Is marching band a sport too? Members put in the work, but don't often get the spotlight

Snow Hill fans didn’t have much to cheer for as the Eagles' football team trailed the James M. Bennett Clippers 49-6 late in the fourth quarter.

Week after week, fans would pack the stands at Snow Hill prepared to watch their favorite team. But despite the lack of winning on the field, there was always one thing that kept the energy high and cheers constant.

Sitting at the end of the bleachers with their shiny instruments and unblemished uniforms was the Snow Hill marching band, playing popular tunes while blaring the school’s fight song after every first down.

Regardless of how the team performed, the band was constantly upbeat, producing popular songs like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The group even tested its singing skills, by giving its own rendition of Bruce Channel’s “Hey! Baby.”

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As the final buzzer sounded on the game, Eagles’ fans walked away without having witnessed a victory, but the chat of the town following the contest wasn’t about the passes that had been thrown or the tackles that were made.

Instead, several people were praising the band.

“I’ve never heard them sound so good,” one woman exclaimed.

“I’ll be honest, the band is the only reason I come to these games,” another said.

One after the other, the raves for the band seemed as loud as the music the group had produced earlier in the evening.

But it wasn’t just Snow Hill where marching bands were getting recognition. Throughout the Bayside Conference, bands were starting to be recognized as the team away from the field.

“I think bands get everyone really excited,” said Laura Adams, James M. Bennett High School junior drum major. “If we weren’t there, it would just be dull and boring. But when we play music, everyone gets really into it, and they sing along and chant.”

While many sports fans only see marching bands at football and basketball games, the preparation that goes into creating a solid and harmonious sound takes months of hard work and dedication.

Although the only sound they make at sports games comes from the bleachers or on field during the halftime show, high school bands are often practicing their routine come the first week of August — the same time sports teams are officially allowed to begin training camp.

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With bands putting in nearly as much, if not more, practice time than recognized sports teams, the question has risen among current high school band members — is marching band ultimately a sport?

“I definitely think band is a sport,” Adams said. “We put in just as much work as everyone else, and I feel like it’s harder than what other people are doing. It’s not just focusing on marching, but we have to play an instrument and do it well, and I don’t think people recognize it because it’s different. It’s not just physical, there’s an art to it.”

Like any sport, marching bands receive awards and trophies, and compete to get to the championship match in their respective division. For many Wicomico County bands, the ultimate stage is the Atlantic Coast Championships held often in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Putting on their field show in front of hundreds of fans and fellow band members, each school is given a small window to display their routine and music in front of the top judges in the area.

Whether he’s on the football field performing at halftime, or doing it in actual competition, baritone player Brock Forsythe sees marching bands as piecing everything together. Without bands, the excitement wouldn’t be as extreme, and the night wouldn’t be as memorable.

“I would say (bands) are like the interlude type transition in a movie,” Forsythe said. “That’s to keep the action going, and I think we’re just that — we’re the part that keeps the action going and keeps everyone on their feet.”

Coming back to school the Monday after competing, several band members said they’re still looking for the praise they feel they rightfully deserve.

While morning announcements highlight the band’s performance and certain teachers congratulate the members on a successful weekend, bands have yet to gain the spotlight other teams such as football, basketball or soccer garner when they walk the halls with their peers.

“It takes a deeper level of (intelligence) to really understand what we do,” JMB senior drum major Rawan Osman said. “There is pro band, but it’s not as popular as say the NFL or college football. But change always starts with the source, so I think the only way that there would be more recognition for the band is through us, and I think we’re starting to do that.”

Aside from the awards, medals and championship appearances, band members throughout the county agreed the best thing about performing in a marching band is the experience.

Like other sports, those in band have developed close friendships with one another, becoming brothers and sisters in arms when the time comes to display their music.

They practice together.

They sweat together.

They cry together.

But they never stop chasing their goal, which is to be dubbed the best marching band in the region.

Regardless of whether outsiders recognize marching band as a sport, those who wear the uniform, put on the hats and march with their instruments feel at the end of the day, they've worked just as hard as an athlete with a ball.

“It’s something a normal student or a normal person wouldn’t understand,” Forsythe said. “I really learned the dedication it takes to become committed to band, and I think it’s a really great way to learn a lot about yourself.”