<p>I got a letter in the mail today from USC's marching band saying I was in their database and it was stuff about the band, yada yada yada. I certainly want to know how they got my name and how they knew I'm in marching band now!!!</p>
<p>Is anyone in the band now who can tell me how fun/hard participating in the band is? After having a rough time this past year in high school marching band (mainly cuz of a new director), I'm not exactly sure whether I'd like to join USC's band or not.</p>
<p>The trip to the Notre Dame game seems pretty exciting, plus I assume that a Bowl game is to be planned for.</p>
<p>Yeah, I also recieved a letter from them. I also debating whether or not I'll end up joining. I've done marching band all four years of high school (drum major senior year), so I'm not sure if I'm ready to continue with that. But then again, they DID play with Fleetwood Mac...</p>
<p>Yeah, my Freshman-Junior years were great, esp. since our director didn't want to miss his late afternoon golf games and always stuck to his "two hrs on Tuesdays and Thursdays" schedule. But then he retired and in came this "hardcore band maniac" for my Senior year, who raised practices hrs to 4 hrs EVERY DAY! (except sundays, of course). And he loved to go overtime; most parents eventually got used to the fact that when their kid says "practice ends at 5 today", he/she really means 5:40ish. It was torture, and a pure nightmare too.</p>
<p>And to add to it, I was a section leader my junior year, but then Senior year the new director appointed several people to be captains and managers, something we never had before. He also brought in a huge staff of assistants who were very picky, etc. I remained a section leader, and unlike before I never got to speak to the staff directly or literally had any power or respect. It was always "respect your captain" or "If you wanna speak to the staff, the ask you captain". After all this extra practice and pickiness and tyranny, the band didn't get better as hoped. It got a lot LOT worse.</p>
<p>I could go on forever about this, but I think I've vented enough. You can probably tell by now my feelings of marching band after this year.</p>
<p>I did band four years in high school, and also got a letter (I think just a postcard actually). Here's what you should know about the Spirit of Troy (I'm not in it- I couldn't stand anymore band after high school):
-first of all, the only actual marching they do is in the Rose Parade if we go. Everything else is field shows and playing at games and events.
-It is hardcore. The time you put in it will be like a sport. Besides practice there are all the events that they do.
-BUUUT... you should know that while it can be tough at times, people in the band are obsessed with it. It is like a cult. They love SC, they love the Spirit of Troy, and they love everyone in band. You will make a lot of friends.
-They can party- hard. They are crazy. There also is a tad bit of hazing.
-You won't be labeled a band nerd like in high school, because 1) there are so many people in it that there is strength in numbers and they decide they are cool, and 2) students appreciate them a lot more.
-You will get to travel to awesome places: Notre Dame, bowl games, Hawaii, etc.
-You might also get to play with famous people. Besides Fleetwood Mac, they played with Outkast at the Grammys, etc.
-Basically to sum the Spirit of Troy up: you will put in a lot of time, if it is right for you, you will love it, you will have to love SC greatly, you will have to forfeit the normal football game experience if you play, but if your friends are in it, you might not mind. Those guys love what they do and love each other, and seem to have a really amazing time.</p>
<p>How do you join the marching band? And is there some type of band camp, and if so, when is it? And how strict are they with members, do a lot of people tend to get cut? I love marching, but I'm not a DCI-hardcore marcher. So, lots of questions, thanks in advance for answering.</p>
<p>Well, although USChicka and I usually agree, I must digress from her on a few small points....</p>
<p>-You're still considered a band nerd, you're just a college band nerd. That isn't to say that many of the people aren't fun, one of my best friends was in the band, but I have been to enough band parties to tell you that, really, a band geek is a band geek is a band geek.</p>
<p>-She also left out the part about the INSANE HAZING. It is well known that the band hazes harder than any frat even does. Drinking, not sleeping, doing whatever your section leader says (at whatever hour they say to)....it's all in good fun (no swallowing live goldfish!) but it is still time consuming, and can be difficult. You ahve to really love the band life to commit to it.</p>
<p>I'm not going to join. I'm not the best player, I'm better at marching. (I play trumpet, by the way). There seems to be a lot of music to memorize, which I'm really bad at.</p>
<p>Good luck to those joining. Hope to see you at the games!</p>
<p>Yeah, I guess I shouldn't have said that you <em>won't</em> be labeled a band nerd. I still see them as band nerds (and I was in band in high school), it's just that they can all stick together and don't have to worry about what other people say because there are so many of them. Mainly it seems like they just don't care.</p>
<p>And I know of one person that dropped out early freshman year because of the hazing. She also doesn't drink or party, so she definitely wasn't feelin' the band.</p>
<p>does anyone have more details on the hazing....because im not much of a drinker myself and hazing is the only thing holding me back from joining.</p>