Bandtober

Marching Band, Marching Band, Marching Band, that's October

(If you’d prefer to hear an audio version of this column, replete with the use of my announcing voice, scroll down to the bottom and hit the audio play button!)

Up and at ‘em early this morning to take advantage of the opportunity to write outside on this beautiful fall day. But I’m not up nearly as early as the thousands upon thousands of teenagers across the United States, arriving at their schools before the sun rises and often still at work when the sun sets this month, because it’s “Bandtober.” If you haven’t had a child or grandchild in a high school marching band, or you haven’t been through it yourself, “Bandtober” might be a new word for you.

The term is shorthand for the incredible commitment that band students, teachers, and, to a lesser degree, their parents and grandparents give towards their shared goals, culminating in competition season in October. It’s a long walk in the same direction for these students beginning in July and hopefully culminating in competing for the State Championship in San Antonio in November. The real grind of marching season, however, is in October.

This month, bands compete in weekend invitationals, district, area, and then, hopefully, State competitions. October is intense: every weekend the band supports the football team on Thursday or Friday nights, getting home late. Then, with little sleep, they turn around and get back to school early on Saturday morning to prepare for the competitions that last all day and late into the night, often getting home around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. All while keeping up their grades, because: no pass, no play.

To see our marching band students like Jacob Hamilton, Jack Nicols, Will Denison, Reid Pope (drum major of the Richardson Band!), and Sam Stobaugh all in worship on Sundays in October is pretty dang inspiring to me!

I asked some of our students what they love about Bandtober: many of them love the music, the competition, and, more importantly, the community of friends that a band forms. Finding shared community with other human beings seems to be in pretty short supply these days. We are all dialed into our phones, and by extension, the masters of our own private little worlds. We are conditioned by streaming services to think that we should be able to order up everything at once, the way we want it, when we want it, and how we want it.

I’m going to sound a little like an old man yelling at the clouds, but to struggle together for something bigger than ourselves is one of the greatest joys in life. To build something together in a community through shared sacrifice is an experience unlike any other. To learn how to center the needs of others instead of ourselves for a greater purpose is a critical ingredient for happiness.

Even though I have some significant pedagogical and philosophical disagreements about making music (a gift from God to be enjoyed by all) into a competition where there are winners and losers, it is a marvelous thing, nonetheless, to see so many people dedicated to something greater than themselves. Their creativity, faithfulness, and hard work give me hope for the future.

What communities are you a part of that allow you the opportunity to work for something greater than yourself? What beauty are you bringing into the world? How are you using the gift of your God-given creativity to make your corner of the world better for those who come after you?

We all have gifts, and with those gifts comes the responsibility to use them for the betterment of others. How will you use your gifts today?

The Voice of the Highlander Band,

Rev. Dr. Joe Stobaugh