The High School Band Room It is impossible to fully understand the appeal of the Gulf Coast High School Band Room unless you are actually a member of the band. All members of the Gulf Coast High School marching band spend most of their time in the band room, which is like a second home for most. The room itself doesn't appear to be anything special. It's a large room with a high ceiling, bright fluorescent lighting, and pink and green padding on the walls. The hallway maintains a terrible odor whose origin no one can determine, and the white vinyl tile floor is covered in a layer of disgusting things one can only dream of. However, for some reason, it remains a haven for approximately twelve percent of the student body. At first glance it doesn't look like anything special, but when you open that big gray door and enter the "band world" it becomes clear that it really is a fantastic and wonderful place. It feels like being at the center of the universe. In the band room, everyone has a purpose and everyone has a group of friends who are always there when they are needed. Due to the band's busy schedule of rehearsals, lessons, football games and travel, the entire band already spends a lot of time in the band room, so it quickly becomes a familiar place for all band members. After school we spend so much time in the orchestra room that no one identifies the orchestra with school anymore. The music room is often where people retreat when school becomes too much for them. Everyone knows what to expect from the band room. It's the one thing that never changes. Every day there is always someone playing on the stereo, someone exercising, someone making people laugh, someone complaining and someone studying. It's always the same thing. When you can't rely on consistency anywhere else, you can always do it in the band room. Another aspect of the band room that draws people in is the comedy. There is always something fun to do. Imagine a place where no one cares what anyone else thinks. First impressions don't count in a concert hall. Everyone is free to be themselves, and when people are themselves it becomes interesting. The band room is my favorite place in Naples because, as a band member, I spent most of my free time there, and it's the location I associate with all my friends.