My Life as a Band Nerd

Series Bible

Written by
Jim Breslin

Logline: The perpetually dysfunctional French horn section of a prestigious high school
marching band navigate through homework, relationships, sibling rivalries and their band
directors one goal to remain top dogs in the world of competitive marching band.

Pitch:
When I was in high school, I was part of a cult. Well, at least that is how the rest of the school
viewed marching band. With strange rituals like section chants and annual naked rehearsals,
along with its weird, militaristic uniforms and the fact that we rarely interacted with anyone
outside of the band room, its hard not to blame my classmates for comparing us to
Scientologists. Despite the eccentricities that came with the world of competitive marching band,
I gained some of the strongest friendships during this time of my life, which continue to grow
and strengthen today. However, most importantly, playing the French horn in the Marian
Catholic High School Marching Band really helped to shape me into the person I am today. In a
sense, it showed me how to grow up.

And that is what My Life as a Band Nerd is all about: the friendships, heartbreaks, bad decisions,
life changing moments, and general fun that we all experienced in high school that continue to
influence our adult lives. It is a coming-of-age story in the truest sense.

This half-hour comedy-drama revolves around the French horn section of Holy Mary, Mother of
God Catholic High Schools prestigious marching band, primarily focusing on freshmen Claire
Katz and Josh OMalley. Claires controlling father, John Katz, is the schools authoritarian band
director that has led them to countless state and national championships. Claire, who is known
for her very rebellious tendencies such as drinking, smoking, and dying her hair strange colors,
wants nothing to do with her fathers music program, while Josh, a nerdy film fanatic who has
never fit in, believes band is the place where he belongs. Despite this, the two quickly become
best friends because, well, neither of them has ever had a friend before.

The horn section consists of many other colorful characters including Dan, their party-boy
section leader sorely lacking in leadership skills, and Claires sister Becca, a self-centered
musical prodigy with whom she is constantly compared to. Also along for the ride is Claire and
Beccas older sister Tara, the band president and saxophone section leader trying to enjoy her
senior year while still stressing over what comes next.

This highly personal and semi-autobiographical series will follow the ups and downs of these
and many other quirky characters as they try to work together to keep Holy Marys prestige as
the number one music program in the country, while also dealing with the issues of growing up
and learning to become adults.
The World:

Holy Mary, Mother of Gods Marching Band, from the south suburbs of Chicago, IL is a part of
the very strange, and very real world of competitive high school marching band. In it, the best of
the best bands from all around the country spend their fall semesters competing in various local
and state competitions, culminating in mid-November with the 5-day Grand National
Championship in Indianapolis. There the countrys top 100 bands perform a variety of
elaborate, thought-provoking shows featuring complicated musical pieces by the likes of Bartok,
Stravinsky, and Mahler, while also performing crazy visuals and utilizing very expensive set
pieces like giant spiders, wind machines, and lots and lots of tarps! In the end, only one of the 12
finalists is crowned the Grand National Champion.

Holy Marys Marching Band has been a finalist every year for the past 25 years, and has won
more titles than any other school in the country and their band director John Katz intends to
keep it that way. Their 200-plus band members begin preparing in May and do not stop until the
last note is released at their final performance. Because of this, the students entire lives revolve
around the band and therefore their instrument section essentially becomes their second family,
whether they like it or not.

The band itself is made up of about a dozen different instrument sections, each with their own
quirks, stereotypes, and traditions, much like a small-town community. For example, the flute
section is basically a sorority, traditionally being a large group of girly-girls known for their
constant gossip. The trumpets are the jocks, constantly competing with one another as well as
other sections, while the tubas are a good-old-boys club known for their immaturity and general
lack of restraint when it comes to making inappropriate jokes. The horn section on the other
hand, the primary focus of the series, are the mutts, known for their wide variety of personalities,
since they are made up of an assortment of students that normally play un-marchable
instruments like oboes, bassoons, string basses, and, most predominantly, French horns.

Each section is lead by their top senior in a role that is referred to as a section leader. As
mentioned earlier, each section also has their own strange traditions, such as chants and pranks.
For example, each year the trumpet section does a run-through of the marching show in their
underwear, while the saxophones perform football games in tuxedos. Overall, these traditions as
well as the ridiculousness of the competitions are generally played for laughs, and are usually
explained by the characters breaking the forth wall, talking directly to the audience.

