Hey hey, guys! John here. I just wanted to tell you all a little bit about your average day of practice in the Auburn University Marching Band. Your mileage may vary, but this should give you a little idea of how things usually go down.

A typical practice day for the AUMB during the football season is actually a really laid-back process. We work hard and get our job done in as little time as possible usually only an hour a day at mid-day… but that is all different this year because the band class has been moved to late afternoon and runs for 75 minutes Tuesday through Friday. Yep, that means that we have Mondays off!

Here’s a rundown of a weekday rehearsal… a few minutes before band class starts everyone starts meandering up to the band field and gets their horn/drum/flags/batons/selves out and ready for sectional warm-up. Drummers remember, “There’s no drumming on the sideline!!” As soon as the clock hits 3:25 (five minutes until class starts)…

STEP ONE: Sectional Warm-up

This will happen within your section almost every single day. It just so happens that every section gets their own private part of the field to hold sectionals. BE WARNED: Some of the more primitive sections get a little territorial and full caution should be taken when walking nearby. (Ed. note: Crikey!) It is a VERY rare occasion that we skip a sectional warm-up and go straight into the full band warm-up. Speaking of which…

STEP TWO: Full Band Warm-up and Music Practice

We always line up in the same arc every time for full band warm-up because role is easily checked from a standard arc where everyone always stands in the same place. Usually there is some playing of a couple of full band warm-ups, playing through the music a few times, and then some instruction on our next part of practice.

STEP THREE: Halftime Run-through

We always have some part of that week’s show that could use some tweaking. Thus, “Run it back!” is the most popular phrase heard from our directors. Earlier in the week, we may run just part of one song for the whole practice. However as the week goes on practice focus more on full show run-throughs. We also have to use a lot of practice time for learning new drill if there is a brand spanking new show that week. Learning a new show, outside of Preseason Camp, can typically span one and a half to two weeks. and usually is the “meat” of practice while that current week’s show is a quicker run-through.

STEP THREE (ALTERNATE): Preeeeegame!

When it gets later on in the week like, say, Thursday or Friday, the focus in practice may fall to pregame. However, this is usually the main focus on Gameday. Gameday is a totally different blog post in itself, though, so check back later for more on that!