Playing a march at the start of rehearsal.

[SepticLips]

I do love a good march & there are some cracking euph parts - Thundercrest, Knight Templar, etc. But the scariest, for me, is having to play George Wilcox's The Champions at the start of rehearsal (even after a few hymn tunes).

[MichaelSchott]

One of my favorite BB marches. Just a great, exciting piece. Tough to hit the high notes early in a rehearsal to be sure.

[davewerden]

I think a march is a good way to get the band rolling at the start of the rehearsal. HOWEVER, that assumes each player has taken the responsibility to warm up carefully. Otherwise it can create tension and bad habits from having to keep up when you are not warmed up yet. So for a school band, if kids have come right from class, something less strenuous would be advisable.