Holy Mary also stands out from their main competitors in two major ways: they have a diverse
student population and they are a private Catholic high school. Their students come from various
white, black, and Latino areas of Chicagos southwest side and suburbs. Because of this
diversity, the characters often run into both blatant and subtle racism with their primarily white
competitors as well as within their own school and each other. These themes of racism, privilege,
and racial politics are gradually explored throughout the series. Religion, primarily Catholicism,
is also explored throughout the series, in both positive and negative lights. As the series is set in
a private school, the students wear uniforms and are even taught by a few nuns and priests,
which is where much of this commentary is derived from.
Character Bios:

Mr. John Katz: A no-nonsense, authoritarian high school band director who has spent his entire
career shaping his music program into one of the most prestigious and awarded in the country.
However, he has not been as lucky at home, neglecting his wife and three daughters in pursuit of
his goals. With his wife divorcing him, and with his three daughters now part of his music
program, Mr. Katz wants to become a better person by developing a stronger relationship with
his children and focusing less on winning. However, he is very stubborn and slow to change,
causing clashes with his daughters and coworkers, including his new assistant band director.

Claire Katz: John Katzs youngest daughter and a freshman French horn player. A Holden
Caulfield for the modern era, Claire is a rebellious teenager who will do anything to go against
her parents or authority in general, such as smoking, drinking, and dying her hair purple. She
dreams of growing up to become part of an alternative-rock band, admiring the likes of St.
Vincent and the Arctic Monkeys. Despite her external domineer, internally Claire is a lonely teen
who has a hard time connecting to others, which is what draws her to become friends with Josh.

Becca Katz: John Katzs middle daughter and a sophomore French horn player. Becca is a child
prodigy, having played the French horn with great skill since the age of three. She has trained
and played with some of the best musicians in the world, which she often brags about to
everyone around her. Proud and self-centered, Becca often clashes with her polar-opposite sister
Claire, as well as her section leader Dan, due to his lesser abilities as a horn player. Despite her
self-assured nature, throughout the first season, Becca begins to question her sexuality and
identity.

Tara Katz: John Katzs oldest daughter, senior saxophone player, and band president. Tara has
always been the good girl of the family, never rebelling like Claire or becoming too self-
absorbed like Becca, instead always focusing on being a good person, musician, and student.
However, upon entering her senior year, she begins to question what she is doing with her life
after high school. Because of this, she decides to have more fun and enjoy her last year,
gradually rebelling and breaking the rules a little bit at a time, with the help of Claire and her on-
again-off-again boyfriend Dan.

Josh OMalley: A freshman French horn player and narrator of the series. Josh has never been
able to find a place where he fits in, and sees joining Holy Marys band as a potential
opportunity for him to find his niche. Despite having a rocky start, Josh quickly takes a liking to
band and begins to make new friends, including Claire. Josh is also an avid film buff, often
watching and making references to many classic and foreign films that none of the other
characters understand. He even begins making his own films as season one progresses.

Dan Condon: The French horn section leader and Taras on-again-off-again boyfriend. He is
lazy, sarcastic, apathetic, and rarely thinks about what is coming in his future. He is forced to
become section leader at the last minute, which greatly frustrates both Becca and himself, as
neither feels he is qualified to do so. Despite this, throughout the first season he gradually steps
up to the plate and becomes a kind of mentor to Claire and Josh. His relationship with Tara is
often strained due to his party boy reputation.
Season One Overview:

The first season of My Life as a Band Nerd, primarily covers the bands path to finals at the
National Championships, after failing to make it the previous year for the first time in 25 years.
Over the course of the season we see these ups and downs through almost every episodes
plotline, such as the band attending a local competition, learning a new part of their show, or Mr.
Katz responding to a major setback.

