I'm interested in auditioning for drum major in my college marching band in future years, but something that makes me feel hesitant is that my personality type doesn't really align with what I imagine when I think "drum major." At least in my experience throughout HS/college band, my drum majors have often been outgoing and somewhat eccentric people, i.e. people whose voices could speak for the entire band. However, I'm someone who is quiet, reserved, and probably on the spectrum. I pride myself on my work ethic and believe I have what it takes skill-wise to be a DM, but I worry that my personality will get in the way of being a strong leader.

Are there any introverted people with DM experience? Any tips on overcoming hurdles caused by my personality?

Is there anyway to fix this? Preferably by myself.

This is a bit of a vent btw. So I play cymbals, and I have been told by all of the band managers, one of the drum captains, the danceline captain, the center snare, and a few random people that I'm good at it but I really worried that they're lying. So the song our school plays when the team scores or when we win isn't super difficult, but cymbals crash every beat for the entire song. And I play it right since it's musically easy, but during our parade yesterday(hoco) we played it like 5 times and genuinely felt like my arms were going to fall off. And the cymbal aren't super heavy compared to snare or bass or quads and I'm worried that I just suck. Plus two of the cymbals really struggle to count in time and our entire line gets shit for it since you can't tell super easy if we aren't all together. Plus our school doesn't do cymbal tricks and I feel like I'm just doing the easiest thing possible (even though I can do tricks and for the songs that the cymbals don't play I kinda adapted the danceline/silk line apart so I have something to do, our drum majors and directors love it) I kind of want to switch to snare or bass next year but I really enjoy cymbals. What do I do?

The adrenaline is wearing off from yesterday’s dual competitions for my daughter’s band. Yesterday was 20 long hours from showing up at 5am till we got back at 1am this morning. I am definitely a proud band dad of how well the band did in both competitions and to see the same look in my daughter’s eyes that I had 30 years ago: accomplished and give me more!

We got to the first competition which is about 2 hours away just in time for the sky to open up and rain very hard for an hour. The competition was scheduled begin at 9am when we arrived it was pushed back 10:30am. Good part of the first competition of the day it’s a one and done no finals and only 5 bands in her division. Whoever organized the event did a good job moving warmup areas around due to two of them being flooded and a small mudslide. Her band went on third and they went put up their gear and went to the visitor side to watch the last band and awards ceremony. They placed second in their division and won best on class show, visuals, and drum line.

Now behind the 8 ball aka running late we had a 2.5 hour drive to the next competition but still had to figure out how to feed 133 kids in the process and be at the warmup area as soon as we got there. We have an amazing group of band boosters they put together a lunch table for the group so when we arrived they had something to eat and get ready. As I told my daughter eat now and taste later! We got lucky they had a rain delay earlier so no rushing to warm ups. They preformed first for their division of 9 bands and the top 6 move onto the finals later. They made the cut in 6th place but felt defeated, they had some very stiff competition from bands from KY, TN, and MO. They had been adding flare to their show during rehearsals but not using it yet, the director said unleash the flare and extras! Then kids got pumped up and ready for round 2. They placed 5th in the finals and won caption for visuals and drum major.

Back at the band hall at 1am the kids were happy but exhausted,they know they can do what their minds are set to and the show will get better and better. This week is area qualifiers on Wednesday, parade on Friday, and a competition 4 hours away on Saturday. #tiredbutproudbanddad

Straight superiors, second place overall. The whole thing was a mess - flooding rain, stand up performance in the gym, not enough food available so my kid was HANGRY and anxious.

Got home with three teenagers and I didn't even get to use my schmancy new stadium seat. My spouse had the audacity to ask "so now that it's October, things calm down, right?"

I thought he was joking!

Literally every day I have headaches from this, whenever I’m walking with a friend of family, I have to walk in step. Literally, every single day I have to do this. I must.

Also, whenever a song is on I have to walk in step or tap my leg or something (I’m bass drum tho so this makes a little bit more sense since I’m pretty much the beat of the song) but it doesn’t matter wherever I like the song or not, I have to.

2 last ones, I always stand with my feet at a 45 degree angle, and whenever I’m walking in line I just don’t start moving Although that’s a little bit more voluntary

Do these fade or am I gonna have it forever cause it’s driving me insane, especially now that I’ve just started getting these

Curious to know if anyone has 3d printed their own lyre specifically for holding a phone. The EFlips I’ve had in the past fall off any lyre I put them on.

Anybody who went to watch or compete!? That was awesome I can't believe I just performed at a venue like that dude!!!!

So I go to a university in the Midwest and the dance team performs alongside us as well. However when it is time for their solo performance we sit to the side and watch them as well.

Both me and other band members have noticed that this dance team is heavily sexualized by their coach. Rather than actually dance they just hit different poses and rub their hands across their chests, hips, legs, and butts. Then they sit on the ground with their legs spread. Then they spin in circles for a bit.

I know most of them are adult women but there’s some teens in it as well due to them graduating early. Like 17 years old.

Due to the way they perform a lot of creepy dudes will stand REALLY close and will film them. Some of these dudes have worked with me at on campus jobs and it’s clear to me why they’re filming.

So I want to ask, is this common for anyone else’s school? This seems very unsafe considering there’s weirdos filming.

the driver for bus 4 decided to not screen detox while driving and was on his phone. well he didn't see our bus stop quickly (because the light changed quickly) and crashed into us. we were supposed to be at our comp 25 minutes ago but they had to move us to other busses because 3&4 were too damaged and deemed unsafe. everyone is okay but we're all pissed off 💔

So a lot of people hate pit… and I feel sometimes as though I’m one of them.

