Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marching band is treated like a sport in some ways, OP. Marching band students have to get in shape for the season, too. They do push ups. They run miles in the hot, summer sun. They do a "hell week" of 12-hour non-stop band practice.

It isn't a gimme, it isn't easy. And it looks damn good on a college application. Marching band helped our oldest get into a very competitive university. It showed dedication to something over four years, and band kids are the smart kids. You want your kid around the smart kids. High school sports are a dime a dozen, but there is only one marching band at school. Do it!

I've seen our school's marching band. You must have a very expansive view of 'in shape'

Look at the other sports.

Anonymous wrote:Marching band is treated like a sport in some ways, OP. Marching band students have to get in shape for the season, too. They do push ups. They run miles in the hot, summer sun. They do a "hell week" of 12-hour non-stop band practice.

It isn't a gimme, it isn't easy. And it looks damn good on a college application. Marching band helped our oldest get into a very competitive university. It showed dedication to something over four years, and band kids are the smart kids. You want your kid around the smart kids. High school sports are a dime a dozen, but there is only one marching band at school. Do it!

I've seen our school's marching band. You must have a very expansive view of 'in shape'

It is a very large time commitment - at least as much as an intensive sport - but a wonderful experience. I did color guard in school (since I played piano) and although I did several other activities as well my friends and best memories are from band.

DC1 is in it now and I have strongly encouraged DC2 to do it. Both play instruments and were interested (no arm twisting). Particularly for DC1 who is shyer it was absolutely the right path re: helping make a lot of friends and integrate quickly into HS.

Anonymous wrote:I did marching band but we had 1 or 2 weekly practices after school during marching season and none post-season. Band camp was half days for 2 weeks in August. We didn't win any medals or state championships but it was still tons of fun and many kids managed to do both band and sports. It's a bummer that marching band is such a big time commitment around here. Not surprising though.

It's not just this area. Where I grew up, marching band also had a significant time commitment for 2 months in the fall. Our mb was competitive, we went to region and sometimes state.

I did marching band but we had 1 or 2 weekly practices after school during marching season and none post-season. Band camp was half days for 2 weeks in August. We didn't win any medals or state championships but it was still tons of fun and many kids managed to do both band and sports. It's a bummer that marching band is such a big time commitment around here. Not surprising though.

Anonymous wrote:Thank God my MS kid who is a tremendous athlete plays a string instrument. I had no idea. They may want to share this with parents at the ES level so kids know, before choosing a band instrument, that that is a sacrifice they will have to make down the line.

Exactly why I told my kid who plays multiple sports to play a string instrument. I know marching band is an incredible experience. But my kid has made clear athletics over music so strings seemed better than band.

At our school there are two practices after school almost the entire year and every day during marching season. It's really annoying.

Marching band is treated like a sport in some ways, OP. Marching band students have to get in shape for the season, too. They do push ups. They run miles in the hot, summer sun. They do a "hell week" of 12-hour non-stop band practice.

It isn't a gimme, it isn't easy. And it looks damn good on a college application. Marching band helped our oldest get into a very competitive university. It showed dedication to something over four years, and band kids are the smart kids. You want your kid around the smart kids. High school sports are a dime a dozen, but there is only one marching band at school. Do it!

Marching Band was one of the highlights of my time in High School. Loved it. It was not a requirement but it was a ton of fun. I was involved in a good number of activities, to include varsity sports and other clubs. I dropped soccer as a sport so I could do marching band.

I don’t know what level 3 is but over at woodson there are 3 bands- concert, symphonic and wind ensemble (lowest to highest ability). Mb only required at wind ensemble level but I have heard there are waivers and I have heard some kids choose to stay at lower level to avoid mb. That said, mb is an amazing experience and opportunity for kids and I’m disheartened to hear that so many kids don’t want to do it/parents don’t want them to do it. I know it’s not for everyone, but music programs are really suffering and they are so important. I have seen robinson perform and they are impressive. It would be an honor for your kid to march with them!

Anonymous wrote:Mine went through TJ. Not a requirement. But, they still had a large band for a small school.

TJ and the other schools are aiming for different things with their bands. At most schools, the marching band's enrollment is propped up by requiring concert band members to join. At TJ, they need to prop up the concert band program (since kids would rather take other classes) so they require marching band members to be in the curricular program as well.

The underlying issue is that kids want to do one but not the other, and it often leads to the neglected program collapsing, which is bad for the school. (This is doubly so for TJ, since you cannot have a marching band if you don't have a concert band program. That's what keeps the director employed.) If there was a large enough group of kids passionate about both, maybe this wouldn't be a requirement.

I had no idea this was a thing. I've actually told my elementary age kids that they can't do marching band because I've seen the time commitment. I had no idea it would be required of them past a certain level.

When do kids go to Level 3? Is that like, junior year? Or is it as early as freshman year if they've played since 7th? Can they opt to continue with the intermediate band in order to avoid being forced into marching band?

It's also very true that for many adults I talk to, their high school band experience was the best thing they did in high school! It is a lot of time, but that doesn't have to be a negative. In fact, it's often where you build the long-standing relationships and life skills.

This thread shows why it's required. Parents would not allow their children to do it, which would cripple the marching band and lessen the experience for everyone.

Thank God my MS kid who is a tremendous athlete plays a string instrument. I had no idea. They may want to share this with parents at the ES level so kids know, before choosing a band instrument, that that is a sacrifice they will have to make down the line.