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The Marching Band Nerds Handbook
This hilarious and inspiring guide to surviving life in the marching band is for anyone who has taken a step on the marching field or has just driven by a field on the highway. All the best (and funniest) secrets are revealed in this series of rules and illustrations that, if followed strictly, almost guarantees world domination (actual results may vary).
136 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
DJ Corchin
30 books42 followersDJ Corchin is an author and/or illustrator of over 24 children's books. A Thousand NO’s illustrated by Dan Dougherty launched to wonderful reviews, became a Barnes & Noble Bestseller, and won the Eric Hoffer Award for Best Children’s Book. Additional award-winning titles include Do You Speak Fish?, The I Feel... Children’s Series, The Band Nerds Book Series, and If You Find A Unicorn, It Is Not Yours To Keep.
He visits groups and schools all over the country discussing his stories and how people can find a path through their own creative universe.
DJ loves to connect people through humorous stories about communication, kindness, and social-emotional awareness. His books are known for being fun and thoughtful discussion starters for both kids and adults in this crazy, complex, human world.
He visits groups and schools all over the country discussing his stories and how people can find a path through their own creative universe.
DJ loves to connect people through humorous stories about communication, kindness, and social-emotional awareness. His books are known for being fun and thoughtful discussion starters for both kids and adults in this crazy, complex, human world.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 4, 2024
Quick read but a few made me laugh. Marching band kids are special...
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June 15, 2021my clarinets gave this to me as a senior gift over 2 yrs ago now and i'm ashamed i never read through it til now
February 21, 2019
I enjoyed this book, but didn't find it universally funny or "laugh out loud" funny as I was hoping. However, I am still thinking about reading the other two related books. However, I want to commend DJ Corchin on his work in this niche as I feel it is a good reminisce for all of us "retired band geeks" and a bonding and perhaps therapeutic or inspirational tool for the current young "band geeks".
This humorous book may have resonated more strongly with my funny bone if it had humor from a broader section of marching "band geeks". Hence, this explains my interest in the other two related books.
Corchin might be interested in reading a used copy of this out-of-print book:
Up to No Good: The Rascally Things Boys Do
(As told by) Perfectly Decent Grown Men
by Kitty Harmon, Heather Gilson (Photographs)
Perhaps the "Confessions" book is similar to that one. Or if the author reads this review, it may spur a fourth related book to the three band geek books he has written. (Please?)
I do applaud Corchin as it can be extremely hard to translate the humor of "living" in the band geek world. I think there are so many scenarios and things that happen that are unique to one group and its personalities...and many humorous events may require a backstory or can get lost in translation.
I believe it is time for a "Phineas-and-Ferb-esque" cartoon series centered around the world of young adults in marching band - aka band geeks. Maybe Corchin is up to it!
My story if you care to read it and understand my review:
I have 8 years of grade school through high school and 5 years of major state university marching band experience, plus many friends that were in drum corps (DCI). I also was a clarinet in my early years and then drum major for 3 years in high school and 3 years at university.
I hated marching band. I was always afraid of screwing up the formation and pulling a "hi mom" situation, sticking out like a sore thumb. "Hi mom" mistakes were what my beloved university director of bands and one of our marching directors used when describing the blatant marching errors that stood out like sore thumbs during performances.
I gravitated to the drum major position because I enjoyed the mentoring/guiding aspect and getting to know everyone in band - from 60 to 250 people on the field everyday. I had no choice in the participation with marching band in my younger years through high school graduation as it was required as part of the concert band and individual instruction program. When I graduated from high school, I thought I had finally graduated from marching band!
Why, oh why did I participate in 5 more years of marching with a major state university band then?
A very close, fun friend from high school marching band was one year ahead of me in school. He called me just before I left for college and told me to bring my clarinet. He wanted us both to try out for marching band, which was "wildly fun" there and it would be the only activity we would have in common at school where we could spend some time together on a regular basis. So, I brought my clarinet and nervously tried out as I remembered my "before drum major days" in our small high school marching band.
