September means it’s time to go back to school—with new teachers, new classrooms and new opportunities awaiting you. For marching band, it means going to band camp, learning new drill and music, and welcoming freshmen into the fold.
By now, many of you have already settled into your new routines. But before the school term and the marching season get too far underway, we wanted to take this time to wish you a successful year. No matter what the outcome of your football games or competitions (or your classes, for that matter), we hope you have fun and grow from your experiences. As singer Billy Joel wrote in one of his most famous song lyrics: “This is the time to remember ’cause it will not last forever.” In this issue of Halftime Magazine, we celebrate the many ways that marching band has made a difference in people’s lives.
In the co-sponsored “Claim Your FAME” Essay Contest between Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., and Halftime Magazine, we asked high school students across the country: “How does being in a marching band inspire you in your life?”
Read the winning essay, “Bringing Music to Life” (page 28), by Deanna Colasurdo. For Colasurdo, a color guard performer with Morristown (N.J.) High School, being involved in marching band has allowed her and her father a second chance to experience the passion of music.
While music promotes a very personal connection for Colasurdo, thousands of high school performers receive an eyeopening experience at their local university’s Band Day (page 14). Interacting with college students and directors as well as marching in a major stadium in front of enthusiastic crowds oftentimes inspire them to continue marching at this higher level.
On a more global scale, music also has the power to promote global unity, provide otherwise unreachable opportunities and even prevent HIV. In the feature story “Marching Around the Globe” (page 25), we trace the experiences of three organizations whose goals have extended way beyond simply music education.
Just like all of the students in these articles, may you always embrace your time in the marching arts and the life lessons you learn along the way.
Keep on Marching,
Christine Ngeo Katzman
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief