Screaming Eagles Verify That All The Hard Work Is Worth It
With a record setting number of new band members, marching band is shining brighter than ever this year. Students put hours into half-time shows and competition pieces, and it shows. Many students will share stories about practicing in the 100 degree sun, or forgoing homework in exchange for practices. New members, old members, and the director are determined to put in the work this season.
“Well we have 37 new people, so we spend a lot of time with the student team. We talk about setting up expectations for the band,” said Mr. Wassum.
Managing their time will take some effort because of their typical student lives. Schoolwork may start piling up, they may not have time for much else. This can lead to stress, long nights, and rough mornings.
“Band is really time-consuming and takes a lot of my free time. I mostly use my free time to do my homework. I don’t have a lot of time to get other things done anymore,” said freshman Heyle Cortez.
After school, once the bell rings, band members head to the band room. They have to be out on the field by 3:45. Once outside, they spread out on the field, and they warm up in sections. They wait for the teacher, Mr. Wassum, then begin to practice as an ensemble. They may practice set by set to ensure everyone knows their piece.
“I have struggled in the past with my timing and stepping out on the left foot. I have also struggled with remembering the music. That was all improved with some practice though,” said freshman Connor Moore.
In spite of the huge commitment required, band members love what they do. Playing with their friends, huge half-time audiences, and competing in front of judges are all things that make the experience worthwhile. The companionship and new friends that come along with playing the instrument you love is one of the best opportunities offered at OHS.
“I joined marching band so I could make friends with the new people there. I wanted to find people that enjoyed playing music as much as I do,” said freshman Valeria Lozano Vasquez.
Hi, I'm Alejandra and I'm a freshman at Osbourn. I would like to write articles about peoples opinions on recent topics. I am also interested in writing...
Nickolas Williams • Nov 9, 2022 at 10:39 am
The intro paragraph was really good and the quotes used were very good. I didn’t realized how time consuming band could be and how the students handled managing their time so they can balance school and band.
Yessica Corrales • Oct 11, 2022 at 1:42 pm
I love the topic of your article. It was very well written, Great work!
Jonah Morales-Espinoza • Oct 5, 2022 at 1:45 pm
That first paragraph is a really good hook, like really good. I didn’t know that this year has had the most new band members. I don’t know if this was intentional, but I find how most of these quotes are from freshmen to be really interesting and neat. It sheds light on the people who are just starting band on the high school level. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this article.
Kiara Picardo • Sep 29, 2022 at 12:22 pm
I think that this article is really well organized. This article provides a lot of information. I think the writer did a good job staying on track of her topic. It really shows us the hard work students put in, like how Heyle said she doesn’t have much free time.
amelia • Sep 27, 2022 at 11:07 am
This article really put into perspective the dedication band members put into the work that they present to our school. It definitely respect band members even more, like working in the hot sun! This shows how hard they work to represent our school spirit. Even though most of the sources were freshman, they were still really strong!
Ethan Hudson • Sep 27, 2022 at 9:21 am
This article is amazing, I love all of it and your topic is amazing and it is explained very well and has good flow to it. All of the quotes are really good and the information and the transitions were very good too. This was a really good article!