On the bandwagon.

Something has come over me.  If you had told me back in high school that I'd be like this, I would have laughed in your face.  Me, a band geek?  Never!  I out in my one year to cover my Fine Arts requirement and then I high-tailed it out of that wing of my high school for good and never looked back.

Well, look at me now.  Here I am with two high school children of my very own who happen to be in the marching band.  Only this isn't just ANY marching band...this is "The Pride of Westlake" (as we are reminded in Kermit the Frog style every time they take the field).  My high school band was nowhere near being the Pride of Anything, let alone the whole city.

But the Westlake Demons Marching Band so deserves that title.   They are indeed something to be proud of.  And here are the reasons why I love it:

1. My kids are in it.  And I have a tendency (as I am sure most parents do) to love the activities their kids are involved in.  I'm not necessarily a big fan of cage fighting, but if I had a kid in the ring, you can bet I'd be in the front row (praying for his/her life).

2. The band is good.  I mean like professional good.  (Are there professional marching bands? Because if so, this band could be one.)  The talent that comes from those 180 or so kids is amazing.  Their version of Sgt. Peppers never ceases to amaze me.

3.  All the music is memorized.  I remember the little cheat sheet thingys we attached to our instruments.  Well there is none of that here.  On the field, in the stands--the kids know every note by heart.  Or at least enough of them do to cover nicely for those who don't.

4.  The kids are well-disciplined.  They march into the stadium from all the way in front of the school.  They stand in formation as they walk onto and off of the field.  They stand at attention (at least it seems that way from the stands) at one end of the field while the opposing band performs.  They sit attentively and precisely in the stands during a marching band festival, while the other bands are wandering all over and shouting.  I love the precision, the structure, the exactness that is expected of these kids.

5.  They have a great color guard and kick line.  Again, the precision from the flag corps is admirable.  They are sharp and in unison.  The kick line kicks high.  It adds a great look to the great sound.

6.  The band does not rely on gimmicks.  Other bands do silly dances or play electric instruments or have their percussion on the sidelines.  Our band director is a purist.  They march on, perform a standard (yet exceptional) routine, and march on.  They don't wander on or off.  They hold their instruments the whole time.  They don't make formations in the shape of bananas or a bunch of grapes (yes, one band supposedly did this--we couldn't see it).  It's just marching and music, pure and simple.

7.  It is actually cool to be in the band.  There's nothing to be ashamed of.

So as you can see, I love our band.  Even when I am so frustrated by a crowded band potluck where I literally stood in the corner by myself because I knew absolutely no one trying to eat a stuffed pepper with one hand and vow to not come back until the girls are seniors...I get so happy when I hear that cadence start and I see the band start their procession.  I've sat out in the rain and cold to see those kids and it's always so worth it.  I'm so glad my kids are loving it enough that I will have three more years to cheer like an idiot

So go ahead.  Call me what you want...band nerd, band geek, band-o.  I've become a band groupie, and I'm proud of it!