BAND OVERVIEW

Band shows have become an athletic art form. Competitive marching band shows are musical productions comprised of a central or connecting theme, elements of modern movement or dance, elaborate props,and often incredibly demanding musican drill (drill=march routines).

Well-coordinated productions use the three main elements of the band (Brass/Winds, Percussion, and Color Guard) equally to portray a main theme or idea. It is not unusual for members of the wind and percussion sections to be featured during portions of the production, performing solos or elements of modern dance.

The Color Guard has taken an increasingly more extensive role, often making multiple costume changes during a production. In addition to flags spun throughout the production, “weapons” are often utilized,a link to the past military traditions. Rifles, sabers, or other modern “props” have been used to help convey the central theme.

WLC participates in marching band competitions within Michigan as a member of Michigan Competing Band Association (MCBA) and is categorized as a Flight 2 school based on student enrollment. Bands of America (BOA) hosts the Regional and National competitions in which we compete against marching bands from outside of Michigan.

Marching Band Philosophy

Competitive marching bands must have a healthy attitude and philosophy. The band’s attitude is, “We compete against one band – and that band is us – WLC.” The overall objective is to strive for excellence and to perform one’s best. Every day improvement of personal standards of performance is the driving philosophy.

Band Motto: “Do your best, forget the rest…GO BAND!”

Competing “to win ”leads to a road of disappointment–despite everyone’s best efforts. Band programs falter when their goal is“winning, ”leading the bands to place much lower than expected. The goal of winning, while exciting, does not encourage sportsmanship. That attitude leads to bitterness and disappointment, and ultimately the participants lose the spirit of teamwork and personal responsibility. In fact, it is for the adjudication process, that the band competes at all. It helps the band to learn about their strengths as well as their areas of needed improvement. The feedback they gain from competing helps them to grow both as individual performers as well as a complete ensemble.

Marching  Band Board

The WLC Band program prides itself on our huge parental involvement. While the Marching Band program may seem overwhelming to new families, we strongly encourage you to jump in and get involved! We have MANY volunteer opportunities available for parents. Getting involved is an excellent way to meet new people, become more familiar with the program, and to be involved in your child’s life.

The Band Booster meetings can be found on the calendar menu link and are usually scheduled on the second Wednesday of the month, (unless otherwise stated), at 7 p.m. They are typically held in the WLC Media Center. The meetings run approximately one hour and are packed with information. We highly encourage parent's attendance to stay informed. The Marching Band Board is comprised of 100% parent volunteers who are elected every March. Board members do not receive any compensation for their time and efforts, including discounts on merchandise. The goal of the Board is solely to support the Band Director and the Marching Band Program!

GO BAND!