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I was lucky enough to go to public school in Canada where marching band is pretty much non-existant. There are two main reasons that marching band isn't found much up North:

1. sports are not overblown in Canadian society
2. it's too damn cold to march

The better schools have several jazz bands, wind ensembles, chamber music and orchestral programs with real string players. I have not seen anything like it since moving to Mississippi.

After experiencing a program where musicianship is taught, and students learn more than three tunes for contest, I am starting to believe that many programs in the Southern US have got it all wrong. (I'm a music educator who has visited dozens of public schools.)

1 week, I think.

Dawn 'til dusk.

Omaha North High School, Omaha, NE.

But, I only went one year. The following years I was away doing another summertime marching musical activity, and by the time I got back to band, my rehearsal pace was fast enough to learn the band show in a day.

Band camps at both colleges I attended were pretty similar, although I've lost track of how many I was in town for. Didn't matter to me, though, because it's just easy for me to learn new stuff.

I think the other kids hated that part...

I was in high school 1986-1990. Went to East Palestine High School in East Palestine Ohio. Band Director was Ray Vitullo (great guy!) and Asst. Band Director was Betty Schultz (awesome!).

We did a one week band camp away, three years at Slippery Rock College and one year at Mount Union College. These 6 days, Monday to Saturday were 8 to 10 hour days.

Then we had two to three weeks at home before the first performance. These were usually six hour days with an hour lunch. During the school year we had an hour rehearsal and half-hour lunch in the middle of the day.

1 Week - 3-4 hours in the morning, 1-2 hours sectionals during the afternoon inside, 3-4 hours in the evening (on the field until dark, inside until 9:00).

Farragut High School, Knoxville, TN