Running head: Marching Band at the University of Arizona

Marching Band at the University of Arizona

Katelyn Holt

Arizona State University

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Abstract

The community I conducted my research on was the marching band at the University of

Arizona. In person and over communications through the computer, I interviewed two of the

band members. I also participated in and observed their practice and performance activities and

schedule during their family weekend event. I hoped to attain knowledge of a college marching

band and gain a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be in a marching band outside of the

stereotypes of that community. Should marching band be considered a sport, why or why not?

What does the schedule of a band student look like in terms of practice, school, and personal

time? What disciplines can be taught from participating in band? What are practice conditions

and regimine like? Do the musicians value or appreciate their own community, and do they feel

their community valued by others?

Keywords: Marching band, discipline, value, schedule

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[Title]

Section 1, Question Bank

I hope to discover the inside of the band community. I feel that outsiders to the band

lifestyle blindly believe all stereotypes about their community and assume that band members

are outcasts. I hope to bring light to the band community and reveal to outsiders that their

preconceived notions are false. I’m also curious about how band members manage to balance

their lives. I myself was involved in theater, but I will be the first to admit that band members put

in hours more practice (at home and in person) than most other extracurriculars, and I’m curious

to find out how different band members manage their stress/busy lives.

Central Research Question

➢ Is marching band a misunderstood community?

General Inquiry/Observation Questions

➢ What are practice conditions like?

➢ What is the men to women ratio of musicians in the band?

➢ When/where/how do they practice?

General Interview Questions

➢ What first inspired you to join band?

➢ How did you pick your specific instrument?

➢ Describe your experience in balancing your school/work/practice/social lives.

➢ What is your opinion on the debate over band being considered a sport?

➢ Do you feel there is a stigma that follows the term “band kid”? Do you find it unfair or

inaccurate? Why or why not?

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Interview Questions for Specific People

➢ Do you have any specific attachments with your instrument?

➢ What has being in band taught you?

➢ Please explain the differences between your experiences in high school band vs. college

band.

➢ What are some frustrations you have about band? Some joys/perks/highlights?

➢ List some examples of things you wish others would learn about band in order to

understand the community outside of the stereotypes.

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Section 2, Sites of Inquiry

Sites of Inquiry Contact / Location Dates / Times

University of Arizona, Tucson, Aliyah Postell Interview

AZ 85721 UA Family Weekend,
Attended October 5-7.
University of Arizona, Tucson, Alicia Woods Email Questions
AZ 85721 10/22/18
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Section 3, Inquiring into Objects /Artifacts

Part 1, Summarize the experience, including responses and notes (~200 words):

When digging into the band community and objects that had significance to band

members, I immediately thought of their instruments. Each musician needs their instrument to

participate in the band, but their instrument also has its own unique meaning and backstory to

each individual band member. While visiting my best friend Aliyah Postell at the UA campus, I

asked her questions concerning any connections she has with her instrument as well as the

backstory as to how she came to play that specific instrument. “Funny story: I actually wanted to

play the guitar...so when I joined band in sixth grade, I told the teacher that. Instead, he handed

me a trombone, and here I am eight years later still playing the exact same instrument and

sticking to low brass.” Aliyah also mentioned that she affectionately named her trombone “T-

bone” and she also named her high school baritone (the sister instrument of the trombone)

“Barry”, but unfortunately she was not permitted to take Barry with her when she graduated high

school.

I interviewed Alicia Woods via internet questionnaire due to time and distance

constraints. When asked the same questions, Alicia responded, “I actually don’t play my primary

instrument, clarinet, in the ensemble I am in now. In elementary school I attend an instrument

petting zoo and for some reason woodwinds stood out to me the most and I decided on clarinet.

