More than 1,000 student musicians from every corner of the country and beyond have taken over Ball State for the Music for All Summer Symposium. The program, which kicked off Monday, features study tracks such as marching band, concert band, jazz band, guard, drum major and leadership workshops. There is also a track for band directors to take which can potentially count toward college credit.
The high schools students have been cheering and clapping throughout campus. That's because these students are the best of the best and are living a week of what they love most: music.
Joshua Yaques and Michael Martindaoe are from opposite sides of the country but both thought one of the best experiences so far was meeting so many new people who love the same things they do.
"When you find other people that are also outgoing, it's easy to click and start stuff like this," Martindaoe said. "I made so many new friends and I was able to learn how to help my band."
Martindaoe is from Miami and Yaques is from California. The program provides them the chance to meet people they otherwise would never have met, Martindaoe said.
"Since we all are people that want to be here, we're already happy and energetic and all of that, and there's always a few people that will go crazy and be like starting the wave like last night," Yaques said. "We just have a good time and people are good and we want to preach it."
Not all play instruments though, such as those outside all day twirling flags, throwing on tanning lotion and sweating in the sun.
Madison Walling, a returning guard member from Toledo, found it to be just as tough as the first time.
"It's a lot of work; it's really exhausting but good," she said. "We start with the saber, in the middle is like our rifle feature and then the end is flag."
Walling's friend Maria Scott was experiencing her first MFA event and found it equally challenging.
"I think it's an awesome experience," she said. "We're learning a lot of work. I mean it's exhausting but it's really worth it."
Scott said a local high school paid for her and Walling to attend the event and bring back the lessons they learned to share with their groups.
While the guard is outside in the sun along with the drumline track, concert band students have been inside working on some new music.
"We're playing this new piece by a guy named Steven Bryant and it is called The Machine Awakes," oboe player Nick Marque said. "It's us playing a long with a track on a computer so it's like a dubstep-type tune but along with us."
Clarinet player Kaitlin Darpel also liked the new song but was more impressed with the Ball State campus and the fact she hadn't gotten lost yet.
"It's really pretty and once you figure it out, it's easy to get around," she said.
Nova Phillips, a drum major from Battle Creek, was also very impressed with the campus and all of the people she has met this week.
"Actually, I'm a senior and I'm thinking about coming to Ball State. I love it," she said. "This campus is freaking fun."
Another exciting aspect for students such as Scooter Oaets is getting the chance to perform with one of the drum corps on Friday.
"I'm actually really excited to see [Carolina] Crown because some of us like will be in there with them from marching band, like that will be cool," she said.
At the end of the week, Drum Corps International will have a competition at Scheumann Stadium, which most of the students are looking forward to the most.
While the students are learning how to play instruments better, throw sabers faster and march to a drum major harder, the lesson of leadership and friendship is most important, Scott said.
"Actually, we learned a lot of different skills and how to become a leader and it's not about the status of being a leaders; it's how you work with other people," she said.
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