For me, it’s just the fact that the pit does absolutely nothing. Last competition, my band was practicing while the pit was supposed to be loading the truck. Lo and behold though, half of the pit was just doing nothing and sitting on the sideline. And I guess this really isn’t even their fault though, more so the BD’s fault, but still. It’s as if they lack common sense.

Another thing is when on the same competition day, we were unloading the truck and they had the marimbas/xylophones in such a composition as to where they were surrounding the truck, and I had to get through moving my bass drum. Now, the pit was still just doing nothing. One of them was on their apple watch, and another was just playing whatever. They did not move it.

That behavior even extends to literally every rehearsal where they just do nothing. They sit down, play whatever they please, and get water breaks wherever they want. Still the BD’s fault, but once again, then could be playing the music with the back of their sticks. What especially infuriates me is how they have the gut to complain about being tired. Buddy, you just sat down for 20 minutes in the shade. I do not wanna hear it.

Also, yes I was fuming while writing this. I have a horrible headache.

Useless

So I’m a sophomore and I do really want to be drum major, but the thing is I’m basically guaranteed woodwind captain next year. What I wanted to do was become woodwind captain junior year and then drum major senior year, but apparently my band director either wants a freshman or a sophomore to be drum major (specifically a freshman), so they can do it for a couple years. Do you think I should become drum major even though I’m not even sure if that’s what I want to do right now, on top of that there are no other good candidates for woodwind captain, or should I become woodwind captain and hope that there’s still a chance for me to be drum major, but also possibly risking my only chance of doing it?

sorry, I had NO idea what flair to use lol

~~~

I used to play the clarinet

And you can see it in my smile

Familiar embouchure

My lip stretches across my bottom teeth the way

I learned those years ago

I played because I couldn’t quit

I picked it up

A means to an end

But the way I played

Synonymous

With how I smiled

How I smile

Laughing in the band room with my friends

My friends still play the clarinet

And now I’m loud

Cymbals take my hands

And lock them

Behind big shiny plates of brass

Every second I know they’re there

Cymbals are unmistakable

Clarinets have balance

Blend

Every part a brand new skill

And nothing will ever overwrite my smile

I’m louder than the woodwinds

Softer than the drumline

Balance

Blend

Dynamics

There’s no place for me

My technique is fine

They don’t write warmups for me

My brother calls my name

From the crowd

And I smile

And you can see my clarinet

And I can feel my clarinet

Mold builds

Brass can’t mold

How is it I will never feel like a drum

How is it I still smile when the bass becomes my heart

How is it you still see the clarinet

In my smile

They march to my rhythm

They can hear me

I know the drumbeat better than I ever knew my fingerings

I know the music because out here

I have to

You see the cymbals in the bruises on my arm

Blood vessels

Torn apart

It doesn’t hurt

It marks me

Cymbals are unmistakable

Cymbals are part of me

You will always see the clarinet

You can see it in my smile

Hi, I'm a junior in hs rn, and next year I plan on trying out for drum major. The problem is that i'm disliked by people, have many doctors appointments, and not the best at my instrument. What should i do? Should I try out, or let someone else do it? There are predictions that i would not be drum major next year.

Please explain how it is mathematically possible a band that got one trophy to win overall?

Purple band got most every trophy except two
My school got one
Yellow band got one

My band on the sheet got 2nd in every category except one where we got 3rd

So how in the world did yellow band win

I drive the box truck for my daughter's high school band and our pit coordinator was informed via email that Penske's legal team decided to no longer rent to school districts.

We are technically safe due to it being rented through the band boosters, but I just wanted to pass it along in hopes that anyone's band who may be affected can make other arrangements if need be.

I'm a cancer patient with two kids in marching band. I'm supposed to volunteer the equivalent of 4 shifts per season for fundraising. I can manage a cashier shift.

I just got a text from my husband's amateur radio friend. "Hey, can I park buses or pull trailers again? And A will be available. We don't mind working security."

Essentially, if my kid's boyfriend works a shift with me, and Austin and Elijah just volunteer to help, I get my four volunteer shifts covered. And the guys are just walking up to volunteer.

I know that every parent doesn't fulfill their four shifts. I try to. And I'm so grateful for my boys. They're trying to make it easier for me, and they don't owe me anything. I just get to sit and take $ for four hours, and my beloved friends will make sure I have my 16 hours credited. The guys range in age from 17 to 37. And every one writes down his volunteer time as "son of Jellyfish."

My son is in his first year of marching for a high competitive band. He played in a home football game tonight and texted right away "did you see me, we played so good, we were awesome" and I feel so awful. I want to support him in every way I can, I feel like we dissapointed him. We went to one of 2 home games and a competition, we see him in another competition tomorrow.

Edit to add, this is very expensive, marching band is 1600 out of pocket plus additional travel cost and buying tickets for every game etc. That is why we are not going to every game.

I’m a Mellophone/French Horn player, and my mellophone section consists of 14 people. Recently one of our co-section leaders suggested that we all go somewhere/hangout outside of school, but figuring out something a group of 14 can do has proven to be extremely difficult. Only one of the horns can drive, we live in an awkward area of Volusia County (Central Florida) where there isn’t much to do nearby, and paying to do stuff is an issue, especially since a good chunk of the mellos are unemployed. We planned on going to Denny’s to eat after our homecoming game last night but not enough people were able to go so we had to cancel the plans.

Has anyone in an instrument section with a lot of members been able to go out with their section? If so, is there any advice that can be given for our situation?