It’s a hot June morning as you walk into the junior high for marching band. You hear the saxophones playing “Careless Whisper,” and in that moment you know that you are home. As you start to get your instrument out, you catch up with old friends and you hear the drum playing the cadence. You begin to warm up and start to smile to yourself. This is what it is like to be part of marching band.

Some may ask, “What is marching band?” Marching band is the band that you see performing during half-time at football games. Marching band marches in the parades downtown. Marching band practices start in the summer. Band students will come to the junior high during the summer, they will learn to march and they learn the music. One of the best parts of marching band is performing.

“My favorite part of marching band is how we get to perform in front of all these people at great events,” said sixth grader Alyza Orr.

Band students love to perform at football games. They love to sit in the stands and play fun, upbeat, peppy tunes. One of their favorite songs to play is the AAJHS Fight Song.

Marching band doesn’t just give students a way to make music. Marching band also gives students a way to make new friends and have a sense of found family. Band students have the chance to meet people early and create friendships before school even starts. These friends will become more than friends. They will become the people you laugh with, cry with, sing with, dance with, and more. They become the people you are able to tell anything to. They become family.

“It’s a safe place,” said seventh grader Rosslyn Jones.

Band may seem simple, but it is just like sports. As a band student, “you” represent the the school and everything with it. Just like sports, students want to do their best while representing the school.

However, band isn’t entirely like sports. While most sports are seasonal, for band students, their sport lasts all year long.

Now, as we bring the curtain down on marching band, we will reopen it with concert band. Concert band is the complete opposite of marching band. Students don’t have to stand and march in the freezing cold. Instead, they get to stay inside and play on stage while staying warm and having fun.

Band may sound like it is all fun and games, but it isn’t. Band students are required to have a uniform, and transport it to school after games and parades and concerts. Students also have to be responsible to bring their instruments to school and remember to take them home after games and concerts. On top of all this, they have to make sure that the represent the school well. They do this by playing well, putting in effort and being respectful.

“This is a responsibility and we are the AAJHS band,” said Jones.