The Lasting Impacts Of Marching Band

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An activity that has been featured in countless movies, drawn both crowds and criticism and inspired generations, marching band is in full swing in the fall season. The Severna Park Voice spoke with past members of local marching bands to see how the activity has influenced their lives.

The Voice spoke with Brendan Maltese, who graduated from Severna Park High school in 2006 and became the drum major of Towson University’s marching band and now teaches elementary music education; Josh Lyon, who graduated from SPHS in 2018 and now plays in the drumline at the University of Delaware; Matt Heist, the current director of bands at Broadneck High School; Rob Werntz, who graduated from SPHS in 1979 and now teaches in the Performing and Visual Arts magnet program at Broadneck High School; and Jeremy Stevens, who graduated from SPHS in 2018.

Time Management

Brendan Maltese: It helps you manage your time. I know that in the fall semester, when marching band is in full swing, it eats up a lot of your free time, and a lot of people are concerned about that because, “How am I going to have time to do my homework? How am I going to have time for all these other things?” Really, that time constraint forces you to plan things better. It forces you to actually carve out time to do things. I know when I was in college, in the fall semester, my grades were always better than in the spring.

Responsibility

Maltese: I strive to make sure that my students are being responsible for keeping track of when their lessons are and being able to independently know what time it is so they know when to come to me. In elementary school, it’s the first time they’ve been really responsible for that kind of thing. It forces you to be more responsible about your time management and be independent and responsible for yourself.

Lyon: Music has taught me so many things throughout my life. From a very young age when I started learning piano, it gave me a head start on being disciplined. Having to sit down and be still for a half-hour as a kindergartener was no small feat.

Teamwork

Matt Heist: Marching band is an amazing activity for learning important skills and life lessons, such as dedication, working together as a team for a common goal, time management and learning how to set goals. It teaches kids that they play an important role in the success of a team, that their efforts and level of focus and preparation will greatly impact the overall performance level of the ensemble.

Social Aspect

Heist: Socially, it is incredible. Our freshmen have 100-plus friends before they ever start high school. Our students become close friends.

Lyon: As I progressed in my musical career, I quickly learned how great a social activity music is. Soon, my whole friend group was in band together. There was something about spending hours a week making music with each other that really brings people together.

Rob Werntz: It was with the other students in that close-knit music community that I learned to water ski and sail, biked the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and won a 100-mile bike race. The experience gained in that organization helped set me up for success in college, and later as a military musician and music teacher.

Overall Life Skills

Jeremy Stevens: Music has taught me how to nitpick, how to criticize myself and how to take criticism from others so that I can improve myself. Music has also been the means by which I have met most of my close friends, and it has certainly made the transition into college easier. It has taught me to meet expectations and to take the time to do things the right way. Those skills will serve me well as I pursue a career and a life of my own.

Werntz: There is a lot of education talk about “project-based learning.” Brainstorming with my peer group, then teaching and rehearsing our sections, to create an award-winning field show was success that I’ve been able to transfer into many other life activities.

Lyon: I haven’t gotten very far out of high school yet, but band has taught me discipline, perseverance, problem-solving, leadership and professionalism. All of these are skills I use every single day, and I am so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to do all of these things.

READ MORE: Question of the Month: Severna Park High School Marching Band

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