To my high school band director from sophomore year to senior year,

You came to my high school in the middle of my high school career. You graduated from that very high school, so you were in the same band that me and a bunch of my friends were in. No one knew how you were going to teach, but we knew that we were going to have to prepare for a change in the band program for the next couple of years.

I remember going to the meeting where you introduced who you were and your past. I remember hearing that you had a goal that by...was it five years? I don't remember, but it was some milestone that you wanted the marching to be at 100 members. You just finished your fourth year and there were about 95 members in the marching band, including color guard. We could see that you wanted this marching band to be the best that it can be, and it has.

Throughout my three years of working with you, you have worked our asses off and it paid off in the end. After a rough sophomore year, we stepped it up and were able to make it to state finals junior and senior year. Even though we got excellent ratings, those years were superior to me. Even this year whenever I look on Facebook and see the great things that the current seniors are doing with the marching band, it brings a smile to my face to see the legacy being passed on.

But I have to say this. I can't thank you enough for how you made me the person I am today. I didn't think that I could get first chair junior year in symphonic band, but you believed. I didn't think that I would be co-section leader with Rachel, but I was. You saw the potential in me as a performer, and you weren't afraid to tell me that. You were also very understanding of whenever conflicts arose. When I went to tell you that I wouldn't be in school for a few days because of my pop's funeral, you said that you knew (I guess because my brother didn't go to school that day and they probably had a paper go to all of his teachers saying that he wasn't going to be in because of a funeral). That made me tear up a bit, even now writing this.

What I am trying to say is thank you for believing in the potential that you had in making the Mighty Eagle Marching Band the way it is now. Thank you for also making concert band an enjoyable time and not giving up on us whenever we were down. Without your dedication, I probably wouldn't have done college marching band and made some of the best friends I have here now.

I will say this again, but thank you, Mr. Jacobs.

From,

Maddie