Band geek

A member of a college band playing a sousaphone.

Band geek and band nerd are a high school and college subculture terms utilized primarily in the United States to describe students who are heavily involved in marching bands and/or concert bands

The term can also be used as a blanket term for any student in middle or high school who plays an instrument and is in a band class, including students in the orchestra, or even those who play an instrument outside of school, assuming it's an instrument typically found in a concert band or orchestra. Orch dork is a variation of this term that is applied specifically to members of school orchestras.

About

Band geek culture develops around the students' schedule of rehearsals, performances, and competitions. Band geeks can also participate in other groups like jazz band, winter drumline, and winterguard. Additionally, due to the amount of time spent together, members of color guard have also been subsumed into the "band geek" group, although more specific terms, such as "flag nerd" "flagget" or "sabre geek" also exist. The term Band Nerd, which was at one time correct, can be used as a thing to enrage and/or egg on said "band geeks."

Misconceptions

While a great deal of band students can be, not all students who participate in band are band geeks. The term "Band Geek" is generally reserved to denote a stereotypical member of a band that is particularly heavily involved in it. Generally this entails usually, but not always, having been in the band for a fairly large amount of time (usually more than one year). It may also reference anyone who exclusively or primarily associates with other members of the band programs available. It may also refer to exceptionally avid students who are involved in multiple band programs.

Popular culture references

On an episode of the television show SpongeBob SquarePants entitled "Band Geeks", SpongeBob and his crew perform a song written by David Glen Eisley and Bob Kulick. The song, entitled Sweet Victory, is a mix between classical rock and a power ballad, incorporating heavy use of electric guitar, electronic keyboard, drums and minor use of bass guitar. The characters are drawn wearing traditional band uniforms, with high brimmed hats and plumes. The song has received a decent amount of praise from SpongeBob fans, warranting enough popularity for copies of the clip to spring up in various places on the Internet.

The 2002 movie Drumline showed a marching style known as high-stepping. While this is not usual for all high school and college bands, some adopted it after the movie's release. Bands who use this style are commonly referred to as "show bands" as opposed to "competition bands". Drumline also showed some of the stereotypes in marching band including the egotism and competition between the sections and certainly other bands. Conversely, Drumline has also led to a resurgence of interest in marching band culture and left its imprint on marchers themselves. Interest in marching band as an athletic activity has led to increased pressure to show drum corps competitions on ESPN.

The 1999 Broadway premiere Blast! was, "Born on athletic fields across the nation, steeped in the tradition of military and outdoor pageantry, drum corps, bands, and color guards have a long history in America. Often rehearsing twelve hours a day through heat, cold, dust and rain, they create thrilling performances where athleticism, musical talent, kaleidoscopic movement, and showmanship merge into an art form that is both competitive and entertaining". It is a field show with theatrical flair and drum corps influences.