Is Fall Break a break to go visit the beach, or a break from school to practice an instrument? For students in Wind Ensemble, kids have been working on many pieces of music, including Concert Band music, Symphonic Band music, Wind Ensemble music, Marching Band music, and so on. Each class has a minimum of two pieces of music per concert, and a Marching Band show that lasts around nine minutes from start to finish. 

For Wind Ensemble, students must learn the provided All-District music for chair auditions. Fall Break was coming up, and students were having trouble figuring out rhythms including Riley Clevidence, a percussionist in the Band who mentioned that the music 

“stressed me out because I didn’t have time to learn it.” 

The Fall season for kids in band is usually the most chaotic time of the year. For some students, their mental health has decreased in many daily activities. Some students have mentioned that they have lost their spirit for band, some even thinking of quitting Marching Band, putting this group in danger.

While some students were away on vacation, they either did or didn’t practice. Some students couldn’t even practice because of instruments were in a repair shop, and some students chose to not practice. By the end of Fall Break, some students weren’t prepared for the due date of the chair audition to pop up, so John Lovell, the Band director, decided to extend the due date to the Wednesday when students came back. 

For some, this break gave them a mental break, and for others, it helped students improve on skills. Some students have had an extreme amount of stress because of the loads of music given to them. Here are some easy ways to relieve stress in any situation or place if you are finding yourself to be stressed, even if you aren’t in band: 

• Small breathing exercises – 5-5-5: 5 seconds in, 5 seconds to hold, 5 seconds letting out. 
• Meditation – Even if you are in a busy place, take 30 seconds just to have no thoughts going on in your head. Just positive sayings to yourself “I’m doing my best.”
• Get up and walk around – If you’re at school, go to the bathroom and walk around. That mind break from your work will help. 
• Music – Figure what your mood is, then think of an album you like – what mood does it set off? If it’s depressive, don’t listen to it, you don’t want your emotions to get worse. Find some music that can affect your mood, upbeat music, soft music, classic music, or something you feel good about.