This means that the glory in a marching band, as in life itself, is mostly shared. We succeed on an individual level only to the degree that we can make the whole group look good. Finally, my stint as a high school tuba player reinforced in me an appreciation for the power of music itself. Music can revive the most dispirited of players, even changing the momentum of a game. I still get a surge of adrenaline listening to the Eagle Fight Song.
Music is a powerful motivator.
And though I haven't held a tuba in over 30 years, I still love marching bands and I still tend to judge them by the size and proficiency of their tuba sections. We marched six tubas in 1967, which wasn't bad for a band of 90. Recently, I saw a major university field nearly two dozen tuba players, each carrying a shiny, white, fiberglass instrument, and all of them in unison executing impressive 360 degree turns every 10 yards are so. Respond to this column. View others' responses to this column.