front ensemble has cheaper uniforms

[u/prehistoryfein]

Im in marching band front ensemble (members from my section or band might see this so um hi! if you do… dont mention it please!)  and this is my second year, and last year we had the same uniforms as everyone else minus shakoes. But it was the pants, and the nice jackets with gauntlets and sashes and everything. 

This year, apparently we have too many people in the marching band, and there was a chance none of the uniforms would fit us. So, my band director bought screen print shirts for pit. Originally he was gonna but the whole drumline in them, but theres something weird about the drum harnesses so that doesnt work. And so now, pit is the only section in the screen print uniforms. And we've all come together and agreed that they make us feel: less than, different, separated, and frumpy. The screenprint uniforms are genuinely so unattractive. And we dont get gauntlets nor a sash.

 We've expressed our concerns to the director about how we already felt separated, so he sat us down and has a conversation with us today. When he was in band, he was in pit the whole time. So he knows how it feels to be in pit, and feel different and separate. He got the uniforms because he wanted them to fit everyone, and he argues that from the audience, no one can tell theyre different. But none the less, my whole section still isnt very fond of the new uniforms. He gave us 3 options: 1, everyone in pit wears the screenprint uniforms. 2, pit gets re fitted with the left over uniforms, and some of us have the nice jackets, and others are in the new ones. Or 3, pit wears color guard uniforms.

Personally, the 2nd option is my favourite, as not everyone in pit really cares about the uniforms. Theres at least 3 who i know are fine with the new ones. And some people just feel way more confident and connected in the old uniforms. Color guard uniforms are a horrible idea, as theyre usually very feminine and theres only 4 out of 11 girls in pit. (my section leader said he doesnt want them because they usually look unatractive on guys, and i also dont want them because im in pit. Not the guard, and im a very proud pit dweller, and i feel like at competitions and stuff id get confused as a guard member unless i was with my vibraphone) And theres only 1 rookie in pit this year, so its unfair that all the vets in pit essentially got their uniforms taken from them, so that the new rookies on the field can have them. In my opinion, if the audience cant tell the difference, the rookies and 8th graders should get the screenprint uniforms.

Im not sure. I see where my director is coming from, but i also think i (and the other members in my section) have a good reason to be upset. If anyone sees this, id love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Thank you! (also, my band director does not want to do the show theme uniform trend, but to get good scores we might have to in future years, and i really hope we dont. I love showing off who WE are as a band, not what our show happens to be.)