The amount of time and effort put into our schools band often seems to go unrecognized. Our band spends countless out-of-school hours rehearsing for upcoming concerts and competitions. There have been many band performances just this year that have gone unannounced.

For example, Carolina Forest hosted a Band Extravaganza early November. This was an event including all nine band groups in Horry County. Each school marched on to the field and took their turn performing. The Band Extravaganza was an eye-opening event recognizing the extremely talented students in our band and all their hard work.

Band member Kaysa Ruiz stated, “It [was] a great chance to see all of the school shows and see that we aren’t wasting our time or money.”

It was an outstanding event, but it did not get the advertisement and praise it deserved.

The band members themselves even feel unappreciated. We spoke with a few of our schools band members: Paul Carotti, Rachel Rollins and Bailey Cox.

Cox mentioned, “A lot of people see it as us not actually doing anything. Sports, like the football team, seem to get a lot more attention than the band.”

A big problem seems to be that everyone’s focus immediately goes to football, basketball, show choir, and other activities around the school. People are not taking a moment to realize how much work the band puts in and how lucky we are to have such a hard-working, extravagant band.

Despite not being credited enough for all their hard work, the band still sticks together as a family.

Rollins stated, “It’s a lot of work, but it turned into a family and it’s a part of who I am.”

The band deserves much more praise than what is given. They dedicate many hours to their passion for their music and performances, and we should be giving them much more credit for all the work they do and the talent they have.