1. Only if you insist upon being competitive at the state or national level.

2. See #1.

3. See #1.

4. Head directors are leaving the field, true. Those assistants are stepping up into those open head director positions.

5. MS Band is in a bad way right now not because of this, but because of covid. It's literally going to set band back for a decade - and we're in year two.

6. This has been happening literally forever. This is not new

7. How many programs have justified paying a "percussion instructor" as a para, rather than a teacher? You're asking someone to work full time as a band director for $9.50 an hour - less on game days or competition weekends. It's no wonder they're quitting - they're not being paid a living wage.

If you don't like the state of marching arts, go someplace where you don't have to "keep up" - try a smaller school, try a less competitive situation, or work middle school. If people want to have these "unreasonable" expectations let them. Me? I quit band and teach elementary now. I get to get off at 3:30 and go home with my kids - every single day.