Probably the biggest use of conformity I have witnessed in my teaching
career was the introduction of marching band at my school three years ago.
While there had been a marching band in through the mid-1990s, the uniforms had
been in storage since 1996. When I was hired I was quick to dust off the old
uniforms and make a big deal about this thing called marching band. Ultimately
I believed marching band would be a way for me to attract more students to the
small program. While I have seen a small increase over the past three years, I
have also had some students leave the program. I still believe that in the
longer run the revival of marching band will prove to be a huge help in
reaching students through music even though I am not seeing the changes as
quickly as I had hoped for. Below I will detail the ways that marching band has
influenced high school band conformity at my school.
The first step to starting a marching band nearly from scratch was to
get a song that we could march to. I attempted to use the school fight song for
this because I assumed the students would be familiar with it and maybe even have
it memorized. The only probably was that there was not a school fight song. And
so “Louie Louie” it was. We worked relentlessly to figure out the left foot
from the right foot and how to hold the horn and pull the toes, all while
several students were completely defiant likely because I was their 3rd
bank director in 5 years and I was making them do something completely out of
their comfort zone. I was quick to give the band a performance opportunity.
Just three weeks after starting we marched in a local parade.
There was another
band in the parade that was about 7 times the size, very experienced, and very well-funded.
I thought this would intimidate my students but instead the conformity had
already begun. They were in awe of the other group and pointed out their drums,
which were far better than the hand me downs I was able to purchase, and wanted
to know when we would get some like theirs. And so the next step was to make
our drums look like new.
We also entered a parade competition that year as comments only. It was
amazing to see the reactions as we watched some of the larger bands when we
were finished. Although my school is located only 25 minutes outside of St.
Louis, many of the students have had little exposure beyond their town. I’ll
never forget how a student asked me if the high school campus that hosted the
competition was a college. We also took our “marching band” to play pep songs
in the stands of the soccer games since we didn’t have a football team. That
winter the marching band did a short marching routine at the homecoming
assembly and the crowd loved it.
The following year we returned to the same competition, actually competed,
and for it is worth, did not finish last. We also went to a competition at a
University (as inspired by the question from the year before). It was also a “hashtag
not last” event for us. I think it was that trip and that competition that
really “sold” the kids on marching band. They were able to watch a college
football game and see the best college marching band in our state. One of the
students told me months later that he sent an email to the college band
director the very next day. That student, who was unable to get accepted straight
into college based on grades, is now doing basic training so that they can be
in the National Guard and attend that school (and march in the band) next year.
Fast forward to year three and our first ever summer band camp and field
show. We were able to enter into a co-op with another small school to make a
football team. And so without a football field to practice on we developed a
half time show that included three songs complete with drill and a color guard
routine. We competed in the same two parade competitions as the years before
but also attend a university’s “Band Day” in which the students were able to
march on the field with the college band during halftime.
Throughout this whole process I feel like it was all in the way it was
presented to the students that lead to them liking or disliking marching band.
The trophies from the competitions are proudly displayed in the band room and
every placement we earn is announced over the intercom the next school day.
Students are allowed to pick songs for the stand tunes we play at the football
and basketball games and also get to vote on the halftime show. I often give anonymous
surveys out during marching season and the response I see the most under “favorite
part of marching band” is the applause and recognition from the crowd or
audience. I think many of my students really latch on to events that give them
a sense of pride and I truly believe that marching band offers that for many
that are unable to get that feeling anywhere else in their lives and this
influence has led to conformity within the group.
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