<p>I finally decided to try out and was accepted! </p>
<p>Now, I know when you audition for something that's supposed to mean you want to do it, but I can't help but have second thoughts (I know, I'm a worry wart). The time commitment is not huge, I know, but I can't help but wonder if it will prevent me from joining other clubs and participate in intramural sports such as tennis, soccer, and possibly ultimate frisbee (If that exists) as I had originally intended. </p>
<p>This is ultimately why it took me so long to even audition, I was concerned about overwhelming myself--as this is, afterall, my first quarter of college ever.</p>
<p>So..I guess my question is...does participating in marching band strongly hinder your college experience (specifically if you're just starting college) or is it all good? I know the benefits, trust me...the raging crowds and the friends you'll make in the band! wahoo! But I'm sorry to say I can't help but consider the downsides. Anyone with firsthand experience think they can help cement my decision?</p>
<p>after being in band for four years in hs, i can safely say that band will take up your extra time. i can only imagine that the commitment would grow in college.</p>
<p>not to mention that band members tend to form sort of a clique and tend to only hang out with each other. </p>
<p>if you want to explore other interests, then i would suggest not doing band.</p>
<p>^ ignore zzzboy. no offense, but it's really not like high school. whole different ball game.</p>
<p>once you get through band camp (and i will admit that band camp can hinder welcome week activities a bit), then the time commitment lessens. but, you get to move in early, and you have a built-in social group, not to mention you'll get to know far more about the school than your non-band friends. after camp there's just 6 hours a week, and rehearsals always end on time.</p>
<p>did you receive a fall schedule in the mail? there aren't games every weekend, so you will have free weekends. also, since band is very structured, you know exactly when you can plan other activities around your practice schedule. </p>
<p>band is a great way to get involved in UCLA, and it is NOT an all-consuming activity unless you let it be (ie, getting involved in kappa kappa psi/tau beta sigma, or becoming a band TA/section leader, in which case your life may start to revolve around band). but aside from the 6 hours a week and the football games, your level of involvement is entirely determined by you, such as how many outside gigs you sign up for.</p>
<p>people in the band very rarely do just band. we're a very involved group of people, and band is one of the great springboards for getting to know UCLA. </p>
<p>so, gist of it is, give it a shot! especially since you've already been accepted. if you manage to get through band camp and you enjoy it, then the rest of the quarter will be highly enjoyable. if, at band camp, you change your mind, then you'll at least be making an informed decision :)</p>
<p>zzzboy-do you have any experience with college band though or just HS? </p>
<p>liyana! thank you so much for the post! Honestly it's responses like this that keep me coming back to these forums! </p>
<p>So...sounds like I should stick with it! I mean, I definitely think it's a cool way to get involved right away. And as you said, I can move in early and experience it for a bit and see if I like it. Would it be bad though if I quit after band camp or something? (I mean, I doubt I would, but would they deny me for future years if I decided not to do it freshman year??)</p>
<p>Oh, and on a side note, do we need to bring our own instruments?</p>
<p>people do drop after band camp, it's not unheard of. they won't hold it against you.</p>
<p>the most common reason people drop is because they are made an alternate, which is not fun. but if you decide you want band to be part of your college experience, you just gotta suck it up.</p>
<p>also i failed to mention about moving in early- they give you money. yep! ~$80 to cover food during band camp (before meal plans start). sweet deal, if you ask me. you also can make money off of band trips if you don't spend all your per diem on food. </p>
<p>as for instruments, the school has larger instruments (tuba, trombones too i think, and percussion). as for other instruments, you bring your own. however if you don't have one contact JJ, i'm sure they must have extras...</p>
<p>umm, so wait, there's still another audition to determine if we're actually going to play at games or not? Darn...that definitely woudl affect my decision a bit I'd say...</p>
<p>And that IS a sweet deal! 80 bucks! haha</p>
<p>oh, one last thing, how strict is making every practice, is there ever an excuse to miss one or are you basically kicked off instantly? I mean, I'd imagine you definitely wouldn't be able to play at the next game as that specific "formation" or whatever you learned that day (excuse me for not knowing marchign band terms yet) you would have missed.</p>
<p>B1rdm4n,
Congratulations on making the Marching Band!</p>
<p>
[quote]
