[drtran]

Hey everyone (or anyone). I was wondering about why I joined band the other day, and I thought of a plethora of reasons and even more for why I stayed. Then I wondered how unique some other peoples reasons are. (Some of mine were because I learned time management, the sense of family, I liked the smell of the field in the morning, etc.)
So here's the question: why are you/were you in band and why did you stay...or maybe why you quit?
*This applies to middle school to college.

 

[A Greene]

I was never in High School Band - simply because I couldn't stand waiting for others to learn their music. I was allowed to march (on tuba) and played in the Jazz Ensemble (tenor) but never sat in the HS band. Strange as that seems, I have been a HS/MS band director for 15 years. In retrospect, what I should have done was play flute, clarinet, or even trumpet in the concert band.

In some respects, I don't have preconceived thoughts be like "This is how we did it at my school". I approach each problem fresh (sort of).

 

[Soul Patch Paul]

I only played in the school band (trombone) from fifth grade through junior high school (ninth grade). I joined because I fell in love with the sound and feeling of making music with a group of other people. I started studying piano at age six and did so for twelve years. This was, for the most part, a solitary endeavor although I sometimes played in a quartet with my three siblings. But being in a band felt like being a PART of something in a way I had not experienced before. In junior high (grades 7-9 in those days) I was also madly in love with Mickey, the cutest freckle-faced girl (who played sax), and could look over my shoulder and smile at her. In high school I played in a "Tijuana Brass" type group (keyboard) and sang with a rock band once in a while, but I was not in the high school band. I still play in a community jazz band along with other musical endeavors. It still feels great to be a part of a group and make the music happen.

 

[Jinxy]

I stayed in band because i was apart of something bigger than myself. I know that sounds corny but it was the fact that it was a group effort to perform a concert, to dominate the field, and to score straight distinguished in concert band festival. It was the awesome euphimisms that my band director used. I completly loved when we got to meet and hang out with other "bandies". Even better... State Finals... seeing thousands of people in those stands cheering, hoopin, hollerin.

Brings a tear to ya eye

 

[drtran]

I stayed in band because i was apart of something bigger than myself. I know that sounds corny but it was the fact that it was a group effort to perform a concert, to dominate the field, and to score straight distinguished in concert band festival. It was the awesome euphimisms that my band director used. I completly loved when we got to meet and hang out with other "bandies". Even better... State Finals... seeing thousands of people in those stands cheering, hoopin, hollerin.

Brings a tear to ya eye

Yeah, it brings many tears during and after the season (good, happy tears).

 

[artstove]

I joined because I enjoyed playing clarinet, particularly with other people. There was some ego, because I was good at it, too. But the ensemble thing was pretty important, though. I quit band in high school because I did not like marching (esp. in parades, with the semi-military approach) and because the band leader was a prick.

I played for school musicals (directed by another teacher) until the band leader pushed to ban me (because I wasn't in the band). So then I played in local (adult) amateur musical theatre groups and summer music camps and chamber music workshops until I graduated from high school. I started doing too many other things in college, and I had the impression (unclear if it was accurate) that it was hard for non-music majors to participate in band.