"Sorry! I can't, I have band," has become my mantra since beginning marching band my freshman year of high school.

What appears to be a hobby or an easy past time to many, is a lifestyle choice to most who partake in the sport. Yes, I said sport. A mentally challenging and physically exhausting activity, marching band serves as the center piece to thousands of lives across the United States and abroad. I would be hard pressed to think of another community that emulates the passion and like-mindedness that is represented with those in, and those who associate themselves, with marching band or musicians.

As a proud member of this elusive society, I can vouch that it takes years of dedication to fully immerse yourself (or an extremely persistent friend or child) to even begin to understand all that musicians, and the band life have to offer. Today, I will be that friend for you.

I distinctly remember the moment I was introduced to DCI (Drum Corps International) it went something like this:

I sat in stunned silence the moments after one of my friends pulled up the whole twelve minute performance of "Secret Society" the Cavaliers 2013 marching show; they came in seventh place if you can even wrap your mind around that. Until that day, only weeks before my first ever band camp, did I learn that there was an entire platform for marching band, outside of high school and college football games. I'm quite ashamed to admit it now, but I wasn't even aware that high school marching bands competed at rigorous and stressful levels. If you thought those notes were loud on your computer screen, I can't even begin to describe the bone rattling and hauntingly beautiful thunder that many marching bands sound like live.

After being shocked by the pure force of sound by marching bands for a while, I quickly began to appreciate the skill level the musicians in these corps played at. I read their stories, and met band directors and staff members who used to march with these groups and realized that average band directors are some of the most talented musicians I would ever meet.

Fun Fact: to become a band director, while in school you must learn to play every instrument in your band to certain a degree of success. Amazing huh?

My second eye opening moment concerning band, and musicians in general, was when I first watched a group called Snarky Puppy on YouTube. The song I saw them perform is called Shofukan. I spent the subsequent days showing it to all of my friends and family, carefully watching them as they watched, to gauge their reactions. Years later, I continue to show the video to anyone who gives me the time. If you've gotten this far, it's safe to say you've given a portion of your time to me...

One can only absorb so much of an entire sub-culture in one sitting, so today I leave you with a tiny bit of mystery. One last time, never really means one last time.

Tune in for Part 2!