However, in high school and college marching bands I found that the clarinet parts were not as

impactful or honestly as enjoyable as some of the other instruments. So I switched to baritone…”

With these two contrasting opinions on their instruments, I cannot definitively say that all band

members feel an attachment to the instrument they play, but they most likely have an interesting

backstory as to how they chose their instrument.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

1. “Funny story: I actually wanted to play the guitar, because I had had this pink acoustic

guitar that I had gotten as a gift but never knew how to play, so I when I joined band in
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sixth grade I told the teacher that. Instead, he handed me a trombone, and here I am eight

years later still playing the exact same instrument and sticking to low brass.” The

significance of this shows the history of choosing her specific instrument and her

backstory to her introduction in band.

2. “My trombone is named T-Bone, my baritone that I marched all three years I was in the

marching band in high school was named Barry, and my current baritone is named Barry

2.0.” This is significant because it displays her connection to her instruments.

3. “I actually don’t play my primary instrument, clarinet, in the ensemble I am in now. In

elementary school I attend an instrument petting zoo and for some reason woodwinds

stood out to me the most and I decided on clarinet. However, in high school and college

marching bands I found that the clarinet parts were not as impactful or honestly as

enjoyable as some of the other instruments. So I switched to baritone because in my

opinion low brass is one of the most important and impactful sections of the band. Also

the parts are fun.” The significance of this shows how not all band members feel an

allegiance to the instrument that introduced them to band, and it also shows that band

members remember the story behind how they came to play the instrument they are with

now.

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

The easy part was finding an object that could be significant to band members, which

very clearly would be their instruments. The difficult part came in asking questions that would

allow them to accurately describe why their instrument was important to them. The answer could
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not be as simple as “My instrument is important because I need it to play the parts in the musical

piece,” so my question could not be “What is the significance of your instrument?” Instead, I

decided to ask them to answer from the perspective of the personal significance of their

instruments. I feel that approaching the objects from a personal perspective allows outsiders to

connect with these band members. What inspired me to look into the band community in the first

place was the idea that outsiders mock and have a lack of appreciation, respect, and

understanding of the band community. I feel that in bringing light to the importance of

instruments to the musicians helps the reader to connect with the band members and understand

that their connection to their instrument is similar to an athlete’s

football/basketball/baseball/what have you.

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Section 4, Inquiring into Place

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

The UA marching band typically practices on a field separate from their performance

field (the football stadium). The reasoning for the change in location is unclear, one can assume

it is due to interference with the practice schedule of the football team as well as concern for

maintaining the pristine conditions of the football field. When asked, Aliyah responded, “In

college, we can practice anywhere from McKale field, Bear Down Field, or occasionally the

Arizona Stadium (football field). There is never really a guaranteed schedule of where we will

practice when, so it is very important to be flexible and watch for updates from the staff

members!” Bear Down Field is similar in size and yard line markings to the performance field.

Its functionality is to provide the band with a location that has accurate spacing for the band to

base their movements off of. The band bases all of their formations off of the yard line

indicators, so it is required that each member counts their steps as well as making sure to make

uniform movements to fall in line with the yard placements.

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Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

1. “ In college, we can practice anywhere from McKale field, Bear Down Field, or the

Arizona Stadium (football field). There is never really a guaranteed schedule of where we

will practice when, so it is very important to be flexible and watch for updates from the

staff members!” This is significant because it shows that the band practices on fields

separate from their performance field, with few practices actually taking place on the

performance field.

Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):
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While conducting my observations at UA family weekend, I noticed that the band

members must have high levels of organization, flexibility, and patience; at the drop of a hat,

they could be informed to arrive at a different location each week for their practice, and they

have to be prepared to follow those directions. This opened my eyes to something band members

have to juggle that other extracurriculars/sports will not necessarily handle. My research also

brought light to the amount of work that goes into each song. Within each set, there are counts,

beats, and steps that have to be taken in order for their formations to depict the correct image as

seen from the stands. Each individual member has to take a precise amount of steps specific to

them, and if they fail to reach a certain distance in their allotted time, it can disrupt the entire

formation. The band has dozens of these formations throughout their entire performance, and

they practice months on end to perfect their set. Without their practice fields, they would not be

able to have a way to accurately execute their formations repeatedly and perfect them.
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Section 5, Inquiring into Activities/Events

