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The Cotter High School Marching Band makes their way down Vila Street in Winona, Minn., during summer practice June 23. For about five weeks directly following the end of the school year, band students compete throughout the state and the country.

The snares begin with a light tapping. Soon, the bass drum keeps time and a crescendo leads into the full cadence: the heartbeat of a marching band.

Sneakers easily roll in rhythm with one another and without a word; lines are able to move seamlessly as a right turn continues the pack down its route: well, it’s still a work in progress.

Every summer for five weeks, about 100 Cotter High School students give up their late-morning routine and hunker down for some quality time walking the residential streets of Winona, Minn., all in the name of competition and camaraderie.

Band Director Dave Gudmastad, better known as “Mr. G” to the students, knows the routine by heart now—having taught band for close to 40 years and at Cotter for 24. He dons his cap, plugs in his cordless microphone and amplifier set, and readies for a grueling summer month that he wouldn’t trade for anything.

“Sometimes I wonder—many of the kids on the first day are early for practice, and a person could not make those kids be there, but they just want to start; I’ve always been amazed by that,” Gudmastad said. “It’s like that first day is the signal to them that summer has begun.”

Practice for the students kicks off every year the first day following the conclusion of finals, at 8 a.m. sharp. They practice for two hours, Monday through Friday, and have a rigorous competition schedule that oftentimes begins just two weeks into practice. The early time of day is crucial for temperature control in the hot summer months, but also allows students the opportunity to have the rest of the day open for jobs, athletic practices and social events, something that Gudmastad said has changed the most over the years.

“The kids are busier than ever before,” he said. “There are some kids that will practice with the band, go directly to football camp, go home, eat lunch, and start the whole thing over in the afternoon. It’s a tough few weeks, but they really know how to handle it.”

Light chatter fills the air as Mr. G discusses a measure with the flutes and saxophones June 23 during practice. Just a few weeks in, and the students are visibly comfortable with one another, easily able to gossip and laugh like any other group of teenagers, yet snap back into formation and listen to their drum major peers as if their voices came directly from Mr. G himself.

One of the most beneficial aspects of the summer marching band is the opportunity for the group to become a cohesive team and allow the younger students to get to know the school and make connections before the next academic year begins.

“This is next year’s band,” Gudmastad said. “The eighth graders are now freshmen and the juniors are now seniors, so everything they do is the first, or the last, time they will be doing it. It’s a tremendous way to lower the intimidation factor of coming into high school because they have friends; they know their way around. It creates a high comfort level.”

Sweat dripped down many of the students’ faces as they rounded the final corner of a residential route on which the band typically practices June 23. Turning toward the direction of their athletic complex, the marching band completed their performance for Mr. G, band assistants and even some unknowing spectators of a tennis camp who were happy to cheer and applaud following the band’s last note. The marchers made their ways back to the Cotter High School band room, but not before Mr. G reminded them about the upcoming trips just a few days away.

The Cotter Marching Band will be participating in the Rochesterfest Parade Friday, Osseo Marching Band Festival Saturday and the Alexandria Vikingland Band Festival Sunday—one that is seen as the Minnesota state marching tournament. The upcoming tournaments were on the minds of the students, as well as Gudmastad, during practice.

“Practicing really does help, and although it gets really hot some days, it pays off because we usually get first at competitions,” said Karen Kersting, sophomore drum major for Cotter.

The group always travels together during weekend trips and forgoes expensive hotel rooms to enjoy the luxury of sleeping on gymnasium floors: girls on one side, boys on the other and a row of chaperones strategically placed down the center.

“The idea was that we never had to divide into rooms,” said Gudmastad. “Everybody’s together and no one gets left out. It’s also cheaper, so that we can eat and travel and that’s it. We’re not worrying about accommodations.”

The Cotter Marching Band also virtually never eats fast food on competition trips, according to Gudmastad. They pack several meals for the entire group, members are expected to bring snack foods and some meals as well, and when they do eat out, they choose restaurants wisely: an aspect of the trips that is important to Gudmastad’s wife, Geri Sharpe, a regular on every caravan.

Planning is paramount for these journeys and can be witnessed with one glance at the detailed timeline passed out at the beginning of each weekend trip. Gudmastad makes a point to not hand out the itineraries early. Students need to focus on the tasks directly in front of them and not worry about what the next day or week brings, according to Gudmastad.

Each year, the Cotter Marching Band also takes a larger trip somewhere in the United States. On June 30, the band will depart for Colorado, making stops along the way to perform at Mount Rushmore and even whitewater raft. These trips are what students look forward to the most, even with the oftentimes 20-plus-hour bus rides.

“You’re just sitting with all of your friends and having a good time,” said Andy Hadaway, junior trumpet player. “It’s a little enclosed area and it’s great because you find out a lot about people when you’re so close.”

Mr. G also enjoys the camaraderie that is created on these lengthy journeys, but keeps students’ intentions in check.

“We see the final trip as an incentive and a reward, but I always remind them this is not a vacation,” he said. “Some days we will travel all night, shower and practice right away, and they all understand that.”

Following the five and a half-day Colorado excursion, the Cotter Marching Band has a full month to relax and recoup from the hectic marching schedule. Both the students and band assistants see the need for a little breathing room from their favorite companions.

“We do not violate that break for any reason—no matter what,” said Gudmastad, with a smile on his face. He also added that his wife makes a point each year to remind him that he uses the first week just to transition into summer break and the last week to begin preparations for the new season, so it’s actually a two-week vacation away from the band.

His most popular phrase falls out of his lips as Gudmastad thinks about the hectic schedule and light at the end of the tunnel ahead: “Life is good.”

Life is good for the Cotter High School band members, and they can always remember that field show season is just about five weeks away.