I am proud to be a band nerd.

That seems like a fairly easy statement, when it actually is not.

Kids in high school have this urge to put others down, whether it’s because they don’t understand them or don’t approve of their actions. Being a band kid isn’t easy, partially because of these kids, and partially because of the challenges of marching band.

In high school, marching band was considered “social suicide”, which is completely false. I mean, I managed to graduate after four years of it and still keep in touch with many of my friends outside of band from high school. So, I’m far from dead.

But maybe that’s where people go wrong, in saying that it’s “social suicide”. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my four years in marching band changed the course of my life. It shaped me into who I am today and I do not regret a single moment of it.

Most people have this fallacy that marching band is where a heard of people hold instruments and play them and walk simultaneously. While we do in fact do that (with grace), we do so much more than that. We visually tell the story of the music we’re playing. The color guard adds to that effect by displaying the emotions and meaning behind the music.

Even more than just the basics of what we do, the technicality behind it is truly extraordinary. We learn and memorize over 100 pages of formations that create the show. Then, the band has to memorize the music while the color guard memorizes the choreography. Then, they have to put all of this together over a two-week span in the middle of August called band camp. Think about it: a heard of kids standing on a worn out football field in the blistering heat during the hottest month of the year.

We get tough, we feel pain, we bond over the hardships and live through the agonies. We learn from our mistakes, from one another, and we heighten our efforts to do better. We enforce and follow the disciplines of marching band. We learn to carry ourselves with grace and strength, our eyes with pride. Through the hallways and onto the field, we never let that pride fade.

Just us, our instruments and equipment, and the field before us; the impact we leave the minute we get on the field until the minute we get off of it, is what matters. We rise as one cohesive ensemble and perform our hearts out. Performing in the dewy grass under Friday night stadium lights.

Hearing, feeling, and thriving with the live music, showcasing every drop of sweat and every minute spent on perfecting the show. We live off of the adrenaline rush and the feeling of accomplishment. We bond over our wins and victories just as we would our losses and defeats. We find friendship and family. We care for and trust one another, to succeed.

We find a family that isn’t biological but is probably one of the biggest and best one could have.

If you think it’s “cool” or “funny” to put us down just because we’re not part of a sport or think we aren’t good at what we do –well, I’ve got news for you. In my four years of marching band and color guard, I have collected four medals (the whole trifecta) and one 10ft tall trophy along with the titles of state and national champions for the 2016 season; and yes, the trophy is actually that tall. Our sports team, though we support them, has not won a title in about six years.

Regardless of titles and trophies, we will forever walk these halls with our heads held high and our eyes with pride. Because that’s what we do best and what we are made to do. Together, as a family, we can stand as one against your ridiculous attempt to bring us down to your level.

Even if I had the opportunity to, I would never trade my family for the world. They have done so much for me, supported me when I could not stand on my own and helped me grow as a person. They have been with me through the best and the worst of it all, more than most people will ever see of me. We have stood by each other, no matter the circumstances. Because that’s what family does.

No label, trophy, status, or high school hierarchy will ever change that.

No one can take that away from us “band nerds”.

No “social suicide” will stop us from pursuing what we love doing.

No one will shake our confidence or pride.

I am proud to be a band nerd.

March on with confidence and eyes ablaze with pride.