As far as history is concerned, as soon as the first organized wars began to rage and armies learned how to march, the marching band commenced to exist. Without the accompaniment of musical instruments, armies marched while chanting "left, right, left" to ensure that everybody is at pace with everyone and to maintain alertness. And then, a specific platoon was designated to carry musical instruments and play along whole marching in front of the entire army most likely to emotionally motivate and encourage them into battle. As the marching band became more structured and organized, its functions also evolved. The marching band eventually became a permanent fixture in ceremonies as their role in wars grew to be less important.

Some of the military traditions are still present in the present marching band such as dressing based on rank. Some of the commands used in marching band formations are military orders like for instance "about face" and "attention" and also "forward march". In so many American schools and universities, the marching band is generally associated with American football leagues. School marching bands even have fight songs, which are commonly chanted to prep the crowd, and the team each marching band is playing for.