Marching Bands

These steps will help you before you march with the rest of the band.

A new band instrument is an investment. Depending on the quality and the reputation of the manufacturer, a new band instrument is often an expensive purchase. Learn the right time to buy a new...

Planning a fund-raiser to help the marching band buy uniforms can be a fun event. With plenty of group participation, it is an easy way to earn funds for all the band's needs. By looking through...

Drill design software for marching bands has become more advanced and thus easier to use over the past several years. Though such programs have been around for more than 2 decades, more recent...

A marching band contract is used to bind other band members to certain obligations as a requisite for remaining in the band. These obligations are generally monetary, behavioral or academic in...

The annual Battle of the Bands has come to be dubbed by some the "Super Bowl of College Marching Bands." That nickname is something of a misnomer, however, as the selected bands don't compete for...

A marching band typically has three types of instruments, or "sections": brass, woodwinds and, of course, percussion. Since the idea behind the music is to provide something to march to, the...

There are almost as many marching band uniforms as there are marching bands, and they can vary widely in their style, color and level of flair. While many bands wear some variation of the...

To stay in step in a marching band, you want to make sure your feet are making contact with the ground at the same time as the feet of the other band members. This means that everyone steps with...

Pictures of marching bands can be colorful, fun, dynamic and moving. They can also be blurry, dark, static and boring when the wrong equipment is used. If you set out with the right tools and...

To organize formations with a marching band, you need a strong visual eye, a great sense of timing and the ability to communicate your vision to your marching band members. The goal here is to...

If you're eager to have your school participate in a marching band competition, you should have no trouble finding opportunities. Contests abound, especially for high school bands. You can...

Color guard is a strong accessory to any marching band, providing additional movement, style and color to a show. To practice marching band flag routines, you will need some access to the music...

Formations are a key component of any marching band show. Seen from above, they give the audience a sense of unity and order that creates a pleasing visual effect. Formations can make up letters,...

The glide or roll step is the most basic step used in a marching band. It is an essential skill to master for any marching band member, as you will use it repeatedly for marching forward toward...

The high step is not always common in a marching band--it may be used only a few times in a given show or not at all. Military marching bands don't use the high step at all, preferring the more...

Phasing, also called an "ensemble tear," can occur when a marching band is spread out in a large arena, such as a football field. The audience hears the band out of sync: one section starts...

When you hire a marching band for an office party or social event, you're making a big statement and a loud one. If you've never seen a marching band perform live, ask someone who has, before you...

Parade marching is different from field marching in a number of ways. Although there are some exceptions, parade marching usually does not entail creating geometrical formations, such as those...

There will be periods in most marching band shows during which you are asked to mark time, or march in place. This step is used when the band or section is not moving forward as a whole, but...

While not the most common activity for the four- and five-year-old set, a preschool marching band can be fun and rewarding to organize. The key word here, of course, is organize. As we all know,...

The back march is used to allow the choreographer more versatility in creating the next formation during a marching band song, while providing a nice change-up in visual presentation. A sound...

Similar to a show band, a "scramble" or "scatter" marching band is generally used to perform at half time shows during school football games or at pep rallies, often creating dynamic formations....

It's becoming difficult to download free music for anyone, marching bands included. Most sites that offer truly free downloads are illegal peer-to-peer networks. However, many sites now offer...

If you want to download songs from marching bands, you should have no trouble doing so. All you need is a computer, an Internet connection, an MP3 or other media player and a strong desire to...

Earning a marching band scholarship generally depends on three things: a strong track record of marching band experience from your high school, a great audition and, perhaps most importantly,...

Donated by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, the Sudler Trophy and the Sudler Shield are bestowed annually on marching bands of great national merit. No school is permitted to win the trophy or...

While there are plenty of resources available for buying pre-arranged music for your marching band, nothing quite matches the thrill and challenge of developing your own arrangement. Only you know...