FAMU Marching 100 band camp teaching students lifelong leadership skills

• The Florida A&M Marching 100 band camp is a week-long event that brings hundreds of students together from around the country.
• On top of music, the camp teaches leadership and communication skills.
• Watch now to hear current camp students describe why the camp is so important to them.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

A week with the Marching 100 setting foundations for life.

I'm your College Town neighborhood reporter, Alberto Camargo, at Florida A&M University.

I'm finding out what the FAMU band camp means to the students who are marching on this field.

Even through the heat and humidity of a Big Bend summer —

"Make sure you guys are continuing to drink water."

These students — coming from all over the country — wouldn't be anywhere else.

"This is definitely my dream band, dream school. It's just everything to me."

The annual FAMU Marching 100 band camp is hosting over 400 grade students.

Every single one of them looking to learn and emulate the 100 at their own school bands.

"They want to do what the 100 does that they see on those videos, and the best way to do that is participate and learn from them."

Learning not just how to play — but how to lead.

One of the 100's current drum majors attended camp as a high schooler in 2019.

He says it was a pivotal moment for him back then.

"When I was growing up I never thought I would go into leadership. But I always had leadership qualities that I never noticed but got pulled out of me through joining band."

A student going through camp this year — Penelope Emerson.

She says the skills she's learning here go far beyond a marching band performance.

"It's really exciting how well those skills can transfer to other settings. I've noticed that I've come out of my shell a lot more in the past few years as a leader in my band and as drum major, specifically."

The Marching 100 band camp will continue through the week, finishing on Saturday.

At FAMU, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.