Why not?

While I've never even picked up a musical instrument, I've always had a great respect for people who could play one and even more respect for those who make it seem effortless.

This week, the buzz around Eidman was getting a hold of tickets to Pigskin. Although the name refers to something about football, it's all about bands, marching bands. Among high school marching bands, this is the show of the year. Football half-time shows are practice and this is the real deal. It's the one place where local bands go head to head, showing off their best sounds, marching skills and visuals- which often come in a slew of brightly-colored flags and maybe even a parachute or two. If it sounds over-the-top, it is. And if your band isn't, you'll probably get left in the dust. Competition is the name of the game.

I don't want to brag, but there's little I don't know about this kind of competition. I've gone just about every year since I was just a little seedling of one year old and one question has always popped into my head: why is the crowd consisted of only parents and family? Sure, there are occasional visitors from outside the band world- maybe a choir student or two (my guess is that they understand the hard work and dedication it takes to get to Pigskin) but there's rarely a complete stranger to the music world. Considered, there are a limited number of tickets one must aquire to get in, but why is the "demographic" here only parents and teachers?

I suppose the "concern," if that's even the right word for it, is that others just won't understand the tense situation it is for bands and their directors. Just making it to Pigskin is a huge ordeal and ranking in one of the top bands is even bigger. Why share it with people who you know aren't going to appreciate everything they put into it?

But at the same time, I ask why not?