Who hypes the crowd up at football games and pep rallies? The band, of course! Being a band member takes a lot of commitment, especially leading up to important events. The fall semester is one of the busiest times for university marching bands because they must practice for football events along with parades and band competitions. Throughout the fall semester, their practices are filled with hard work and dedication in order to prepare for their performances. In the summer, bands even have at least one week of band camp in which they practice for most of the day. Band camp is the time where new members usually learn the halftime show, work on technique and practice routines for the stands. Many athletes fail to realize how much hard work goes into the performances at sporting events, which is why I propose the teams attend at least one band event to show their appreciation for the band. Consider the requirement that the band performs at the sporting events, especially the football games. Why can’t athletes come to one of the band’s events to demonstrate the mutual love and gratefulness?
As a dancer who has experience performing alongside a high school marching band, I have an understanding of how much practice and stamina it takes to make a halftime show look flawless. During football season, the practices were the longest and hardest ones of the academic year. There was a myriad of times when the members of the band were the last people to leave the school due to long practices. After all of the effort bands put into football season, they’d without a doubt be appreciative of direct support from football players at their events. Some band members have even voiced this proposition by posting about it on social media. While holding conversations with band members, it was often concluded that the requirement for band members be at football games and the lack of support from athletes at band events fails to demonstrate any mutual support.
Although the majority of football players fail at showing their appreciation of the band, some have shown their gratefulness by wishing the band good luck before performances or supporting at one of the band events. For example, after a Mainland High School football game against Deltona High School was over, the Marching Buccaneers performed their halftime show and all of the Mainland football players and coaches remained on the sideline to cheer on the band members. Throughout the entire performance, football players were supporting their talented peers. As the band exited the field after the performance, the Mainland football players gave band members and dancers high fives or pats on the back to show appreciation. After the game, band members and dancers discussed their thankfulness of such actions by the football players. If more football players joined in on such actions, band members would feel more appreciated by their athletic peers!