto the field.

Onto the field!

A few minutes before the show, the band and props move into a waiting position on the end of the field. When their time begins, kids and prop crews begin moving onto the field to get ready for the performance. Bands have a 15 minute time window in which they need to set up, perform and move off the field when done.

Show time!

Go Get Em'

Cougar Pride!

Show's over

Kids and prop crew work as a team to grab all items and move them off the field and out of the stadium.

Everything gets back to the trucks and buses and repacking and reloading begins.

Kids return uniforms to bags and hang them back on the racks. Shako boxes are packed and put back under the bus. Snack bags are picked up. Once all items are loaded and cleaned up, kids head back into the stadium to watch other bands and then awards. If the performance time is closer to awards, all the changing and loading may wait until after awards.

Prop crew works on loading some of the larger props.

Award time!

Final Words

After awards, the kids head back to an area to gather and hear some words from Mr. Wing and/or other staff members. Usually this is about results of awards and other words of wisdom.

Preparing for the ride back

Chaperones do a roll call

Kids are happy about the day's results and ready to head back home.

Back to School

Once back at school, the unloading frenzy begins. Kids have to make sure they have all their belongings, uniforms, shako boxes and instruments.

Everyone works together to make sure everything is unloaded and back in their place before leaving for the day. This is one big team effort after a long day!

Day is done!

The band room is relatively clean and the kids are gone. Time to call it a day.

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