Band Aide

Yesterday I spent pretty much all day working at the Mission Viejo High School Marching Band Competition. Our band (which includes the two HolyCoast siblings) hosts this event each year, and this year we had 22 bands competing in 5 classifications; everything from "A" bands with small marching units, to the massive "AAAAA" bands like Mission Viejo, who may have 200 or more kids on the field at once.

My job again this year was working in staging, which involved making sure the bands are in position to perform at their appointed times. This is a timed and judged competition, so getting folks on and off the field on time is important to their scores.

My assigned position in the whole process was interesting as I had the chance to interact with each of the bands as they approached the field, and was able to watch the shows from my location in the end zone. My hat's off to everyone who works with the marching band programs - these kids really work their butt off. It takes a significant amount of skill to be able to learn the music, as well as the massively complicated drill maneuvers that are part of each 7 minute program. Once they start, the kids are pretty much going non-stop for the entire program, and the precision and mastery they show is very impressive.

In addition to the musicians, each performing group includes a color guard unit, made up mostly of girls, who have a whole range of activities they do, including flinging various lethal weapons around within feet of the band members. It's a wonder we don't a few people during each of these events.

Another positive aspect of the band programs is that they seem to attract really good kids. The discipline which comes with the program is a plus, but kids who have been in band for several years are usually already ahead of most others when it comes to discipline and concentration.

The day went off pretty much without a hitch. The directors and their support staffs were easy to work with, and the even though we had over 2,100 performers on the field that day, there weren't any significant problems. We had a couple of minor injuries and one kid fainted during the awards ceremony, but after all the sabres, rifles and other paraphernalia that had been flung around all day, I think we made out pretty well.

If you ever get a chance to go to one of these, it's worth the $8. You'll hear some great music, and see some amazing marching.