No matter the weather, the K-State Marching Band never misses a beat: A K-State band member from the sunny shores of Florida shares her band experience
One moment, you’re playing an instrument while the sun is warming your skin and sweat is dripping down your back. The next, you’re in freezing rain as you march across the darkening football field, instrument clutched tightly in your hand.
Mariam Fernandez, a clarinet player in the K-State Marching Band, went to high school in warm, sunny Orlando, Florida. She marched there, but her high school experience contrasted greatly with the weather variety endured by the K-State band.
Perseverance
“In Florida, our temperatures and winds are not as unpredictable as they are in Kansas unless there’s a hurricane,” Fernandez said. “In the summer, I didn’t struggle at all with the weather.”
K-State band camp starts just before the beginning of fall classes. Early in the morning, band members spend hours in the boiling sun learning the intricacies of marching while playing an instrument — from the proper foot placement to the specific “horn” movements used in both the pep and marching bands. Water, sunscreen and sweat towels are essential.
Then, not too long after those grueling summer days, the weather turns frosty. In the biting wind and wintry mix, band members have to layer clothes underneath their uniforms and sometimes hide the smaller instruments in their jackets to keep them warm.
“After living in Florida, where marching band seasons are a lot hotter, I was not ready for the Kansas cold. It began as a great thing, as I wasn’t sweating all day, and I could wear a sweater to practice,” Fernandez said. “But once the snow hit, I was done for. I always had hand warmers and many layers on.”
Wet weather
Water and instruments don’t mix well, so when it rains during a game or practice, band members have a tough time keeping their instruments safe, as well as keeping themselves dry.
“As a woodwind, we have delicate instruments,” Fernandez said. “They shouldn’t get wet or be exposed to drastic temperature or humidity changes. When the temperature drops dramatically, clarinets keys will essentially freeze and get stuck in place.”
Despite the unpredictable weather, being a part of the K-State Marching Band is an amazing way to make special connections and lifelong friends.
“I have made some of my best friends through the marching band,” she said. “Everybody knows how to make the best of bad situations. During what the band refers to as Snowmageddon — the most amount of snow I have ever seen fall in one sitting — we weren’t able to perform during halftime, so we made snowmen instead.”
Sunny attitudes
Rain or shine, band members stick it out and dazzle the audience while pumping up K-State’s beloved sports teams with their undefeatable energy.
“I believe that you could stick the band in the worst conditions, and we would still manage to make the best of it,” Fernandez said. “However, when you work with expensive equipment, it becomes a matter of realistically keeping band members and our instruments safe.”
Band members are in dire need of protective weather gear for both themselves and their instruments. With proper rain gear, players would be able to perform with gusto and protect their instruments through any forecast.
“Regardless of how much fun band kids have during the chaos of bad weather, having new gear would increase the longevity of the instruments,” Fernandez said. “We would be able to protect our instruments and keep our members healthier after being exposed to such extreme weather.”
Keep the band rocking rain or shine
By Kate Ellwood