In a band as large as the Marching Virginians, sometimes it’s hard to meet everyone. Quickly working through sets, there’s only sparing moments to exchange a friendly ‘hi’ or ‘hello.’ During sectionals, everyone is focused on the music with little time to chat and you only talk to the people in your section. So while we are a hard-working band, not everyone gets a chance to know someone from outside their section. To get to know your band-mates better, Marching with the Virginians spoke with members from a few sections and learned about their traditions.
A beautiful garden of horns! Photo credit: Beau Wong.
The Saxes - Claudia Pack
“Before every game we pass around a ball-and-cup game. Every person has to try to get it in the cup otherwise it’s bad luck for the section. If everyone gets the ball in the cup then it means we’ll win the game. It’s fun because during lunch [before march to victory] everyone comes together to focus on one little fun activity. We all get really into it, especially so when people take 17 tries…like me!”
The Horns - Wyatt Dunbar
“Horn garden is where we place our horns up front in a line by Polly before game day motorcycles. We do it because it’s a nice show of respect to Polly, who was a horn player.”
Katelyn Hudack sporting pix glitter! Photo credit: Beau Wong.
The Pix - Callie Jansen
“One fun activity we have is glitter. A few years ago, the pix started putting glitter on and around the same time we noticed our sound really started to improve. We kept doing it, and for some reason we noticed that at games we forgot to wear glitter we lost. So, it became a mainstay: If we wear glitter we win! It sometimes gets everywhere, but it’s important within our section because we’re all doing the same thing. We all have it in common and we feel closer!”
The Tones - Sean Khoshkhou
“On game day we do Tone Donuts and Tone Planes. Another thing is Apron Tuesdays, which is our most noticeable tradition, and whenever the directors say “Tone!” we raise our tones above our heads! All of what we do is important to us because it gives us unity. Doing our own things, together as a section, makes us feel special, and so we feel we have our own niche within the band.”
Knowing another section, knowing what traditions they hold close, are important because you can understand what makes that section unique. Understanding how a section stands out and what gives it character hopefully helps you appreciate it a little bit more. If this is true, then the band must feel closer, and so it will be better overall!
After reading this, we hope you care about the person marching next to you just a little bit more; we all march through life together. Take some time out of your day to learn about another section, and if you can’t find time, there’s no need to worry! More traditions will be posted soon.