So..I guess my question is...does participating in marching band strongly hinder your college experience (specifically if you're just starting college) or is it all good?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No way does being in marching band hinder your college experience. My son just graduated with high honors, and he was an officer in his Fraternity. He got free travel to all the home games, bowl games, Notre Dame, and Bay Area games. Plus he got 2 free season tickets for his friends and family to go to the home games. </p>
<p>The time he took for practice wasn't nearly as much as the time required for his high school band. And he told me that the drill routines were easier.</p>
<p>I don't know if he ever missed a practice, but I do know that there are band alternates who fill in for members who are ill.</p>
<p>He told me that the best perk of all was getting out of a horrible Physics mid-term. It fell on the same day as the band trip up to Stanford. His professor told him that he could skip the midterm and make up for it by having the final count more.</p>
<p>I should probably start taking a look at that music. I've never been in marching band before (my school only had a static pep band) so memorizing music and choreography is new for me. How likely it one will be an alternate and not active? What is that decision based on? I'm a good musician but I've never done marching before, so....</p>
<p>Also, there are several marching band performances posted on YouTube, especially the pregame show with the Ucla spellout.</p>
<p>UCLA uses standard marching, which means smooth heel-toe forward walking and up on your toes backward walking. (They don't do any of the toe-down drive-it stomping like U$C.)</p>
<p>As far as learning the music, the most frequently played pep songs are Sons of Westwood, Mighty Bruins, Fire and Word Up. </p>
<p>For marching you will need to first learn Strike up the Band for UCLA. Strike up the Band is the traditional pregame show, but for the earliest game of the season it is performed at halftime. Alma Mater is played down on the field after every game, and Rover is played, danced to, and sung every time they win.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks band mom. As one who has always wanted to be in a marching band, I have definitely seen those videos already. But good tips for the songs. Thank you!</p>
<p>i don't play an instrument (i'm on the colorguard) so i don't know much about how they decide alternates. i would hazard it's a combination of music/marching ability, and seniority. it also depends on what your instrument is (woodwinds are popular, so more alternates. tubas are in demand, so this year there were few if any alternates). </p>
<p>if you're an alternate then you basically learn drill by shadowing someone with a spot. when someone in your section is absent or can't march, you fill in. but that's just on the field- in the stands, everyone is equal, and we're in the stands the bulk of the time at football games. i'd say that's where we have the most fun :)</p>
<p>attendance also factors into alternate status. you can miss rehearsals with advance notice, and everyone knows that midterms and such happen during practice sometimes. all you do is give notice. but try not to miss ANY of band camp itself, as that's when alternates are determined, to give yourself the best shot. </p>
<p>you will never be kicked off for missing a practice. also, we don't learn a new show every week: we learn the bulk of the season at band camp, so missing a fall quarter rehearsal means you're probably just missing runthroughs. however, if you miss too much practice during a given week, you may not be allowed to perform the next game. </p>
<p>all the nitty gritty will be explained at band camp, and you'll get to meet your section, so i still suggest just going and learning for yourself!</p>
<p>Cool, thanks much! For some reason, I figured you for a trumpet player, Liyana. Hm. Anyway. Wow, learning the whole season in 10 days sounds intimidating, but I've heard band camp can kick your butt, so I'm ready. :)</p>
<p>I arranged my fall schedule so no classes or finals should interfere with band, but I never know about midterms, and I'm not certain about finals. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited for band! :D</p>
<p>midterms only directly conflict with band if they're south campus (math/chem etc), because they have those evening midterms outside class time. of course you may end up with a midterm on a band trip, or midterms in the middle of a hectic week.</p>
<p>i forgot what instrument you play, salty? and yes, band camp will kick your butt. however since you aren't colorguard/percussion you will get to spend much more of band camp indoors that i will :(</p>
<p>Don't worry about band conflicting with midterms. My son was in Engineering, and when he was a Freshman we asked the Dean of the Eng school about our concerns. He told us that given prior notice, the professors will make accommodations for UCLA band and sports team students to take exams at a later date, (or even omit them like the Physics exam that I mentioned earlier).</p>