I was a varsity cheerleader in high school, and I secretly thought the marching band was so cool. I would wonder, "how do you move around and play an instrument at the same time? How do you memorize all that music" Mad skills...

via Disney/ giphy.com

So I decided to do the unthinkable, what some might consider "social suicide". I traded in my pom poms for a snazzy band jacket and marched proudly onto the the field. I was instantly in love. Sure, some people might consider us "band nerds" or music geeks, but without the marching band I would not be half the person I am today. I've learned some pretty valuable lessons, ones that I may not have learned doing triple back handsprings.

1. Discipline

You learn exactly when each move happens and when each visual happens, and you must be able to do it correctly every single time. There isn't anything else like it, you have to be exactly on count EVERY SINGLE TIME. (S/O to Patricia- you go Patricia!)

Sometimes it doesn't always go as planned - but as long as you know how to fix it, it'll all be okay.

2. Musicality

Just playing an instrument teaches you musicality, but when you have to memorize the dynamics and the small markings on your music– that’s when you really start to appreciate what a difference all of those markings make. And let's get real, those can get pretty difficult to memorize.

3. Exercise

I thought I had known a cardio work-out but phew… marching band taught me just how wrong I was. Once you start running around a field playing with an instrument for 15 minutes, you really appreciate a work-out in anything BUT bibbers and a giant heavy jacket.

4. Practice

All those hours memorizing music and learning the drill for the half-time show this weekend… once the time comes to leave it all on the field, you look back on all those practice hours and think “Maybe, just maybe all those hours of sweat, tears... maybe some blood... were worth it.” Not to mention forever running the show "one more time."

5. Self-Worth

When going to a major university, it’s easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond. When you join something like marching band, you would think that nobody will miss one person in a sea of matching uniforms with lots of movement. And that’s wrong. Every single person matters on the field and has a part that matters to the ensemble.

6. Leadership

Whether it’s a leadership position with a title or not, every single person brings something very important and special to the table. It's a way for you to find your voice and find yourself in a leadership position. In these kind of organizations– every person is a leader.

7. How To Travel

I thought I knew how to travel pretty well, but once you travel with a giant band of either high school or college students, all with instruments and uniforms, everything else will seem like a piece of cake. I’ve taken marching band trips to Germany, Pennsylvania, Rome, and New York City– each trip was indescribably amazing and a logistical nightmare.

8. Teamwork

You're constantly working with other people in marching band. Fellow section-members, other sections, your directors, other student-leaders; everybody. Marching band taught me how to work with all different kinds of people- including those that I didn't always want to work with. In the end, each person has taught me something immeasurable, and I'm thankful for every experience involving teamwork.

9. Friendship

It's an experience like no other that binds you for life. Sweating through your shako and sprinting around fields doing ridiculous dance moves for the sake of a halftime show... nothing quite compares. It's a special bond that lasts for the rest of your life.