A marching band is a sort of invasive multicellular organism which commonly manifests in the form of a flock of tropical birds that decided to establish a formal standing military. As a show of force, they tend to interrupt football games with interpretive dancing and covers of classic rock songs using precisely zero guitars. They are so serious about this, in fact, that they often gather in large groups—migrating to large parking lots in an impressive display of school bussery and semi-trailer husbandry—to compete in contests to determine who amongst them is most proficient in the disciplines of musicality, visual uniformity, and the ability to arrive with everyone wearing the correct shoes. These rituals proceed in an orderly fashion for as many as 15 hours, with bands that traveled hundreds of miles and prepared for months just to perform for less than eight minutes.
Objectively, marching band is the dumbest activity there is. And if you ever say that to my face I will fight you.
Logic is not a prerequisite of culture or, indeed, a critical component of what makes us human. Even now, as late-stage capitalism pushes to make our lives so efficient that we don’t have to live them, marching band stems the tide. We do it because it is hard. In this strange world, a life lived is the rule and not the exception. Each day is fully realized and wasting time is time well-spent. Every year when I sit down to write my season recap, I worry briefly at how I will manage to find new words to convey the meaning and impact of this seemingly bizarre activity before, inevitably, they begin to pour out of me without effort. Perhaps my concern has never been finding new words, but that I have spent six years looking for the right words and have yet to find them.
It all seems ridiculous, that is, until you see what I have seen. One Saturday morning this year, en route to a competition, we made a stop at West Texas A&M University to hold a rehearsal. In 16 years of observing marching bands behind the curtain, I have never seen a rehearsal so impressive. What was so different about this one? The directors didn’t do a thing. The only directive was “Do what you need to do”, and then the kids took over.
I watched as drum majors and section leaders wasted zero time assembling their sections to run through music and visuals, facilitating practice not only with confidence but with director-level competence and insight. Each section nitpicked itself over the smallest detail, exhibiting aural acuity and focus beyond anything I have witnessed in a group of half-of-them-can’t-even-drive-yet teenagers. The students brought the full band together to run through the show where the examination continued.
Starting. Stopping. Fix this issue. Fix that form. We're not moving on until we get this right. Back to set one...
All while never missing the forest for the trees. Directors John Jones and Claire Entrekin have high expectations for their band during rehearsals, but their approach might seem laid-back compared to the urgency in the air when student leadership is in charge.
Later that night when we returned from the competition, not a word needed to be said for the kids on my bus to be awake and ready when we pulled up to the school. Before the bus door opened, a drum major was giving directions and half of the bus jumped off to begin unloading not just their props but everyone’s equipment from under the buses. The other half of them stayed on the bus and began combing through the seats and crawling on the floor to pick up the smallest piece of trash. One student produced a broom and dustpan out of thin air and began sweeping. As a frequent bus chaperone I am accustomed to grabbing a trash bag and searching the aisles and overhead storage for left-behind items, but this time I started to get looks from kids that all but said, “You’re an adult and I don’t know if I can tell you you’re in the way, but… you’re in the way.” I was forced to go home.
Patriots, hear me now: This is why you are successful. This is why you make state despite being half the size of other bands. You take care of business, invest in your bandmates, and display a discipline and maturity that I believe everyone should emulate. It matters that you set your instruments and water bottles down on a straight line. It matters that you put the plumes in the box all in the same direction. It matters that someone is dedicated to loading suitcases under the bus and takes pride in that task, and all the tasks that might seem small.
Having the process laid bare and the secrets revealed does not make it any less fun to watch. In the words of Terry Pratchett, "It doesn't stop being magic just because you know how it works." And it takes a lot of work for just eight minutes of magic. It takes more than practicing your instrument and knowing where your dot is. You know this. Do not ever forget it. And when the next class of freshmen arrive, pass it on; “Welcome to the family, let me show you how we win.”
Anyone who disparages the value of marching band in my presence will be going home with either a changed mind or with an inclination to keep their opinions to themselves in the future. One does not live with it as I have and remain indifferent to the effect that it has on our young people. They step onto the field as kids and step off as empathetic leaders who understand what it means to be accountable, to work hard, and to patiently pursue a goal. You would be hard-pressed to find a school where the band does not have the highest average GPA of any student organization on campus. There is a reason for this.
>>>On the Field
The 2026 Patriot Regiment's show was entitled Arose From Concrete and featured music by Radiohead, Stephen Melillo, Sleep Token, Ola Gjeilo, and Blackpink. Perpetual motion was the name of the game, having only 16 counts where the band did not move, and we were treated to a bevy of runs and swells by which our Patriots showed us the meaning of articulation and dynamics. The band took the marching season by storm, reaching new heights and earning a spot in the UIL 4A State Marching Contest for the second consecutive year.
They have been called “Cooper”, “the new high school”, and even “Patrick Swanson”, but the Liberty Patriot Regiment by any other name would sound as sweet.
An invitation to San Antonio in November is not something that any band should ever take for granted, no matter their pedigree. To not only qualify for State, but to step off the bus at the Alamodome with real hopes of making Finals is a feeling that few young musicians will ever truly know. The Patriot Regiment stood and delivered their best performance of the year at preliminaries. If you were not in attendance and have access to the replay, I highly recommend you watch it. To my kids: That is how you leave it all on the field. You blew me away.
Ultimately, Liberty did not hear their name called as a State Finalist this year and finished their highly successful season as the #15 4A band in the state of Texas. Although they have all held their heads high (as they should) it is clear that they fell short of their own expectations and are feeling it. One thing that band often teaches us is that it is possible to do everything right and still lose. So many times I have watched a program’s season come to an early conclusion and found myself giving out hugs to kids with tears in their eyes, telling them that I am proud of them and that they should be proud of themselves, too. Yet another sign of maturity from this group: No one had to convince any of them of this. They know how to handle disappointment with grace and how to be proud of what they accomplished all at the same time. It stings because you care. That’s the bargain.
If you are not enough without the trophy, you'll never be enough with it. We do it for the love of the game.
Patriots, I am your biggest fan. Have I made that obvious, yet? Typically, I have ended these with a message of sincere gratitude and appreciation for the seniors and I certainly will have such words for you at a later time. Right now, though, I have an assignment for you.
Yes, this is mandatory. There will be a test.
Seniors, you aren’t going to be with us much longer. You will soon move on to whatever life has waiting for you after high school and hopefully do something special. Take a moment in the meantime to look at what you’ve built. You are the first senior class to attend all four years at Liberty High School and the first members of the Liberty Patriot Regiment. The program is batting 0.500 for state qualification in its entire history. It won its first contest only four years in. This is your assignment: Make sure it endures when you are gone. Leadership looks good on you. Make sure it looks good on the next class before you leave. Challenge them, dare them to do better than you did. Excellence is quiet and humble. Show, don’t tell. No one wins in November who loses in August. The day we start believing we are entitled to something we have not yet earned is the day it passes us by.
You make me proud! As always, it is a privilege that you have allowed me to follow you and share in everything the season has given us. I hope you had fun, I know I did. Get to work on your solos so we can hang out at TMEA in February.
Next season starts now.
2026 UIL 4A State Marching Contest coverage by Aaron Baxter/for Lubbock-Cooper Independent School District.
