High School Bands and Marching Bands, Notes & Essays by David Rodeback

Energies: Potential (A Photo Tribute to Marching Bands, Part I)

Introduction — and My Marching Band Withdrawal

After four years with a mellophone player in the American Fork High School Marching Band, our household is marching band-free. For me there are some withdrawal pangs.

In those four years I visited band camp a few times; made a feature-length documentary about the band and a shorter video tribute to a retiring director, John Miller; dabbled at social media; wrote press releases, blog posts, and newspaper features; edited others’ newspaper columns about the marching band experience; and attended one competition after another.

I worked with parents and other boosters, directors, and staff from print and broadcast media outlets. I even sent the trumpet I played through my first year of college to Grand Nationals and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, to be played, of course, by someone much younger.

Along the way I met more fine people than I can count — and not just band students. Virtually everyone I met seemed to know what I tried to remember throughout: We weren’t the story. The story was — is — the kids, their music, their show.

I am not a photographer, as you will quickly see, but I snapped some photos along the way. Here are a few from state and regional competitions in St. George, Utah, last fall. I offer them to help us get in the mood for marching band, if we’re not already, and perhaps also to relieve my withdrawal symptoms.

(Yes, thank you, I know I don’t have to have a child in the band to be involved. Many who don’t, are. The current problem is time.)

I apologize in advance than I cannot identify some of the bands; if you can, send me a note. When I know all of them, I’ll add captions. And I know hardly anyone’s name, so I mention none.

But without further ado, here is the first of a four-part tribute I call “Energies.” This one is “Potential,” because things are about to happen. And you guessed it, Part II is “Kinetic.”

Potential

high school marching band

1-01_800

1-02_800

1-03_800

1-04_800

1-05_800

1-06_800

1-07_800

1-08_800

1-09_800

1-10_800

1-11_800

1-12_800

1-13_800

1-14_800

1-15_800

1-16_800c

1-17_800

1-18_800

1-19_800

1-20_800

1-21_800

1-22_800

1-23_800

1-24_800

1-25_800

1-26_800c

1-27_800c

1-29_800c

1-30_800c

1-31_800

1-32_800c

1-33_800c

1-34_800c

1-35_800c

1-36_800c

1-37_800

1-38_800

1-39_800

1-40_800c

1-41_800c

Part II is Kinetic. Enjoy!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.