I’m exaggerating a little bit, but American Pie ruined my life. I can’t count the amount of times people have countered with “this one time, at band camp,” after I’ve mentioned that I am a member of the Boston College Marching Band. And, you know what? I’d like some new material, guys; I don’t want to have to keep laughing and pretending like quoting Alyson Hannigan is the most original band geek joke I’ve ever heard in my life. So, in defense of band geeks everywhere, I’m going to give you some new conversation topics by smashing a couple of stereotypes you’ve already made for us.
1. Band kids are bad at sports, or are otherwise not physically fit:
Let’s start with the band camp grind. When was the last time you spent nine hours (or more) at Alumni, running drill in the hot sun? Unless you’re a Screaming Eagle, the answer is never, but for us, it’s the minimum requirement. Two weeks before everyone else returns from summer vacation, we spend late August learning the halftime show so you can enjoy your first gameday back on the Heights. During band camp you can expect some type of circuit training on the field, a run around the reservoir, and at least one afternoon where we run the whole gameday experience – pregame, halftime, and all – wearing woolen uniforms. (This also means that during band camp you can expect at least three different cases of heat exhaustion and five injured members.) Once the semester really begins, we hit the turf hard with rehearsals twice a week, all in preparation for devoting our whole Saturday to gameday. We’re running sets on the field before the tailgaters have even arrived. By the time you file into the student section, we’ve already done our cardio for the weekend. Throughout the season, there is no sitting on the field and the penalty for walking is running laps. Our roster boasts a large number of club and intramural athletes and, come Marathon Monday, you can cheer many of us on as we run the 26.2 miles. Even if you don’t come to us straight off your high school’s varsity swim team, you come out of the program with a new appreciation for physical fitness. Next time you think that band kids can’t play sports, remember that I can outrun you… with my bass drum on, no less.
2. Band kids are social misfits or total geeks who are only into their music:
When you look past the uniform, we’re actually a cool crew of kids. Some of us play cooler instruments outside of band (when was the last time you called a bass guitar player a band geek?) and are involved in singing groups on campus. Yes, we do socialize with each other, but we have other groups, other friends. Band doesn’t dominate our social adjustment – we’re a well-rounded group. We’ve got academic excellence in our pre-med students alone, not to mention the rest of us, and we know how to have a good time. Oh, that party you went to in the Mods last Saturday? Thrown by a band kid.
(Disclaimer: this myth is actually partially true, but for other reasons. I may or may not own a Star Wars shot glass and lightsaber chopsticks. May or may not.)
Screaming Eagles at the Presidential Inaugural Parade
3. There’s nothing cool about being in band:
We don’t have to buy tickets to Dropkick Murphys, because we get invited to play their concerts. Next time you’re watching basketball on ESPN’s College GameDay program, pay extra close attention, not to the old game coverage, but to the musical performance shots, because you’ll see our instrumentalists and our dancers (gold dress, white boots) – yep, we filmed a commercial with Macklemore. And finally, we were within a mile of Beyoncé as she sang the national anthem in Washington D.C. (we could see the massive crowd and hear clearly from the Capitol’s sound system), and we made eye contact with President Obama as we walked down Pennsylvania Avenue in the 57th Annual Presidential Inaugural Parade. What have you done this school year? (I saw Beyoncé and Michelle Obama’s arms, so your argument is invalid.)
4. Being in band is just like the movie Drumline:
This is one of my favorite movies, so I’m still upset that this one isn’t true. The only explanation that my broken heart can give is that I don’t care what you say, I am Nick Cannon.
So, next time you meet someone in band, ask us to go to a class at the Plex or meet you off-campus for a party. Wow us with your knowledge of Star Wars (maybe that’s only applicable to me), or invite us to Beyoncé’s recently-announced world tour. You can even quote Drumline and yell, “ONE BAND, ONE SOUND!” right in my face. Just please, please, don’t imply that we’ve all been sleeping with each other that “one time at band camp.”
Photo Source:
Dave Healey, Marching Band director