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

At family weekend, the guests were invited to join the band members on the field. From

the beginning of practice, I could tell it was going to be filled with physical activity because we

began with a routine of stretches. After stretching, we all fell in line with the band and made our

own spots within their formation. We were taught how to walk as if we were part of the band

because they have a specific technique of taking steps. On a loudspeaker played a metronome,

and the families were all taught to start one one yard line and move in time with the metronome

to land exactly on the next yard line, as if they were actually part of the band, tirelessly for thirty

minutes straight. “I do most definitely think band is a sport and will always defend that stance.

To be more specific, I believe band itself is an art form and marching band is an art applied to a

sport. We practice hours upon hours and compete/showcase our talent just like other “traditional”

sports, and the great physicality that goes into doing what we do is nothing the average person

can do.” After repeating the steps at various speeds, the band moved on to tuning their

instruments. The loudspeakers played a single notes and each musician matched that pitch. Band

coaches roamed through the sea of instruments carrying their phones that were open to tuning

apps; the coaches would hold their phones up to each instrument and make sure they were

perfectly in tune with the note on the loudspeaker. After successfully tuning their instruments,

the families sat out and the band practiced for two more hours for some real practice.

Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

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4. “I do most definitely think band is a sport and will always defend that stance. To be more

specific, I believe band itself is an art form and marching band is an art applied to a sport.

We practice hours upon hours and compete/showcase our talent just like other

“traditional” sports, and the great physicality that goes into doing what we do is nothing

the average person can do.” This is significant because I witnessed firsthand the amount

of work that goes into band practices and I don’t feel that others realize they work just as

hard as other activities that are officially deemed sports.

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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

Being part of the actual practice gave me a new understanding of what all goes into band

practices. Outsiders to the band community are quick to assume that band comes easy to the

members and they don’t take into account the hours that go into their practices and

performances. They were out on the field from eight in the morning and practiced until noon. For

four straight hours, they went through their sets repeatedly, each time tweaking their

performance to make it slightly better as the practice progressed. I am guilty of assuming that

band was an easy extracurricular, and that is why I chose their community to research more

about. After spending an entire game day in their shoes, I now agree with Aliyah that band is in

fact a sport. Not only did they complete a four hour practice Saturday morning, but they also

performed in the stands the entire football game on top of performing their halftime

performance. Then, when the game ended, the band marched to the administration building

across campus and performed in the courtyard for all of the guests to see. The band was on call

for 12 hours that day, and I cannot say I know any other extracurricular that has that level of

intense dedication.
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Section 6, Inquiring into People/Person

Part 1, Summarize the observation, including responses and notes (~200 words):

I asked Aliyah a series of questions. One being to describe the differences between high

school and college band. She responded that in high school, the students chose which

instruments they played and they were required to be allowed to play in the band, but in college

they had to audition and earn their spots, and she felt this led to a difference in the dedication

college students feel in the band as compared to high school students. I also asked if there was

information she wished outsiders to the band community would learn. She responded by saying

she believes there is a common misconception that somehow the band pulls off a fantastic

musically- and visually-pleasing show without actually putting in the physical, mental, and

emotional efforts into it all, and she wishes more people would step into their shoes to see

everything that goes into their performances. I asked her if she believed band shaped her

personality, she responded by saying she definitely feels like a better, shaped person after joining

band and feels that she has become more confident in herself and generally happier as a result of

being in the marching bands over the past four years. I asked if it was difficult balancing school,

band, work, and social lives, and she responded by saying it is indeed very, very stressful trying

to maintain a healthy balance of school/band/social life due to the additional workload that

comes naturally with college along with the increased intensity of college band. Although she

finds it more stressful, she is also grateful that she has fellow bandmates to understand her.

