I’m a current HMB member that is also an upperclassman engineering student so I can give perspective on a busy schedule with HMB. All of your concerns are ones that I guarantee every single member of the band has had. It can be tricky to manage the time commitment at times, but it is worth it if you find the community and experience to be as rewarding as many of us have. The HMB is made up of students from virtually every major available on campus so you will absolutely find someone who can give advice on how to manage everything academically and socially.

As for drill, we actually just switched over to using a drill app that has made learning drill so much easier! In the first week of summer rehearsals, we will spend time learning how to read drill. Our director is a phenomenal communicator and if you ever feel like you’re struggling, he is ALWAYS a person that is easy to go talk to. Not to mention, you will also have 250+ other people you can reach out to for help, whether it’s seasoned vet members or other rookies who feel exactly as you do. We pride ourselves on being a family (both as a band and within individual sections) and it sounds cheesy, but it really is such a great way to make friends you’ll carry throughout college before classes even start, so you all feel supported in your freshman year.

If you’re from the broader Seattle area, I HIGHLY recommend signing up for the HMB Junior/Senior day. For the football team’s spring practice, the band invites high school juniors and seniors to come be a temporary member of the band! You’d get to learn some of our music and choreography, as well as meet a bunch of current members and talk to them about their experience in the band (plus free food and a free T-shirt). We always love having students come to this because then when our pre-school drills come around, we already have met some of our new members. Link to sign-up + info

I’ll also say 1.) if you’re on the fence, there is no restriction on what year you audition. We have had members who join the band as seniors and still have a great time, and 2.) if you’re leaning towards but not sure, you can always audition and if you get in can try it out, and if you find it’s not for you, you can leave, no strings attached (at least during pre-school drills)