Hi! I’m Katie Martin, a freshman at UGA in Athens, GA. When only a handful of my peers at Flowery Branch decided to commit to UGA this fall I was very worried about feeling alone on campus. However, when I was accepted into the Redcoat marching band and went through band camp and a few weeks of practices most of my anxiety surrounding feeling alone was able to leave. The entire band is very welcoming and the leadership and staff have made getting settled into college less daunting. While I do miss getting to see my parents and dog every day when I get back from classes and practice, it’s been fun getting to meet someone new every day.

    Since I am still very new to the Redcoats I’ve been focusing on learning my section’s names and getting to know them. It took me almost three weeks to remember the names of all 36 clarinets. (Even though I still sometimes call them the wrong names!) The music we play is more difficult than what I played in high school marching band, and we tend to spend more time on music than our marching because all of us had already marched in high school and already know the fundamentals. While we do spend most of our time on the music, we only focus on the small details because everyone is adept enough at their instrument to where we can focus on the small things. Our rehearsals are only two hours twice a week, yet we get so much more done since everyone is mature enough to stop and listen when necessary. We don’t need the extra time that’s necessary for high school band to function. Even those who are less familiar with marching band compared to everyone else in the Redcoats has an understanding of how to work with everyone else to keep rehearsal moving forwards without having to stop and focus on one small part for 15 minutes. 

    Game days are a whole different experience. For the first two games of this season I found myself having to wake up at 4/5 AM in order to get to our early morning practice on time. The game itself is also very different from high school (for obvious reasons). The student section loves us and cheers along with our stands tunes. Playing for a packed stadium is so much fun, we play so loud I can barely hear myself. Even after the game when I was walking to meet up with my parents multiple people came up to me and complemented the band! 

    While moving into a space where I only knew a handful of people was intimidating, I am very grateful for having gotten the opportunity to join the Redcoats. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the support of those around me, especially from my family, friends, private clarinet teacher, and band director!