Persuasive Speech Outline – Christina Romano

Specific Purpose: To persuade the audience that Marching Band is actually a sport.
I. Components
A. 10-12-minute show trying to send out a certain message
B. Sections
1. Winds (carrying instruments ranging between 13.6 oz. and 50 lbs.)
2. Drumline (carrying drums that can weigh between 16 and 45 pounds)
3. Front ensemble (stationary percussion instruments)
4. color guard (flags, rifles, sabres, airblades, etc.)
C. Marching techniques
1. Correct posture, roll step, marching backwards, body slides
a. Very important so that you don’t hear your step in your sound
II. Training and competitions
A. Training (practices range from 3-6 hours except for band camp which lasts all day)
1. takes place in the spring and the summer
a. Band camp
b. Unbearable heat
2. Learn marching techniques
3. Memorize music and spots
4. Build stamina to make it through the entire show with ease
B. Competitions (go against other bands to receive the best score between 1 and 100)
1. Takes place in the fall and early winter
2. Judges typically have 6 categories to focus on
a. Individual musical performance
b. Ensemble musical performance
c. Visual performance
d. Overall effect
e. Color guard
f. Percussion
3. There are about 5 or 6 judges
a. The judges watch every move and listen to every sound
III. Team effort (with uniforms)
A. It’s very difficult to be a one-person marching band
1. Band size category in competitions according to USBands (the competitive circuit
for high school bands)
a. Group 1 is the smallest with 1 to 38 members
b. Group 6 is the largest with over 131 members
B. Everyone works together to execute various shapes, movements, musical abilities,
and to avoid injury
C. We all need to look the same
1. Bibbers, white tee shirt, jacket, shako, drillmasters
IV. Physical demand
A. According to Jen Quillen of Breakthrough Physical Therapy, “The marching activity
can be considered a high intensity sport that requires the ability to simultaneously
perform at high levels of excellence both musically and visually.”
B. Need to stretch before practice and shows
1. Talk about football field stretches
C. Need to be strong and have a lot of control over your body
D. Injuries
1. “Most injuries related to marching activities are considered overuse injuries.
Overuse injuries occur when the body does not have time for the muscles and
tendons to adjust to added stress and begin to break down.”- Jen Quillen
2. Common injuries
a. Back Pain
b. Shin Splints
c. Knee Pain
3. It is also very hard to breathe when you are constantly moving and playing
4. According to PubMed.gov, “There were a total of 191 injuries reported in 1,540
practice exposures. The overall injury rate was 124.03/1,000 exposures.” And
“The findings demonstrate that marching band is a strenuous activity and deserves
to be considered an area of emerging practice for athletic trainers…”