Many peoples want to enter the college Marching Band groups, but they are confused about several things before entering college Marching Band groups.
I did a ton of research about how to enter into college Marching Band, and here in this article, I will explain everything regarding what preparations you need to take before joining the band and how you can enter the band? So, keep reading this article till the end.
Topic Discussed
How Hard is it To Get into College Marching Band?
Joining the college Marching Band is easy but staying in the band is really difficult because you have to manage lots of hard work and stress. Moreover, you also have to manage your studies along with the band.
Now, how hard is it to get into the college Marching Band? That entirely depends on your physical and mental strength and whether you can handle the pressure of studies and Marching band. It also depends on whether you are going to play any instrument or not.
But, if you eagerly want to practice the Marching Band, then you should join the band because it will give you a lot of benefits. If you take some initial preparations before entering the college Marching Band, then you can perform better in the band. Below, I have explained some practices you should take before entering the college Marching Band.
You can also read the detailed lists of pros and cons of joining a college marching band from here to know the challenges you might have later.
Preparations To Take To Enter into College Marching Band
If you are attending the Marching band groups from your school days, then it helps you a lot, but if you are a beginner and have never engaged with the Marching band before, then there are a couple of preparations that you can take before entering the College Marching Band groups. Here, I have explained some of the preparations that you should take-
# Walking
When you enter the Marching Band groups, you have to walk miles in a day carrying heavy instruments, and that’s why the Marching band is not suitable for lazy people. Ideally, there is a difference between Marching and Walking; but if you are not capable enough to walk a mile, then you would not be able to do Marching a mile by carrying heavy instruments.
So, that’s why the experts recommend gaining muscles and practice walking, that help you to stay active and do Marching with stamina and energy.
# Practice Fundamentals
Marching Band has several positions, and if you want to enter into college as a music player, you have to pick the correct instrument and practice it a lot.
It doesn’t matter what type of instruments you will play in the band, whether it is drums, cymbals, Trumpets, or other kinds of instruments, you have to play the rhythms perfectly, and another thing you have to learn is that changing the rhythm patterns quickly.
# Diet & Water
When you have decided to join the Marching Band groups, you have to focus on your diet and drink more water than your daily water consumption. As a Marching Band member, you will be expending more calories than you are used to and that can easily drain your body. So, you have to include bananas in your meal.
Furthermore, you have to take 65 ounces of water a day for hydration (remember that soda is not water, and it isn’t recommended for the Marching Band members).
# Buy Essential Things
There are a couple of essential things that you might require before entering into the College Marching band groups, and you have to buy these things. Some necessary things you should buy are a water jug, Sunscreen, Lip balm (DCT), hat, sunglasses, running shoes, and a couple of other things.
So, you should buy these essential things immediately before entering into the College Marching Band groups.
# Focus on Studies
You might be wondering why I mention this point here; when you enter the college Marching Band group, you must handle heavy workload management. Many universities have no extra classes for practising the Marching Band. So, attending a Marching band can impact your studies.
So, if you are planning to enter the Marching band, you should focus on your studies to complete the syllabus as much as possible.
Before entering the college Marching Band groups, you need to take these preparations. You can also check this guide to learn other key things before joining the marching band.
Step by Step Process To Join The College Marching Band
The recruiting process in college Marching Band really varies from college to college. Moreover, Marching Band members have several positions; therefore, the recruiting process may also depend on what positions you are going to apply for.
Here I have mentioned some of the steps in which you can enter your college Marching Band groups-
# Step 1
Many colleges take auditions before joining their bands, so you must attend the audition first. However, some colleges don’t take any kind of auditions & in that scenario, you have to contact the director of a college Marching band manually. Every Band has a director responsible for ensuring that things are running smoothly and progressively inside the Band.
# Step 2
Now, the director will ask you some questions like- Why Do you want to join Marching Band? What instrument do you want to play, and Do you have prior experience playing in the School Marching band or not.
After the discussion, you have to give some demos by playing the instrument that you might play in the Band later. If you don’t want to play any instrument, then you can apply for the other positions like Colorguard (In this scenario, there is no need to play any type of instrument).
# Step 3
When the audition closes, you will be notified by the director or group members that you are selected for any particular position. You can also change your positions later according to your convenience.
This is the complete recruiting process of the college Marching Band groups, and by following the mentioned steps, you can easily enter the College Marching Bands. Another thing you have to remember is that some colleges don’t take any auditions, so in that case, you have to contact the Band Director directly.
Final Thoughts
This article explains the entire process of joining the College Marching band and what preparations you should take before joining the college Marching Band groups. I hope this article is helpful for, and to learn more about Marching Bands and Band instruments, keep following this blog regularly.
