Feeling weird after quitting marching band?

R

Robby Johnson

New member
Here were the pro's and con's I weighed with staying in the marching band, in the drumline.
Pros: enjoy the drumming style
hanging around with friends I've known there for a while and some instructors
been doing it for 2 years, feels odd to leave

Cons: no free time
would be tough with school work
no time for a job
no time for community service I need to get in
more stress
I don't enjoy being there the majority of the time
I don't like our instructor or the way he runs things


After some band camp (3rd year), I felt like I couldn't stand putting up with it for another two weeks and then every day after school. I always imagined how great it would be to be free and not worry at all about anything marching band related. I figured it would be so hard to tell my instructor, but I finally did it. I don't feel that relieved though, just normal. My friends are a little let-down, and now I feel like part of me is missing not doing it. But I've felt like I've missed it before when there hasn't been practice in a long time and then I didn't miss it at all when I got there. Is this normal since I was used to being in it? Will it fade? Anyone else experience this?

Sorry this was so long.
 
I think it's normal to miss something you're used to doing, even if you didn't really enjoy it. I just graduated from high school and while I really kinda hated it, I still was sort of depressed when my actual graduation day rolled around. It's just a change, and whether it's a good change or a bad one, I think it's normal to feel sort of empty, at least for a little while. You get nostalgic, and remember all the good things about what you're missing, and hardly any of the bad.

It's good that you made a pros and cons list. As a former marching band member (it wasn't college marching band, but still, it took up a lot of time), I can understand almost all the points you've made. I'd end up waiting all season for it to be over, but once it was, I missed it.

You need to really think about how happy it made you. I know that marching band can be uber stressful, but if you enjoy playing the drums and being with your friends, I think you should try to get back in the band. Are you planning on doing something musical for a career? If so, maybe staying in the band would be a good decision.

Or maybe you could join the concert band or jazz band or something--something that won't take up so much of your time, so that you can still play the drums, but have time for your homework and job and community service.

Another suggestion: maybe you could drop a class. I realize that could be asking a lot, but depending on how much community service you have to do, maybe you could drop a class this semester and take it next semester, or whenever you don't have to do community service.

As for your instructor, maybe you could talk to him. I know that might be really difficult (particularly if he is scary, like one of my instructors was...), but if you think he's being unfair, he needs to be told. He's probably just being strict and harsh because he wants the band to do well, which is understandable, but maybe you could ask him to tone it down a bit. :)

Sorry for droning on. I didn't mean to write a novel here. :P Anyway, good luck! Hope I helped.
 
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