Ask anyone involved in Pigskin and they’ll tell you it’s a big deal. The marching band competition, which will be held Oct. 15 at PACK Stadium in La Joya and McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, essentially is the playoffs for high school marching bands. We wish all those involved the best of luck.
Of course, luck is only a minor element in such events. As with sports and other competitive endeavors, Pigskin is the culmination of years of effort by many people. It’s also one of the first major tests for the young participants with regard to working toward a goal and achieving individual excellence in the pursuit of team excellence.
Many if not most Pigskin participants first picked up their instruments in middle school, perhaps on a whim. Just a few years later they have mastered their instruments, learned the intricacies of complex, multi-part musical pieces, while at the same time forming measured steps surrounded by other players to form complex patterns.
This isn’t just walking and chewing gum at the same time.
Band participation is more than a simple pastime; it has many of the same demands, and brings the same benefits, as other sports and extracurricular activities. Success requires dedication and discipline, at times missing activities with friends or family in order to practice or attend band camps and functions. Players learn multitasking and time management, discipline and responsibility, teamwork and communication skills, the importance of commitment and following through in the pursuit of a goal, leadership and other qualities that will help them in their post-school endeavors.
In return they develop an artistic skill that brings its own benefits; music study has been shown to help in the development of many cognitive skills that have been linked to better performance in math and other subjects. Musicians also develop friendships that strengthen as they share the same interests and experiences, and assist and support each other as teammates.
Parents’ contributions can’t be understated, from the investment in instruments, apparel and other items, time spent with band-related activities, at times altering their own schedules to get their students to a camp session, practice or game. Enduring missed notes and repetition of musical phrases while their children master a song is just one of many ways parents show their support.
Band instructors and the schools that hire them also deserve mention. Rio GrandeValley schools have earned a strong reputation for supporting music and other fine arts. Schools in some parts of the country have trimmed music and other arts programs as cost-cutting measures, ignoring the proven benefits they provide in other learning skills.
All this time, investment and dedication culminates in Pigskin and other events that enable players and bands to compare themselves to the work of others. Afterward they will take home much more than the prizes they receive; they also will come away with a well-earned sense of accomplishment, an experience they can share for years, and perhaps a better appreciation of the benefits that can come from the practice of a skill and work in the pursuit of excellence.