Part 2, Principle Quotes or Observations with an explanation of value:

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5. “In high school, you could decide you wanted to be in the marching band and, as simple

as that, you were in, which I can see looking back now lead to a lot of insubordination

and other great amounts of negativity among both the members and the staff alike. I

definitely enjoyed my time in high school, but after being in the college marching band

for two months now I can genuinely see how much everyone cares about the organization

because they genuinely want to be here. We all auditioned to be in the band and are all

willing to dedicate ourselves to this amazing program.” This is significant because it

shows the change in the dedication of band members in college vs. high school.

6. “I believe there is a common misconception that somehow we pull off a fantastic

musically- and visually-pleasing show without actually putting in the physical, mental,

and emotional efforts into it all. I wish others could step into our shoes and genuinely

experience what it is that we do every day so that they can see firsthand what exactly it is

that we do and just how much hard work goes into a program like this.” This is

significant because it is exactly why I chose the band community to be my research topic,

outsiders don’t understand what goes on in a marching band and they make assumptions.

7. “I definitely feel like a better, shaped person after joining band. In middle school, being

in the class helped me to meet others who shared a common love for music, but high

school was where my greater personal development began. I have become more

confident in myself and generally happier as a result of being in the marching bands over

the past four years.” This is significant because band has a large impact on the lives of its

members.

8. “It is indeed very, very stressful trying to maintain a healthy balance of

school/band/social life. The change in academic workload intensity from high school to
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college is still an incredible feat to adjust to, and on top of that marching band here is 100

times more intense than it ever was in high school, so juggling both does not lead to a lot

of stress-free times. However, the people I have met in my section have been amazing

friends who understand the great demands of our busy schedules, so we meet once or

twice a week outside of band just to hang out and de-stress.” This is significant because

while Aliyah has struggled to balance her new college/band life, she has successfully

done it with the support of her fellow bandmates.

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Part 3, Reflect on the process, occurrences, and results of this research, including inferences
about the significance of your observations and interview responses. (~300 words):

By hearing Aliyah and Alicia’s personal experiences, I can now say that I have gained

better insight to the band community. They dedicate themselves to the band program, and they

just wish that others would take their band seriously for what they see it as--a sport that takes just

as much time and dedication as any other sport on campus. Band has the power to mold its

members personalities, and it becomes part of who they are. They see band as a sacrifice that

they are happy to make because it is something they’ve come to love and respect. Band members

simply want the recognition for the hard work and dedication that goes into their program.

Section 7, Soundscape Links

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Convert your Apple Memo (m4a) into MP3

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EMq61-HZMzsF2anm5MAC2cfuK92q-4Kp
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Section 8, WP3 Proposal

The primary research question asked at the beginning of the research was “Is marching

band a misunderstood community?” According to information gathered from observation and

personal interviews, the overall answer to the project is that yes, the band is a misunderstood and

underappreciated community. This question was prompted by my own personal curiosity to the

band community as my best friend is a member of this community and I felt that I never

understood her frustrations or stress when it came to any band program, so I felt compelled to

research her community to see if there were factors I was overlooking that might provide me

with insight to the life of a band member. I asked a set of questions, some personal and some

about the overall facts of the band program, to discover the points of view of different band

members. It was necessary to receive their personal perspective on the community as well as

what they knew as the facts in order to provide the reader/the outsider with information that

could allow them to connect with and understand band musicians. Given my research, I propose

an essay that will inform its audience about the importance and relevance of the band community

to students as well as the schools they represent, while also properly depicting the level of

dedication and hard work that the musicians bring to the programs as to give insight to outsiders

who have misconceived notions about the band community.

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References

Postell, A. (2018, October 6). Personal Interview at the University of Arizona

Woods, A. (2018, October 22). Internet Questionnaire/Interview