For anyone joining marching band next year, here are some tips for band camp and band practice.
1. BRING LOTS OF WATER AND SUNSCREEN. Idk about your school, but we don't go outside very much during band camp. (Mostly indoors.) But for when you do go outside, bring these things. Preferably not just a little plastic water bottle. I suggest those water cooler jug things, especially for outdoor practices-
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
And bring (and use) sunscreen. Remember that this is the hottest time of the year. Please, we don't want you to fry into a crisp. Or die from lack of water. And also try not to wear bracelets or hair ties on your wrists, unless you want a small tan line there.
2- BE FLEXIBLE. (No, you don't have to be able to touch your toes, the other kind of flexible.) Band is super hard at first. (I don't want to scare/discourage anyone so I won't go into detail.) But you just need to adjust, and you'll be fine.
3- MAKE FRIENDS. It's so much more enjoyable to have friends to talk to. (Actually almost all of my friends are band kids 😎)
4- DON'T GET FRUSTRATED. I had a lot of trouble with this my first year in band. So this is the most personal tip I have. No one gets stuff right the first time. So if you don't get it right, don't get frustrated. It doesn't really help the situation and it discourages you to try again. And if you start crying, (which I did. A lot.) you draw so much attention to yourself. And not the good kind of attention. And so if you feel like you're getting frustrated or like you're gonna explode, take a *short* break and calm yourself. Different people have different methods of calming down, so do what works for you.
5- HAVE FUN. Band is super fun. You get to go to every football game, go on crazy bus rides, make inside jokes with your fellow band kids, make memories, and so much more. So try not to grumble so much about how terrible practice was, or whatever.
Band has helped change me to be more social and confident in myself. (Other touchy/sappy stuff.)
