UPDATE!!! High school marching band WWYD

This is how I would approach this situation. He embarrassed her because he knew that she wouldn't talk back, well Mama, it's time to talk back for her.

Jennifer

It sounds awkward but I would consider going with her in her talk with the band director so nothing is misinterpreted!

No more advice, but I wanted to say how sorry I am that this happened. I was a band kid and it had a huge effect on my teen years. My youngest daughter loved band and I was a band booster. Then we got a young director who liked the "cool" kids and showed them preference over quiet kids like my daughter. It was just weird. It wrecked band for her and some other things made me distance myself from the program. I feel bad that she and your daughter didn't have the positive experience that band can be. I still play and I keep in touch with friends from band. I'd like to see a good outcome for your daughter, but I don't think there is one.

My daughter is in high school band in Texas. There are kids in her band that do not march. They are props and play on the stands. They can try to challenge for a spot each week if they want to. They look so sad sitting on the ground watching the practice.

The best of luck, mom! I would definitely be going to the mat on this one!

This may be an odd question for all of the band parents out there, but why is there a limited number of positions in the band? It isn't like a sport that has a limited number of positions available to play at any given time (i.e.: 11 football or soccer players on the field during a play - you can't have more that without penalty). Colleges have huge marching bands, so why can't a high school accommodate all that want to play, obviously barring the inability to play an instrument?

Good Luck and hope sound minds can straighten out the poor decisions made by the band director.

Answering as a band mom and am in NO WAY defending the actions of this band director...

We've been involved with 2 different marching bands, and both bands had an open door policy--if you wanted to march a place was found for you...up to a point. High school marching band is different from college marching band in that high school has one show they perform the whole season vs college which changes from week to week. A high school show usually has a story to tell and the show is judged from each week at marching band competitions. Drill is written which shows where each member should be on the field throughout the performance. Band camp is where the kids begin to learn this drill and they continue to work on it throughout marching band season. A good band director knows that his or her roster of students is variable through the summer and that drill may have to be adjusted to accommodate "holes" or new students transferring in. But usually after the first week of school or so, the band can be so far into the show that it can be hard to put someone on the field. The band directors we've worked with try to get a kid on the field somehow, usually by putting them in the front ensemble (the "pit"). So they might not be marching, but they will be an important part of the show.

There are no size limitations to marching band in my experience. Your class for competitions is usually based on school enrollment numbers rather than the actual size of the band. Band directors usually want more marchers, not less, because more people makes for a more impressive sound and generally looks more impressive on the field. (Although I've seen some small bands do some really cool stuff--they get mad props from me because they can't hide things with big numbers).

Uniforms *could* be a reason for limiting the number of marchers on the field, but I've never heard of that being a problem in reality. Generally bands have more uniforms than marchers so that all shapes and sizes of kids can be accommodated from year to year. Uniforms are expensive, but they last for years! If the band doesn't have enough, then my thought goes to poor management, either of the band director or band boosters.

We've had one awesome band director and one crappy one, but even he would have fixed his mistake and put a senior on the field. I truly hope the OP has a good outcome for her DD! My DD is also a senior in marching band this year and I'd be having a conniption fit if this were happening to her.

Our HS competition marching band tweeked their drill EVERY single week so if someone got hurt they would just move people around. We've never had alternates. And we've won states several times & one national so it doesn't HAVE to be that a competition marching band needs alternates. BUT we are not a huge school or a huge band.

I'm glad your daughter is back in, but I will say, I still don't like the solution. It was like he was just trying to find a reason to get you guys off his ass.

So glad to hear the update.

This band director needs some training, at the very least.

Great update!

Good update and it doesn't look like your daughter threw a fit to get it. The boy lost his spot.

While your daughter was rewarded the marching spot she had earned, I would not be satisfied with the way this situation continues to be handled! The director is reactionary to parent complaints & pits the kids against each other in front of their bandmates, rather than taking responsibility for his planning/assignment error. I hope the director doesn't reverse their positions, should the boy's mom &/or band officers complain about his assignment again, & it becomes an ongoing issue. Best wishes...