Timpani

The multiple techniques and performance styles of marching bands have developed over the past decades. The first school with a marching band was the University of Notre Dame in Indiana which took place in the year of 1842. The band formed and presented their skills even before the university’s football team existed, whose first season began in 1887 (“Notre Dame”). Throughout the years, band groups have become more and more competitive. Nowadays, there are several types of marching bands that…

There are several things that I can do personally to make this marching season amazing. First, I want to maintain a healthy diet. I think being able to have a healthy diet can help me come to rehearsal and have plenty of energy. Secondly, I will start having a morning routine of workouts. These workouts will help me during the season so I will give my best performance. Also, another thing I want to do is improve my self confidence. Self confidence has been a little bit of a problem with me this…

Drums are musical instruments that give a sense of happiness and a sense of enjoyment. I have wanted to play drums since I was around 6 years old. I first saw them played on TV. I then found a greater interest when I saw them being played in church. I liked the base drum the most because of the big deep sound it has. People can use music as speech by expressing what they feel through sound. Elvin Jones is a Black American drummer who express himself through jazz. Elvin Ray Jones was born on…

When people think of marching band, they tend to believe it is a joke or a waste of time. Marching band is a more time consuming activity that starts late in the summer. Yet the people that are not involved in the Fine Arts are more likely to have these false accusations. While most believe marching band is not a sport, is for the unpopular kids, and requires no prior skill, it in fact requires a great deal of time and dedication. A lot of marching bands practice on a daily bases, implying the…

“you may enter the field in competition.” the sentence rings through your head as you start to count. The drums beat around you the wind rushes past you as go from set to set. You spin and twirl and play giving ever count every routine of drill your everything. This is marching band, and this is the moment in time that will make or break your team. Being a two year member of the WIlson high school marching band i don’t think people understand just how hard we work. Our dedication goes beyond…

The phrase “band is life” is thrown around between each member of the band. To an outsider, the phrase might be a little strange and not knowing the context of it might be off putting. The phrase to each member roughly means this is what I really enjoy being apart of and I'm proud of what I'm building. Another phrase used by the band at Center Hill is “What does it take to make a marching band great?” and the response of the entire band yells back “Pride!” and they repeat what two times and…

Throughout childhood, people try and find where they fit in, where they belong. I desperately tried to find my place by throwing myself into multiple activities, from sports to musical groups. I liked the majority of them, but nothing was as enjoyable as marching band. The image I have chosen is my marching band’s practice field. We like to call it our “dirt mound” due to the lack of flat ground, dying grass, and dirt ditches from the years of band camp. The field may not boast the greatest…

If I could pinpoint the one day that has made the greatest impact on my life, it would be a day in the fall of sixth grade: the day I decided to join my school’s band. Not just the band; I wanted to play the drums in the band, which required a screening audition, a daunting task for a sixth grader whose only experience with percussion had been banging on an out-of-tune toy drum kit in his basement. During the screening audition, the teacher said to me, “When we are done, are you willing to…

The sound of the snare drum made me scared in my mind I thought Please Mr. Zielenski don’t pick me to play the snare… I had known that I could not play the snare drum last year in sixth grade and I wouldn’t even touch one the sound of it was cool, but I could never just get the rhythm right. When I started band I started with a camp over the summer and I was pretty great at playing the quarter notes only. The weeks I tried hard at trying to play the snare, but I constantly did flams (using…

High School band, whether it be marching band, concert band, jazz band, pep band, etc…, is an invaluable source of reference for the real world. It grows students mentally, emotionally, and sometimes physically by teaching how to work hard and not just quit because times are getting tough, prepares students for the real world by giving said pupils responsibilities beyond what most high school students have, and high school band also builds comradery among its members. Band is an invaluable…