Competition Spectator Do’s & Don’ts
It’s that time of year again! The marching band has been hard at work all summer, gearing up for competitions. Music and bands are at the center of attention at these events. It’s an incredible experience for both the performers and the audience! To help you make the most of these exciting days, here are some tips we’ve gathered along the way:
Do’s
- Cheer for bands after solos, big moments, and anything cool! Audience reaction and engagement is factored into the judge’s scores.
- Stay seated while bands are performing, even if it’s not our band. Noise and movement is distracting for those trying to watch the performing band.
- Wait to share about the competition until after awards are announced.
- Meet the band at the school if they qualify for State. It’s a tradition to have as many people as possible line up along the sidewalk to cheer for the students when they get off the bus!
- Come to as many competitions as you can. Support from family, friends, and our community boosts the students’ morale!
- Arrive early. Each competition is different but seats fill up fast and parking is sometimes far away from the stadium.
- Check our website’s Events page, the newsletter, and Remind. We and the directors share information about parking, ticket prices, and performance orders ahead of time.
- Sit with other IV people. While not mandatory, it does make yelling B! R! A! V! E! S! less awkward. We love making some noise for our Marching Braves!
Don’ts
- Don’t take pictures or video of other bands.
- Don’t use flash photography.
- Don’t live-stream the performance. Judges will disqualify bands for pictures and/or videos posted online during the competition.
- Don’t publicly share full-length videos of any performances online. Directors make full-length videos of the performance viewable through Google Classroom.
If you want to learn more about how competitions work, see the parent FAQ here. You can also visit OMEA’s website or speak with one of the Directors.
