Last modified by Keith Swenson 3/6/2009
Public Description (Wiki Format)
Regular Activities
Over the season, the marching band does many different events and activities. This page is a place to keep descriptions of those activities for people who are new to the band and want to know more about what activities to participate in.
Pit Crew
The band includes the the members who march on the field, and the pit which is a percussion section standing just in front of the field. The pit includes a lot of percussion instruments, and the challenge is to get that equipment on to the field before the show and off the field after the show is finished. There are too many instruments for the students to move by themselves, so parents get to help in this. Most band events are timed, and the time for getting the equipment on and off is limited, so there must be some preparation and coordination to make this happen smoothly.
Many parents feel that participating in the pit crew is one of the best ways to participating with the band. You are in a way part of the performance, and you the closest seats to the students: you get to watch the entire performance from the edge of the field. Wheeling the equipment on and off the field is not difficult work, so anyone can do it. We recommend that everyone take a turn at participating in the Pit Crew at least once in your student's career in the band.
PA Crew
Similar to pit crew, but involved in PA move & help set up.
Truck Loading / Unloading
This job involves helping with getting all the various large pieces of band equipment out of the band room, onto a truck, and tied down properly, unloaded at the site, reloaded after the performance, tied down again, and finally returned to the band room. This is a great job for Dads who want to help without needing any preparation or paperwork!
Truck loading and unloading is really four separate activities
- Loading the truck at the school
- Unloading the truck at the competition
- Loading again after the competition
- Unloading back at the school
We assume you are going along on the trip to the competition, and will participate in all of these, but if you have a reason that you can only do some of these, please let the organizer know your situation.