BaselinesPopulation-specific baselines
Baseline Testing in Marching Band
If you baseline the football team, baseline the band too.
Band members face head injury risk from instrument impacts (sousaphone bells, drumsticks, cymbal edges), falls on stairs, risers, and bleachers, heat-related collapses during outdoor rehearsals, and collisions during dense marching formations.
Some school districts have begun including marching band members in their baseline testing programs alongside athletes. If your school tests football players, it should consider testing the band members performing alongside them on the same field in the same heat. See our district baseline program guide for implementation specifics.
When to re-baseline
Plan every year before the first competition for athletes under 18, and every two years for adults in marching band. Always capture a new baseline after medical clearance from a concussion, after invalid or low-effort test results, when ADHD or other cognition-affecting medications change, or after 12+ months away from the sport.
See the sports baseline & re-baseline directory, how often to re-baseline, and the complete by-sport guide. Color guard athletes: see color guard baselines.