Marching Band

One of my favorite things I'm involved in at Ohio Northern is marching band. It's my third year in band and I play the baritone. It is a nice break from typical classes. During rehearsals, I only have to focus on the music and drill. I don't have to worry about other things.

A majority of the halftime show is learned during band camp. If you think band camp means long days, you would be right. However, there are breaks scheduled into the day. Also, there are fun evening activities that are planned throughout camp, which allow the members to relax and have fun after working so hard during the day. My favorite event is section night. This year for section night, the baritones went to Fricker's for dinner, then we went to Wal-Mart to buy things we needed for section stand-out day. I love getting to spend time with the other people in my section.

After camp, we start our normal rehearsal schedule, 4-5:50 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This is when we clean the show, learn the pregame routine and more. A typical rehearsal will include a music rehearsal, then run-throughs of pregame and halftime. There are also music checks scattered throughout the season. Even though we have less time each day to rehearse, we are still able to have productive rehearsals.

There are also a number of events that we play at. We march in the Harvest and Herb parade, as well as the Homecoming parade. We also perform at local high school band festivals. Band-O-Rama is the annual marching band concert where we play songs from the year, as well as other fun songs. It is a long day, but it's also a lot of fun. There are also trips that the band goes on. This year's trip is to New York, and I am looking forward to it. I have never been to New York before, so it'll be an experience.

While I'm talking about events, I cannot forget about football games. Tomorrow is the first game, and I am so excited for it! The game will be at the Ada Park, where the high school plays their football games. It will be nice to march on that field again.