I'm serious. I spent four years being completely dedicated to the band and specifically the color guard. I started freshman year as the only newbie, this you guys already know. But I didn't really get to express how big of a commitment it was. Every monday night we had practice till 8. Every school morning, I arrived at 7:00 to have an hour rehearsal before classes even started. Every friday was a chance to preform but it required intense concentration in warm up. Distraction in mid-toss could mean a bruised hand or even worse. Oh, and that's not even half of it. Our season started in late June and didn't end until early november. And let's not forget the countless saturdays we spent at contests and in practice. I literally probably had about 10 free saturdays in my entire high school career (I did winter guard too so that started december to april).
I will admit, it's not like being in basketball or football. The same level of physical prowess isn't demanded. You do have to be in general good health in order to have enough air to march and play the entire show. But it's much more demanding in mental focus. You have to think through the entire show, otherwise someone can get hurt or the show will simply fall apart. Both of which are best to avoid. In all honesty, I can't really describe what it was like to struggle together and then accomplish the amazing. It's best said by Covey, "our most difficult experiences become the crucibles that forge our character and develop the internal powers, the freedom to handle difficult circumstances in the future and to inspire others to do so."(pg. 73) Yes, we hurt from running sets for three hours. Yes, we lost innumerable hours of sleep in order to keep our grades. But none of that mattered when you entered the field on competition day and you knew that you were about to demonstrate what all those hours of toil had gone into.
State Champion's UIL Final Performance-I'm the girl who steals the shako
Through most of the assigned Covey reading, I just couldn't help but think of how it seemed to describe my experience in band/guard to the letter. How it had nothing to do with being individual competitive or having only a few "star players." We could only succeed if everyone put in their maximum effort. The whole season focused on how "we [could] combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together."(pg. 49) Even though I'm individually very competitive, marching band made me expand from my independent "I-can-do-it-myself" attitude into the interdependent "we-can-do-this" belief. Honestly, my senior year, I said "we" more than "I" because the guard and band and I were so intertwined. Before, I hadn't put much stock in the Gestalt theory but by the end of high school I knew, without doubt, that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts."(pg. 263)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u07qmiTIkjQSo yes, I love college. I love how much is offered by the university to help every student succeed. And it's nice to break away from the hometown drama that develops after living in the same place for 18 years. But I honestly still have dreams about preforming with the marching band. I still have trouble looking at my younger band friend's facebook pictures of the current season. Being a part of the marching band developed me as a person but now that I've learned and loved within it, it's time I let go. I need to find my next passion. And I think I'm off to a good start Taekwondo has only minimal similarities to band but I sense the same sort of atmosphere that captured me in high school. I'm going to pursue it, and maybe I'll find my new niche.
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