The season also features many smaller arcs for each of the six main characters. For example, we
see the French horn section coming together as more of a team as Dan becomes more competent
as their leader. Claire and Joshs friendship also continues to grow, to the point where they
become almost dependent on one another. Claires rebellious streak also continues, particularly
as she begins a fling with an older guy. Josh comes out of his shell, beginning to make his own
short films and even gets his first girlfriend (if only for a couple episodes). Dan and Taras
romantic relationship sees many ups and downs, eventually falling apart towards the end of the
season. Becca also faces consequences of her petty grudges when she breaks her pelvis, but
begins to discover new aspects of her identity. Mr. Katz also deals with the stress of performing
well at Nationals, working with a new partner, and the fallout of his divorce, which makes him
more and more desperate as the season comes to a close.

Overall, the season, which consists of 13 episodes taking place over the course of six months,
shows each of the characters, including Mr. Katz, growing further into adulthood, even if they hit
rock bottom on more than one occasion.

Episode Breakdowns:

1. Pilot: Claire, enlisting the help of her less-than-willing sister Tara, tries to find a way to
blackmail their father, so that he will let her quit band. Meanwhile, Dan and the rest of
the horn section adjust to his new position as section leader, while new freshman Josh
joins their ranks hoping to find the place where he belongs.

2. Section Bonding: Becca convinces Dan to throw a pool party at her parents house as a
bonding activity, while secretly planning on sabotaging him so that he will be demoted as
section leader. Josh pushes Claire and himself to make new friends with other band
members, which Claire is very uncomfortable with. Mr. Katz clashes with newly hired
assistant band director Victoria Vegetable and the schools vice principal who want to
make major changes to this years competitive show.

3. Spirit Week: As their parents divorce moves forward, Claire and Becca help their father
move into his new apartment. To take Taras mind off of the divorce, Dan brings all of
the section leaders together to help her organize various fun and competitive events for
the bands annual Spirit Week but their clashing personalities lead Tara to become
even more stressed out. Meanwhile, the rest of the horns try to convince Josh that Rachel,
a bass clarinet freshman, has a crush on him.
4. Mr. Cool: During the first week of school, Claire attempts to form a garage band with her
fellow freshmen, but becomes frustrated by her classmates lack of interest. At the end of
the episode, Claire meets Drew, a slightly older guitar player and friend of Dans at a
concert and takes a quick liking to him. Josh is blown away when he realizes he is
considered one of the cool kids for the first time in his life because he has a girlfriend.
Meanwhile, Dan and Tara prepare for their first official date.

5. Kiss of the Clarinet Woman: On the day of the bands first local competition, the rest of
the horn section are amazed that Josh has not had his first kiss yet, and they plan to make
it happen with Rachel. By the end of the episode, she breaks up with him. After realizing
she only has male friends, Claire spends the day reaching out and getting closer to the
eccentric horn player Isabelle in order to change things. Meanwhile, after Dan forgets to
ask Tara to homecoming, Becca briefly puts aside her differences to help him ask her in a
fun way.

6. Homecoming: The upperclassmen, including Dan, Tara, and Becca attend the schools
homecoming dance. Things become tense between Dan and Tara when they continue to
run into Dans ex-girlfriends. Meanwhile, because they are not allowed to attend the
dance, Claire hosts a party for the freshmen band members, but is shocked when they
prefer wholesome activities like board games to more traditional party staples like
drinking. Frustrated by how well his ex-wife is doing, Mr. Katz clears his head by
accepting Ms. Vegetables invitation to go bar hopping with her and her wild friends.

7. The Speech Team Shuffle: Dan and Becca go to war with the speech team after they try
to use the horns favorite practice space, with both sides sabotaging each other with
increasing stakes. This leads Becca to break her pelvis at the end of the episode. Claire
begins sexting with Drew, but things become complicated when her father discovers it on
her phone. Meanwhile, Tara discovers a thrill from shoplifting after witnessing Dan and
his friends steal a bottle of alcohol.

8. Day Off: On a mandatory state-issued holiday on which the band cannot practice, Mr.
Katz secretly works with Josh so that he can replace Becca in the show. Claire meets up
with and spends the whole day with Drew, however the two have a falling out after she
realizes he is just taking advantage of her. Dan and Tara sneak into a local country club
under the identity of their rich classmate. Meanwhile in the hospital, Becca is depressed
she can no longer march, but her roommate tries to cheer her up.