The next day, results were posted. I made it! My good friend did not. ARGH!!! So then I was stuck. I am not a quitter. However, once practices started and we did our first performance, setting the Olympic rings to a full stadium standing ovation at our arch-enemy's/biggest rival's stadium...I was hooked. It was and still is an almost indescribable feeling and moment in my marching career. I think there were times I stayed in college, studying hard just to be a marching band geek at that university.
(By the way, our marching band size was 2% of that university's population, with a 2-miss-with-no-excuse-and-you're-out rule. So at daily practice & weekly performances, we were the largest, cohesive congregation of students of the university. We felt empowered! The director of bands used to remind us of using that power for good or evil...to think before we acted...that one small group could spur the entire group in directions that might not be beneficial to our reputation or that could inadvertently hurt others. He likened the group to a 2000-pound gorilla once it started moving in a direction. He was beloved and intelligent man.)
This humorous book may have resonated more strongly with my funny bone if it had humor from a broader section of marching "band geeks". Hence, this explains my interest in the other two related books.
Corchin might be interested in reading a used copy of this out-of-print book:
Up to No Good: The Rascally Things Boys Do
(As told by) Perfectly Decent Grown Men
by Kitty Harmon, Heather Gilson (Photographs)
Perhaps the "Confessions" book is similar to that one. Or if the author reads this review, it may spur a fourth related book to the three band geek books he has written. (Please?)
I do applaud Corchin as it can be extremely hard to translate the humor of "living" in the band geek world. I think there are so many scenarios and things that happen that are unique to one group and its personalities...and many humorous events may require a backstory or can get lost in translation.
I believe it is time for a "Phineas-and-Ferb-esque" cartoon series centered around the world of young adults in marching band - aka band geeks. Maybe Corchin is up to it!
My story if you care to read it and understand my review:
I have 8 years of grade school through high school and 5 years of major state university marching band experience, plus many friends that were in drum corps (DCI). I also was a clarinet in my early years and then drum major for 3 years in high school and 3 years at university.
I hated marching band. I was always afraid of screwing up the formation and pulling a "hi mom" situation, sticking out like a sore thumb. "Hi mom" mistakes were what my beloved university director of bands and one of our marching directors used when describing the blatant marching errors that stood out like sore thumbs during performances.
I gravitated to the drum major position because I enjoyed the mentoring/guiding aspect and getting to know everyone in band - from 60 to 250 people on the field everyday. I had no choice in the participation with marching band in my younger years through high school graduation as it was required as part of the concert band and individual instruction program. When I graduated from high school, I thought I had finally graduated from marching band!
Why, oh why did I participate in 5 more years of marching with a major state university band then?
A very close, fun friend from high school marching band was one year ahead of me in school. He called me just before I left for college and told me to bring my clarinet. He wanted us both to try out for marching band, which was "wildly fun" there and it would be the only activity we would have in common at school where we could spend some time together on a regular basis. So, I brought my clarinet and nervously tried out as I remembered my "before drum major days" in our small high school marching band.
The next day, results were posted. I made it! My good friend did not. ARGH!!! So then I was stuck. I am not a quitter. However, once practices started and we did our first performance, setting the Olympic rings to a full stadium standing ovation at our arch-enemy's/biggest rival's stadium...I was hooked. It was and still is an almost indescribable feeling and moment in my marching career. I think there were times I stayed in college, studying hard just to be a marching band geek at that university.
(By the way, our marching band size was 2% of that university's population, with a 2-miss-with-no-excuse-and-you're-out rule. So at daily practice & weekly performances, we were the largest, cohesive congregation of students of the university. We felt empowered! The director of bands used to remind us of using that power for good or evil...to think before we acted...that one small group could spur the entire group in directions that might not be beneficial to our reputation or that could inadvertently hurt others. He likened the group to a 2000-pound gorilla once it started moving in a direction. He was beloved and intelligent man.)
October 25, 2021
For all band nerds, band parents, and just band afficionados.
February 12, 2022
Mostly dumb humor surrounding the band. Would obviously mean more to the band kids.
October 2, 2022
This book had me laughing out loud!
November 4, 2023
I love this! As a former band nerd, it felt good to read this lil book of marching band jokes & advice.
December 26, 2024
Somewhat amusing if you were really into high school marching band - would avoid otherwise.
June 13, 2014
Every freshman should have to read this before band camp.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews