Life of a Band Kid

For most people, they go to school and have standard classes like Math, English, and P.E., and then after they just go home, but for band kids, they practice their instruments during class, and then depending on the season, they have practice after school.

By: Abel Perez 

Even though playing an instrument and learning it and performing in front of a crowd of people may be hard, kids push through the struggles and try to perform their best and become better at their instrument.

Band kids also have good friendships with people they perform with and they get to know a lot more people than any other people could because of band. There’s a diversity of different grades of people that band kids interact with, not just the same grade.

Luke Milligan, ‘28, says “something only band kids would understand would be the amount of work and dedication that is needed to be put into marching band.
And marching is the only sport where we go [to] so many different places and teamwork is like the only thing. There’s no individual score.” 

Being in band isn’t only just about playing music, it’s also about working together with other people and using teamwork to succeed.

Band takes a lot of hard work and dedication, as stated by Milligan, which any other person or most people wouldn’t be willing to do.

Jaxon Ivey, ‘28, says, “What I’ve seen, probably seeing the sun come out when we were doing like that concert. It was our last performance. It was all cloudy and shady, but the sun came out when we finished. I thought that was kind of cool.”

Times like these are what make being in band so special. It’s not only just about playing an instrument or getting closer to one another, but also the moments you get to experience.

The sun breaking out of the clouds can make a performance really unforgettable and for band kids things like this are what makes it all worth it.

Henry Koford, ‘26, says, “It could be hard to have practice, or after practice without like getting water but i don’t know it’s fun to in this group, so I just keep going because I look at that and I look at the end product.”

Practice may get difficult at times because of the challenges, and you play an instrument for long periods of time at once, and you may not be able to drink water while playing due to having to focus on your instrument.

But despite the challenges they face during their performance, it’s well worth it in the end once they realize how good of a performance they made.

When asked about band, most people just think about music and performances, but it’s not just about that it’s about the friendships built during long rehearsals and being able to hang out with people who have similar hobbies as one another

Being in band also gives a place where you can connect with others, grow your skills, and feel a strong sense of community.

Milligan also says, “Being a band kid is very, how can I put this, it’s very rewarding. If you get to know and learn your instrument and the nit gets really fun because when your good at music it’s really fun, but when you’re not good you want to quit. We’ve had many people who’ve quit just because they suck and didn’t want to get better.”

Being in band isn’t a simple task for some, but once you get the hang of it and really feel good at what you do, it becomes really rewarding, and the hard work you put into it becomes worth it.

In the end, being a band kid wasn’t always about the music or the rehearsals, it’s really about the friendships you make and the memories you create, and the fun experiences you can undergo while being in band.

Aaron Deisman, ‘26, says “it means the time to like, hang out with friends, and be good at something I enjoy.”

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