For the last five seasons, I have been a member of the Northern State University Marching Wolves, which has been a phenomenal experience and created some of my best college memories. It may seem that after all that time on the field, the only thing to come of it is a vast repertoire of performed pieces; however, some of the most important lessons I've learned in college came from my time behind my snare drum.

You Are An Essential Part of Any Team

...but you are not THE essential part of any team. It is important that you are present and focused and dedicated to whatever group it is you are a part of, be it a marching band, class project, or work committee but do not ever assume that the group will fail by default because you are not there. To quote Drumline (2002), "One band. One Sound."

If Life Presents You An Opportunity, Take It

During my freshman year with the Marching Wolves, we were selected to play in the 2013 Inaugural Parade for President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. and now in my fifth year, I am going to Hawaii over Thanksgiving to play in honor of the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Even though D.C. was nearly four years ago, I still remember exactly how I felt when we turned the corner onto the street where President Obama was with his family and Vice President Joe Biden were. I remember the incredibly blinding floodlight at the end of the street, the moment my wrist popped and wouldn't rotate, the things that the snare next to me and I were yelling at each other, and the incredible few seconds that I was less than 50 feet from the leader of the free world. That trip to D.C. was paid for by the university while my upcoming Hawaii trip is paid completely out of pocket, but I am just as excited for it as I was four years ago. I have friends who aren't going because they don't want to pay to go on the trip, which is understandable, but also completely unfortunate because I think they are going to miss out on a lot of good times and incredible experiences just because it seems like a lot of money. The point of this incredibly long story is that it is important to jump on all that life has to offer even if it seems financially challenging or seems to take too much time. The money will be there somehow, it just may have to be taken from small, daily things that seem really important, and as for time, you're going to be living your whole life out anyways, so why not fill it with experiences that enhance it?

Straight Lines Are Very Difficult

#MarchingWolves2016 is all I need to say for that one.

Frustration Often Leads to Success

Personally, I have a huge desire for perfection, as I have noticed many of my friends do as well, so when I make mistakes or don't understand something, I am inspired to do better. The result is never immediate, and I still often make mistakes, but there is nearly always a breakthrough moment and I find myself successful.

Bust Your Ass Early On

This year, we had two fewer weeks to get a semblance of a halftime show on the field, which was incredibly stressful and required a lot more work from the members of the band, but made these last few weeks a lot easier in just polishing the show and making changes as needed. Since the bulk of the "project" got done in a time before people started to burn out and get tired, this marching season has seemed to be a lot more efficient than previously because we are no longer still trying to remember music and drill on top of perfecting the show. This mentality has transferred over into other projects that I have, and my life just seems to be less stressful.

These are just a few of the things that I've learned while walking in my Dinkles, but I think they are all lessons that are important if I'm wearing brogues, sandals, or tennis shoes.