Imagine this: It's the heat of the summer, the middle of July. Most teenagers are lounging by the pool, going hiking, drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade by bonfires and sleeping in way too late. Notice, I said most teenagers.
There are the select few teenagers who spend their July, or at least a week of it, waking up at 6am to stand in the sun for hours and hear the words "one more time" more than they hear anything else. They wear cut offs and shorts, too much (or not enough) sunscreen and most likely don't have shoes on.
This interesting breed of youth are marching band kids at band camp.
Ah, marching band. The single school function that is depicted in all movies to be full of sexually frustrated, weird, brace faced kids. While some of that last statement may be true, marching band is so much more than that.
Marching band at Clear Fork High School is full of characters. You have your jocks, who are wonderful at playing musical instruments, the cheerleaders who are peppy all the time, but can play a mean piccolo part and the kids who are so good at playing their specific instrument you think they should be considered prodigies, among so many others. Our marching band is full of all different kinds of kids with all different kinds of lives that offer different kinds of things to the program. I'm certain there are many people out there who would say the same thing about their high school marching band. Through the different people I met in marching band, I learned that there are organizations in which people from all walks of life can be a part of, and this is one of them.
Being in the Clear Fork High School Marching Band taught me more than I learned doing or being a part of anything else. First of all, marching band taught me leadership skills. I became a squad leader as a sophomore and had to teach the freshmen in my squad all of our routines during our band camp week. They needed me to teach them the ropes, that was my job. Second, I learned how to be patient, even when I was tired. Those hot July afternoons at band camp turned into chilly Wednesday nights in October on the practice field after a long day of school and volleyball practice trying to teach my squad a new routine for Friday night. Third, I learned that when things go wrong in a group, you have to sit down and figure them out. I played the clarinet and my section was mostly girls, and as you can imagine sometimes we had to take a break from practicing to have a life chat in order to figure things out. Finally, I learned that band directors are some of the coolest humans that inhabit this earth. They are the ones you should have random conversations with about any subject in the world, because they are knowledgeable on many topics, or they will relate what you are saying to a funny story. Also, they will be the people to give you the best advice, even if they start with saying, "Now Harriet!" and you will remember the things they tell you later on in life when you need guidance.
Marching band is ingrained in me. I miss it more than anything else I did in high school. Because of marching band, I met my best friends. Because of marching band, I didn't go a day without laughing at school. Because of marching band, I realized the pure talent at my high school that was going mostly unnoticed. Because of marching band, I met some of the most beautiful, smart, talented and thoughtful individuals and I am so thankful for that opportunity. Marching band is a summer of preparation, practicing, lots of time put in by the directors, ten football games, a few post game shows and a handful of parades, but over four years, it gave me a lifetime full of memories.
