This past weekend, I returned to my good old alma mater for the annual spring band concert extravaganza. And I mean extravaganza. This is not your average band concert, and it’s not your average band. There are pyrotechnics, sometimes guest appearances, cameramen shooting live feed onto huge screens, crazy lighting and surprises to boot. Plus, our band is at its biggest this year, with over 300 members.
We’ve got the band itself with flutes, clarinets, trumpets, sousaphones and all of that. But we also have a color guard with guns and flags, over 20 twirling majorettes who sometimes double as Highland dancers and a huge bagpipe corp. It’s amazing. And you should be jealous. As always, I got a bit nostalgic as I am now a few years out of high school. I sat in the stands with hundreds of band parents, fans and past members like myself and I got to thinking about everything that band meant to me. Those four years in the band changed who I am as a person. Here’s what I learned.
Camaraderie
There’s a certain element of camaraderie when you are part of a band that big. We created our own microcosm in the high school. We would eat lunch in the band room and wave at each other in the halls like the cool kids we knew we were. Then we’d come together in our specific sectionals and work to build each other up. I have never been in a group of people before or after that had such a sense of unity. Which brings me to my next point…
Unity
We were one body, one band. Everyone had to have all of their uniform pieces ironed, shined, cleaned and then buttoned, straightened and perfected before stepping onto the field or the stage. Once we were out there, the real unity began. Every step had to be perfect and no one could stick out. As a majorette, we drilled high marching and straight arms. Everyone had to be the same so that we looked good as a whole and it was not about our individuality anymore.
Determination
The number of hours we put into band practice was ridiculous. Majorettes started almost immediately after school let out and worked until August when the real fun began: summer band camp. Those three weeks were almost as long as a school day and filled with sweat, tears and sore limbs. We would drill routines and learn our field show marks while the band played measure after measure. If we weren’t perfect, we started over. Throughout the year, we had early morning band and a class period devoted to band practice. It was a lot of dedication, but we wanted to be the best we could be for the next game or performance.
Pride
We had this ridiculous sense of pride in our band. We’d say things like, “The football team lost, but our band always wins.” We knew our band was “second to none” and we told everyone about it. This was probably a combination of our massive size and all the hours we put into it. But I still believe we have one of the best bands in the country, and I am still nerdy and proud of showing off pictures of it. Once a bando, always a bando. My older brother was in the band and now my little brother is. It’s something we share as siblings and something I am very proud of.
The power of music
This one is probably the most important one of all. Music can make you cry. It can make you laugh. It can give you chills and bring to surface old memories you did not realize you still had. I definitely have my favorite band and bagpipe songs that still haunt me when they are played. The music stays with you and there’s a song for every mood. I’ll never forget our band’s theme song and the way I feel whenever it plays. It’s a reminder that I was part of something great, and that it will always be with me.
So thank you to my band directors and to band directors everywhere for being passionate about what you do. Thanks for your patience and skill and fearlessness. Keep doing what you’re doing because you’ll never know the truly lasting impact you had on each and every student.
Even a majorette who never picked up an instrument.
