As a culture, we invest heavily in our hands, but often don't spend as much time developing the strength and endurance of our bodies. Then we end up getting caught off guard by the demands of our marching drill. Make sure you are spending time working out, doing cardio, and building your muscle strength just as you practice your musical demands. That way you will have a better chance of success when it is time to march and play.

An epidemic in the marching community is a situation we all know too well. You play with great quality standing still, but everything is dirty on the move. So the warm up is fire, but the show is dirty and there are issues that happen during the show that don't happen in the lot. A common reason for this is a lack of physical endurance from the performers. As your body fatigues, not only does the visual aspect of what you're doing break down, so does the quality of your playing. You might even be one of the best players in an audition, but get cut because you don't move well.

So stay healthy my friends, and don't forget we are athletes. Our physical fitness is directly connected to our ability to perform as a player in the game.