Band nerds, losers, nobodies; these are some of the derogatory terms that band kids have to hear. Why is it that band kids are thought of as nerds and not as people? We have friends and parents and pets just like everyone else. And because the band acts like a family at times, the kids in band experience a lot more drama then kids not on a team or in a close group of people. Yes, we actually have drama. Imagine that.

The band is just like a football team. We have to work together, we help to raise school spirit and we go to every single one of the varsity football games. We work just as hard as the football team so why can’t students give us the respect we deserve? Instead, the band gets blamed for our football team losing their games. How does that make sense? Football and band are a common topic of comparison, but really all the band kids are asking for is the same amount of respect and a little support from the school. It would be nice if the football team showed up at one of our competitions in body paint and screamed “Go band!” but that most likely won’t happen.

Sometimes I stop and think, Well, people probably just don’t know what the band does every day. Personally, I would like to see the who school play an instrument, run laps, march for eight minutes straight or longer with no breaks, march at a tempo of 174 beats (that’s really fast by the way), and memorize all of our music and a total of 86 spots on the field. Say that fast five times.

The band has gotten the highest rankings in every single UIL or festival that we have performed in this year and we recently got second in the state. And last year, with only a freshman and sophomore class, we achieved fifth in the State Honor Band contest finals that consisted of about 50 other bands. That earns us bragging rights.

Call us nerds, think of us however you want, but know that we work hard for our school and we’re making a name for Rouse and when the seniors graduate, we will be leaving behind a tradition of greatness that others will live up to.