It is no secret that last year was difficult for everyone in different ways. Many lost their lives due to the Coronavirus, students had online school, and people were stuck in what seemed like a never ending but crucial quarantine. Due to this quarantine, many school sports and activities were cancelled or shortened to ensure the safety of students.

One school activity heavily affected by online school was band and marching band. A senior band member was asked a couple of questions comparing the last year of band over quarantine and this year being back at school. When asked about the difficulty of keeping up with their instrument last year over online classes, the student said, “[he] was not motivated to play [his] instrument because [he] had a lot of extra freedom with my peers not being able to see if [he] was playing or doing something random.” They also responded by saying that their other classes and marching band did not spark as much interest as it once did during quarantine because of the heavy restrictions, including wearing masks while playing and not marching due to social distancing guidelines.

The tone of this student promptly changed when discussing the first competition that they had this past weekend, the first competition in two years for the marching band. This student described the competition in a more positive light and said that it went well but that there is still more to work on before the next competition. The student expressed empathy towards last year’s freshmen, now sophomores, who did not experience a regular 2020 season with football games and pep rallies. Although the previous year had not been what students in the band had expected, they will make the most of the opportunity to play in person again after experiencing the shortened, more restrictive season during quarantine.