If anything, marching band has taught me that I hate half-assers.
I don’t even understand why they’re in band. It’s obvious they despise marching, they talk crap about the teachers, but they still stay in the class. For what, friends? If they want to hang out with friends, they should just quit and use the time they’ll save from rehearsals and band reviews to do it. College? If they don’t have the work ethic to handle marching band, they won’t have it to be accepted into a prestigious college.
As a drum major it’s incredibly difficult to motivate anyone who doesn’t give a crap in the first place. They hate drills and I hate watching them suck. It doesn’t matter how many times a coach has to remind them how to march correctly, the advice goes straight over their heads. Half-assers just drag down the rest of the group and waste everyone’s time and energy. They’re the reason we never do as well as we should at band reviews. It’s not Mission’s lack of funding, it’s not the 20-year-old uniforms that are falling apart, it’s the people.
The barbecue on Monday was ridiculous. People who wanted seconds were cutting in front of others who hadn’t even eaten yet. When the drum majors asked them to wait, they talked back. It was disgusting that they didn’t even make an effort to be decent human beings.
I remember one of Mission’s graduated drum majors—everyone called her a bitch for being strict about marching. They got it wrong. She wasn’t the bitch, they were.
I’d rather participate in a dedicated band of 30 than a lazy horde of 160.
