美國中學樂隊營

導讀：你大概會記得小學時學校舉行的儀仗隊活動，其實美國的學生也有儀仗隊活動。本文作者介紹了其學校每年暑假組織的儀仗隊訓練。這個過程有苦有淚，也有歡笑和甜蜜，但作者認為一切努力終會有回報。

It’s nearing the end of summer break， and for my school that means one thing： band camp is coming up. Band camp is a week of twelve-hour practices that prepare our marching band for the upcoming year. This is when we learn most of our sheet music and most of our drill. Though it is a little exhausting at times， band camp has always been a fun experience for me.

Usually， the practice starts on Monday morning at 8 am. From then， the morning consists of warming up and beginning to learn our music and drill. I was in pit percussion， so thankfully， all we had to worry about was learning our music. But the downside to being in pit was that we had to move our instruments at least 3 times during a morning session.

At about 12 o’clock， the band has a rest and we have lunch. This is usually a relief for all of us， as it’s a time to relax with friends. We continue in the afternoon， until 8 pm when the day is finally over.

Tired， drenched， filthy， and sun burnt， each of us head home to rest up before repeating the process the next day.

Even though marching band is a lot of work， the bonds between us and the memories we share make it really special. For the rest of my life， I’ll always have the memories I made at band camp.

暑假即將結束，對于我的學校而言，意味著一件事情：樂隊營即將拉開帷幕。樂隊營持續一周，是總時長12個小時的樂隊訓練活動，目的是為第二年的儀仗隊做準備。這是我們一年當中學習樂譜和在操場上演練行進隊形最集中的時候。雖然有時候令人筋疲力盡，但樂隊營于我而言是一個樂趣無窮的經歷。

活動一般在周一上午八點準時開始，上午的任務包括熱身、學習樂章和演習。我屬于打擊樂組，所以謝天謝地，我們只需要專心于樂章學習便可。不過，在打擊樂組也有不好的地方：一個上午的練習中，我們至少需要挪動樂器三次。

樂隊大約在中午12點休息，讓我們去吃午飯。這段時間往往是輕松的，因為我們能和朋友一起休息。下午我們會繼續演練，直至晚上八點才結束一天的練習。

晚上，疲憊不堪、渾身汗水的我們回到家里休息，皮膚都被太陽曬黑了。第二天又重復這個過程。

盡管參加儀仗隊很辛苦，但是朋友間的緊密聯系以及美好回憶讓這個過程變得很特別。今后的日子，我會一直珍惜在樂隊營的美好回憶。

Vocabulary

marching band：儀仗隊，游行樂隊。

drill：操練；訓練。

exhausting：使人筋疲力盡的。

pit percussion：在儀仗隊或鼓隊中，指固定打擊樂器的演奏組，一般置于足球場的前端，所以也稱為“front ensemble”。

downside：消極面，負面。

at least：至少。

repeat：重復，重做。

bond：紐帶；聯系；關系。