9. State: While at the State Marching Competition, Claire is distraught about Drew, leading
Josh to find ways to cheer her up. Meanwhile, after a party the previous night, Dan has no
memory of what happened and spends the day piecing things together. He eventually
discovers that he made out with another girl, leading Tara to breakup with him. This
causes Dan to mess up his solo, costing the band 1st place. At the hospital, Becca
becomes closer to her roommate Sarah, and begins to question whether she has romantic
feelings for her.
 10. Emergency Response: At the bands annual Lock-In a week before nationals, the horns
are forced to work on their music for several hours after Dans blunder at State. During
the night Claire and Josh put together ideas they have for a movie, while Dan tries to
make amends with Tara, to no avail. Mr. Katz and Ms. Vegetable work all night trying to
find a way to fix the shows ending.

11. Grand Nationals: At the Grand Nationals Marching Band Competition, Mr. Katz
becomes upset when he learns that his ex-wife is now dating the band director for their
biggest rival. Claire and Josh lead the horn section in a massive game of truth or dare
over the weekend, with things quickly getting out of hand. Realizing he has no chance
with Tara, Dan challenges Griffin, another French horn player, to see which of them can
get the most phone numbers of girls from other schools in attendance.

12. Lights, Camera, Madrigals!: Two weeks after tying for second place at Nationals, the
band must work with their enemies the speech team and the rest of the drama
department to put on a medieval madrigal concert/dinner for the fine art departments
biggest donors. A recently recovered Becca tries to make amends with the speech team,
but quickly begins plotting her revenge with the rest of the horns. Josh and Claire form a
quintet with some of their friends to play at the dinner but have a hard time learning the
music. Meanwhile, Tara begins hanging out with Aaron the trumpet section leader, which
angers Dan.

13. Christmas with the Katzes: The Katz girls host a large Christmas party at their mothers
house. There, Josh and Claire begin to question their friendship when the other horns
verbally joke that the two act more like a couple. To make Tara angry, Dan brings
Jessica, the girl he made out with, as a date to the party. Becca invites Sarah, her hospital
roommate, and tries to express her feelings to her throughout the evening, but is
constantly interrupted by others. Meanwhile, Mr. Katz, frustrated that he is not with his
family on Christmas Eve, crashes the party. After an emotional breakdown in front of his
ex-wife, he collapses from a heart attack, leaving the season on a cliffhanger.

Seasons 2 and Beyond:

As we progress through future seasons, each character will continue to mature and in one way or
another, but they will also face many internal and external challenges. Josh and Claire will grow
closer, potentially leading to a romantic connection. Claire will also continue to combat her self-
esteem insecurities and will gradually open up more to those around her. She will also continue
to run into various roadblocks along the way, most predominantly through her smoking and
drinking habits. Josh will also continue to realize filmmaking to be a potential career path for
him in his adult life.

The other characters will see similar growth, such as Dan discovering his next step post-high
school or Tara continuing to let loose and become a freer spirit that does not stick very close to
the rules. Becca will also continue to explore potential opportunities in her musical career as well
as her own sexuality and identity in the coming years. Mr. Katz especially will begin to make
more positive changes in the way of trusting those around him, building a better relationship with
his daughters, and letting go of the past, after his heart attack at the end of season one.

For the band as a whole, there are many storytelling opportunities that can be utilized in the
coming seasons, with each season taking place over a different semester. For example, the next
season will take place during concert season, which would involve many symphonic
performances/competitions and smaller ensemble groups rather than the marching shows we saw
in the first season, allowing for different stories to be told. Similarly, for future seasons featuring
marching season, the band will still be attempting to win Nationals and State, like always, but
they will be attending many high-profile parades and expos such as the Rose Parade and the
Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. Similarly, in a future season, Josh could make a documentary
about the band throughout the marching season. Similarly, the bands relationship/rivalry with
other areas of the school, specifically the speech team, will continue to develop in coming
seasons, as well as the horns relationships with their fellow sections.

The bands diversity will continue to be explored further as the show progresses. There are many
racial themes and topics to explore within the band and horn section itself, as some of the
characters will begin to realize they have certain privileges that many of their classmates do not.
Lastly, we will continue to see a number of new faces enter the band room as each school year
begins, bringing in fresh storylines and conflicts to the band, the horn section and Holy Mary in
general. Overall, there are many exciting opportunities to take the characters and the band as a
whole in following seasons.