I decided to do Marching band this summer. Im starting to regret it. x.x It hasnt even started yet and Im already freaking out. Im really tiny (5 feet tall and 88 lbs x.x) and I have little, if any, muscle mass. My friends all love it with a passion, but they arent really tiny and they actually have muscle. They say the first couple weeks are the worst part. Is that true? I play the trumpet... and Im the only girl trumpet player in the marching band. Do you guys have any tips on how to survive it? *curls into a ball and cuddles my cat*

Unless you're playing Sousaphone or battery, muscle mass isn't really an issue. Stamina is more what you need to worry about, and even that's something you'll build up in the first week or two.

As for tips...

- Breathing exercises, do lots of them.
- Memorize your field show music as soon as possible. It'll help you learn your sets.
- However high you think you need to point your bell, point it 10 degrees higher.
- The movement is in your ankles and hips, not you knees. (Disregard if your band does highstepping.)
- Keep to the formation, not your set marker. If the entire band is five steps off their marks, be five steps off with them.
- The three most important people in your life while you're on the field is the person to your left, the person to your right, and your field commander.
- If the field commander and the battery sound out of sync, follow the field commander. Sound travels differently in an outdoor venue, and I promise you the audience is hearing everything on beat.
- When marching backwards, take much bigger steps than you think you need. Like, twice as big.
- You will learn to hate your team's fight song very quickly. This isn't a tip, just a warning.
- Another warning: You will be asked to do something weird or really corny during the show's drum break. Just roll with it.
- Depending how y'all's uniforms are made, you may need to find a regular jacket zipper buddy.

Most of these tips center around field shows or marching in general. Your band will probably play at least one parade during the season, and those are a completely different animal. You will either love them or hate them, although most people hate them because they will use up all of your stamina from near constant playing of (probably) the same song. Depending how large your band is, you may be able to coordinate with the other members of your section to rotate "time outs" for each repetition. For example, if you're playing the second trumpet part and there are two other people playing second trumpet, one of you could sit out (i.e. air finger) each repetition so that your face gets a break.

Also, nobody actually knows the real lyrics to Louie Louie. Anybody who tells you they do is lying.

Thank you for the tips! ^-^ Sorry for the late reply, by the way. I had my first marching band practice today, and it went a lot better than I expected it to. Your tips were extremely helpful! ^-^