Week 13

I walked into the large gymnasium to hear the roar of the crowd, a basketball bounce, and shoes squeak. The environment was one that was loud and intense. Nothing I have ever seen is similar to that of what was happening in the gym. I was there to watch the band play and monitor them in their field site. I wanted to watch how the react to what happens around them and pay attention to things I'd never noticed. However, being a basketball fan, a got engulfed in the game and lost thought of why I was there. Then, during a time out, I heard the band begin to play unbelievably loud. That is when I noticed for the first time how much they bring to sporting events. I watched them play simultaneously and began to enjoy it as I saw everyone around me continue to wait for the game. This was the most significant experience I had when doing my research at the field site because it truly was the first time that I payed attention to the band. It was the first time I was able to focus on exactly what they were doing and how they were doing it. From there on out I spent more times at the games watching them and being capable of doing the research I needed to do. It was the moment that changed my entire mini-ethnography, along with my thought of the band.