The Football Game Experience by Brody Ravnsborg

The Football Game Experience

Marching Band’s Effect on Football Games

By:Brody Ravnsborg

Imagine you’re sitting in the stands at a stadium, the lights shining down on you, people yelling, and music playing. Now imagine it without the music, and it seems off. Without the upbeat music playing for the audience and the football team, it feels less energetic. There could be music playing over the speakers, but that’s not the same as seeing a band’s powerful energy when they’re playing.

When you go to a football game, you get to experience many things such as joy, excitement, sadness, pride. The band is able to augment these emotions and even add more to the overall game. Some people have gone to the football games because of the irreplaceable energy that the band brings to the games. Without the band to play at the games, there wouldn’t be any school or fight songs for the audience to listen to. The game would be dull without some tunes to lighten the mood.

Playing music over the speakers is a viable option, but it wouldn’t have the same effect. Having a live band there to play music is different than listening to a recording of a song. Mr. Patenaude, the Austin High Band Director, had said, “I think it’s just in human culture. Whenever you hear live music, it’s different from when you feel music over a loudspeaker. Compared to when you hear actual instruments live, and you feel the thump of the drums when they’re playing along, and playing cadences and people dancing, cheering and going crazy in the stands.”

The band plays at football games every Friday night, to represent their school and the band. Anita Latham, a parent of a LASA trumpet player, comment ed on the marching band’s importance, “Marching band performs in the stands when the team scores. So their presence is very important to the football team. Just like spectators are important. You need your fans, you need a little cheering squad to help motivate our players to do their best.” The band plays to get better at their instruments but also to have fun. The students in the band have a great time at the football games. These students have to put in a copious amount of time and effort to perfect their halftime show performance.

Some students at LASA high school were given a

The band’s really leaning to the music. Photograph from Isha Sheth

survey about their opinion on marching bands and most of them said that they wanted a marching band at the football games. When the students were asked if marching bands had an effect on the football games, one student wrote, “I think the marching band has a profound effect because they bring life and excitement to football games, and they also add to the overall hype and pride that football games are known for. Everyone looks “It’s all about finding yourself, pushing your limits to be a better person and a better musician.”

When the marching band plays on the field, they project their energy and feelings. They send everyone a message that says, “This is our show, our field, our time. Let’s show you our work.” When the band is performing their show, they’re showing off the result of all their hard work. Hard work that takes time away from schoolwork, relaxation, and family. LASA’s band has a three week band camp before the start of school where they work all day. They spend the morning working on marching technique, while their afternoon is spent working on music. After every show, they look back on what they did well and what needs more work so they can make

The band doesn’t need to march to be on this field. Courtesy of Mandy Menzer

Drumline’s preparing to do one of their cadences. Photograph from Amy Constant

their next show even better. Marching bands can bring people together regardless of their background. “What I like specifically about marching band is, it’s one thing that everyone in the band program is a part of, and we can come together as one unit, and all work together as a common goal,” said Mr. Patenaude. The people in the marching band are very accepting of new members and make them feel like they belong.

LASA’s 2022-2023 marching band show was called “The Manhattan Project”, a project in the 1940s that was focused on creating the atomic bomb. The show focuses its themes on building, creating, and then using the atomic bomb. Its music helps to build and enhance the theme, and it’ll grab your attention and keep it. The football team isn’t able to watch the performance, but they can hear it.

When the two football teams play against each other, the bands are taking turns playing tunes. Both bands cheer for their team and pay their respects when someone gets injured. Even right after someone gets injured, the band can get you back into an excited mood.

Marching bands have something called “cadences” that they do in the stands. The band doesn’t play during the cadences, but the drumline does. While the drumline is playing the music during a cadence, the rest of the band is dancing along to it. When the audience sees that, they might feel like jumping in or laughing at how silly it can be. No matter what they think, they feel positively about it.

The band always goes to the game looking the same, whether they are in their uniform or their “summer” uniform. Everyone is in the same uniform to show that even one person represents the whole band and what they do reflects the band. The uniform helps give the band a sense of flair.

All in all, the band contributes many things to a football game. They provide different kinds of music and excitement. They provide an enjoyable halftime show for the audience, and they look cool while they do it. The band makes everyone else at the stadium have a great time, and the audience wants to come back to see it again.