This year our band was pretty small. Class 1A and about 30 members. But, the thing is, half of our band were Seniors. So next year its going to be cut in half.

They say that every year they're supposed to get a lot of freshman in, but every year they only get a couple. This year it was only me and two other freshman.

How would you go about coping with this? Marching Bands are supposed to fill an entire football stadium. We won't even fill a cafeteria.

EDIT: Oh don't even get me started on colorguard. So far we only have 1 signing on.

...one.

We've had a small band, not less than 30, but usually around 35. What you've got to do is just love the activity. Yeah your friends won't talk about how you owned the other school anymore, but you guys will be that much closer by the end of the season. Being in marching band has never been about competing with other schools or having the hugest sound to me. It's always been about (1) seeing how I can get better as a player, (2) doing what I can to help other people do the same, and (3) loving the family that you'll be a part of. In my opinion a 30 person band will always be better than a 100, 150 or (in one case that I've seen)300 member band, because you can't really have #3 in a huge band. If you just have that mentality versus "how will we compensate for being small" everything will run smoothly.

Also, what are you doing to get people interested? Are you talking to members of the concert band? Are you talking future freshman? Are you asking members of the orchestra if they want to do pit or drumline? Are you asking members of your school's dance department about colorguard? Are you trying to make something of the situation at all? If you just say "dang it, the band's gonna be tiny." Then I guarantee that the band indeed will be tiny. But if you put some effort into it and think about things you can do to help things out, maybe you'll be able to change this course you're following.

I recognized at our final game of the season that our DL next year would be 3 people. I could have said crap, 3 people, that sucks, oh well. No, instead I started talking to people, did a clinic to get people interested, and now we're looking at 11 potential members now.

If you try to do something about it I think you'll get more than what you'll get by just saying "aw darn." And look where you are, a drumline forum. If you just start making some decisions and start saying "I'm going to so something about this" and give some ideas of what you plan to do, people here will help you out.

So how do you cope with it? Get people interested. Everyone you can. Even if you don't end up with 50 members, you'll end up with more, and even if not, you can be proud of the effort you put forth.

Apollo, this was actually very helpful.
We've already been to the Middle schools in our zone to try to get people interested. We can almost say were getting 10 freshman, but then you never know.

Also, my drum is on the line (ahahah)
If the bands too small, I won't be able to march snare. I'm really not likely to say "Aw darn."

But the overall problem is that were just not motivated. I suggested a drumline clinic, and our section leader says (sarcastically)
"Ok, so we take some sh*tty drums over to some middle school, play like we did all season (like sh*t), whine about how small our band will be and hope that some people will feel sorry for us and join one of the worst bands in the county?"

Were not one of the worst bands in the county, but everyone thinks we are. I'm getting tired of always being in the "worst" band.

But we're not talking about him doing something, that clinic I talked about above I did without my section leader, who might not have done it anyway. If your section leader isn't interested well oh well, if your motivated enough to try to do something about it you won't need him.

Also, try getting your drum major and band captains and other leaders interested in going to middle schools and talking to people too, perhaps they haven't realized what the band'll be.

Our band directors already heard this issue a million times, and is pretty much saying the same things that you are.

Like I said, we've been to plenty of middle schools in hopes of recruiting, but so far, theres really no hope.

this is what has happend say, the past 3 years.the 2005-06 we had a 50 person band, and most were seniors. Then the next year, we got a new band director. in 2005, we had 30 people in 6th grade, then the next year 76, then this year, 84, big difference, since the band director came knowing how to do it, so by my senior year, we wil have 100, since this year we have 8 seniors leaving, and 30 8th graders.

Another thing is, that the 50 person band last year, we let 8th graders march; only2 out of the 10 marched, so we lost about 20 seniors, 5 in percussion alone.....

Oh and our band is not respected at all at my school, but we have like a 12 person cheerleading squad, and the football team is the size of the instrument players in the band.

edit- year before last, we made all 2s, this year we got 1st and 2nd in 2 competitions in 1a, 6 person drumline

Be the best 1A band & the best 3 member drumline in the state

I am serious,...it's about quality not quanity...Best wishes & Good luck.

Instructor's Secret: It's easier to clean up 3 drummers than 20 drummers.

Bumping this because we have a ballpark estimate of what our bands going to be.

Not counting incoming freshman:
3 Trumpets
0 Tuba
0 Baritone
1 Trombone
2 Flutes
3 Saxophones
0 Clarinets
1 Oboe (Marching Oboe?)
1 French Horn
5 Drumline

Guaranteed Incoming Freshman:
1 Trumpet
1 Suzaphone

Please. Just tell me how ridiculous this is. 1A? More like 1/8A
A lot of bands in our county are actually going to be pretty small. I wish that it'd be acceptable to join a few bands together. Thad be so awesome.

Guys this is a serious cry for help. The motivation in our band is crap. We might as well not even have a band next year.

Yeah, that's the spirit . I think the woodwinds should learn brass instruments, that would definitely add some body to the ensemble. Subtracting woodwinds and adding 6 brass would make quite a difference. But again you're thinking the wrong way, yes, your year will suck with this many people if you let it. Take it as a challenge, think "how can I make this better" and enjoy the family you're in. Quit thinking negative.

The motivation of your band is crap? Get other people involved, go to nearby middle schools, get people in the arts programs in your school involved, dancers have movement experience, orchestra people read music, if you put some effort I think you could get three from each group. So that's 6. Let's say you have 6 middle schools in you county, 4 nearby. Let's say you visit all of them and and you get around 6 altogether. That's 12 (with the 6 above), put that with the 18 I counted in your line up above, that's 30. Then what if you get the people you recruited involved. What if you get those dancers and orchestra members and middle schoolers that you got to all try to recruit someone? Let's say a quarter of them got a buddy in, thats 3 more members. 33! Just like that. Those are pretty hypothetical numbers and it might not be that easy, but the fact is, if you sit down and think you can do something. Really, try it. I got excited making this post and I'm not even in your band, are you excited at the challenge? Have you done anything yet? Or are you still just complaining? Because complaining will not increase your numbers, working to increase your numbers however, will probably increase your numbers. Best of luck to you.

It's a matter of how you guys view yourselves. I know a band director who taught 5A & moved to 1A school & took that little band to 3rd in class 1A state marching competition. Just work with what you have man.