A man and a woman standing in a musical instrument store

Steve Osburn & Leslie Zager | Bree Stilwell

“My ten-year-old daughter is learning to play clarinet, and she’s obsessed with marching bands. How early is too early to start training to be in the Michigan Marching Band?”

As a parent myself, I sensed a familiar caution here. “How early is too early?” is a common concern when doing the hard work of managing our kids’ goals, passions, expectations, and ambitions. So, let’s do the heavy lifting first. To help navigate the potential perils of musical training, I talked to local music education royalty, Steve Osburn—aka Steve Oz—owner of Oz’s Music.

Steve has been teaching music to the young people of Ann Arbor for over thirty years, on nearly every instrument imaginable. When I ask him to weigh in on the matter of timing for your young marcher, his directive is immediate: “If the interest is there… if the kid’s curious, let them explore.”

“It’s never too early to take them to a U-M band rehearsal,” Steve continues. Along with watching YouTube videos and live performances, “it’s really about access, right? To as much information as you can get.”

Exposure and experience are key—nurturing your child’s interest while also giving them real-world training, like playing in smaller ensembles. The more diverse the instruction, and the more they combine solo learning with group collaboration, the deeper their connection to their instrument.

Now, to that end goal: what about snagging a spot in the Michigan Marching Band? First, both you and your child (at any age!) can sign up as prospective members. This provides information about your child’s particular section, performance highlights, audition tips, and stories from current band members.

When it’s time to get serious, there are two prerequisites: your child must be a current or incoming student at any of U-M’s three campuses (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, or Flint), and must complete an audition—either recorded or in person. The guidelines for both are well documented on the MMB website, as is a generous list of FAQs.

And while your child doesn’t need marching band experience to make it to the Big House, Steve respectfully adds his two cents: “I’d highly recommend something athletic, because it is athletic,” he advises, adding that it’s “never too early to practice your high steps.”

Editor’s Note: Steve and Leslie—Mr. and Mrs. Oz—are proud to announce that “after 45 years of teaching under the name The Music Environment and 35 years of Oz’s Music, we have finally purchased the building and property at 1920 and 1922 Packard!” Congratulations, Steve and Leslie!

Next week’s reader question(s): Are these questions from actual people? Can I really ask you anything, like, even about my love life??