Sometimes it is hard for people to convey what they feel; words do not always capture one’s thoughts and emotions. There are many ways to cope with this; one is to make music. The barriers that words and grammar bring are broken down as notes and rhythms are played instead; music is a universal language. That is the reason why I fell in love with music. With this being said, marching bands use music’s universality and takes it a step further: they combine sound and visuals to illustrate different journeys for their audiences.
I want to become Drum Major because I want to continue being “the best band in the land.” This year’s marching season was rough because everyone was used to having Mr. Conley leading band camp; with him gone during the
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Back when I lived up north in New England, I was a junior instructor at my school; this meant that I would lead classes of ages of 16 and under. It required a lot of energy and patience to be able to lead a physically rigorous sport and also teach complicated forms to distracted children and rude teenagers; yet, I chose to continue it for years. Since I have moved to Virginia, my leadership in martial arts is similar to what I had before: I lead the classes in stretches and basics, just with bigger classes. Another leadership experience that I have is from last school year, my freshman year. Every time there were sectionals during Advanced Band, Mr. Conley would appoint Megan Toms and I to lead the clarinets. During those sectionals, I was always the more vocal one, due to my loud, boisterous nature. This caused the rest of the freshmen to look at me as one of the leaders of that class, and soon they started to refer to me whenever they had questions relating to band that they were not comfortable enough with Conley to ask. It was never a formal leadership position, but I have been told that I took up the role naturally. Similarly, I have become a leader for the clarinets again this year in the Wind Ensemble class. With Alfie Brownless, one of the clarinet section leaders, being in the Jazz Band class and Kendyl Berry, the other clarinet section leader, …show more content…
I think this upcoming marching season more than ever is in need of someone who is really good at adapting. It will not be a problem for me, keeping in mind that I always adjust my plans around band already, and I am a very open person who loves to try new things, including suggestions from others, like the new director. Which leads to my next skill: the ability to collaborate. During group projects, I always make it a point to listen to everyone’s opinions before making a final decision. Working with others is usually never a problem since I try and involve everyone anyways. It is important that everyone is working together because the band is stronger that way. Collaborating will be important as the Drum Major will be working alongside the new director, so they will have to be able to find a mutual understanding on how to lead band together As a student who maintains a 4.3 GPA in Math/Sci and about 8 extracurriculars this year, I think that I have earned the right to say that I have a strong work ethic. As a musician, I drive myself to become better by constantly setting goals and working hard to meet them. For example, a couple of months ago, I picked up my clarinet and planned to have a quick practice through Windjammer, since I knew that I was struggling with that piece. Four hours later, I was still practicing
The low reed section to me is not just my section, it is my family, and I would love to have the honor of calling myself mom. However, Lauren will always be the original mom and my biggest role model in band. She was the first one to give me hug whenever I was upset, she made sure I didn't get sunburned during band camp, and was overall the most loving, caring section leader I most likely will ever have. As section leader, I would like to devote all my time, love, and leadership to my section and show what an amazing marching experience truly is. Throughout this essay, I will evaluate what Lauren did well, what she could have done better, what I would do differently, and why I am the person for the job.
With an upcoming drumline of around ten freshmen, eight sophomores, three juniors, and one senior we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us and to achieve that goal of being the best we need someone to lead us. Our ensemble can become amazing and I have a lot of great goals I hope we accomplish next year but more than anything else our group needs motivation to become the best. And by the end of next year we will have pushed ourselves and we might be bloody and tired at the finish line but we will have made it. That 's what I strive for if I get the position of Drum Captain for the 2016 Pirate Drum Line.
People only have passion for something they enjoy. Marching band needs to become more enjoyable for students. When you watch other bands perform, you can really tell which bands are enjoying themselves because the majority of the time they are better than the ones that just meander around playing their instrument with no real emotion. Now know that I am not saying we should just goof off more and not really do marching band, but we should make the marching show more interactive instead of just marching from one place to another. We should do more stuff like the poses at the beginning of the Batman show or how in the 80’s Show we did that lung thing during Don’t Stop Believing. Students enjoy
I am always practicing and I work hard for all the things that I have now and I want to continue that growth. I’ve gone to Area two years in a row and I’ve gone to State Solo and Ensemble every year that I have been a band student at Longview High School. I believe that if I was drum major I would be able to practice more and finally be able to go to state on the French Horn. I also was considering becoming a band director in the future and I figured that becoming a drum major would give me some experience and new opportunities that I wouldn’t be able to have if I was just another band student. I want to be drum major because they are always working hard and are always improving the band. I also would love to be drum major because I would want to inspire others just like me like Lady inspired me. She made me realize that I could help the band more than I already was by helping and leading the band in everything that we have done. Many of the candidates are far more invested in being able to wear the uniform and being able to brag about being the drum major rather than being invested in being able to help the directors and the band students when they need
Sweat dripping down my face and butterflies fluttering around my stomach as if it was the Garden of Eden, I took in a deep breathe and asked myself: "Why am I so nervous? After all, it is just the most exciting day of my life." When the judges announced for the Parsippany Hills High School Marching Band to commence its show, my mind blanked out and I was on the verge of losing sanity. Giant's Stadium engulfed me, and as I pointed my instrument up to the judges' stand, I gathered my thoughts and placed my mouth into the ice-cold mouthpiece of the contrabass. "Ready or not," I beamed, "here comes the best show you will ever behold." There is no word to describe the feeling I obtain through music. However, there is no word to describe the pain I suffer through in order to be the best in the band either. When I switched my instrument to tuba from flute in seventh grade, little did I know the difference it would make in the four years of high school I was soon to experience. I joined marching band in ninth grade as my ongoing love for music waxed. When my instructor placed the 30 lb. sousaphone on my shoulder on the first day, I lost my balance and would have fallen had my friends not made the effort to catch me. During practices, I always attempted to ease the discomfort as the sousaphone cut through my collar bone, but eventually my shoulder started to agonize and bleed under the pressure. My endurance and my effort to play the best show without complaining about the weight paid off when I received the award for "Rookie of the Year." For the next three seasons of band practice, the ache and toil continued. Whenever the band had practice, followed by a football game and then a competition, my brain would blur from fatigue and my body would scream in agony. Nevertheless, I pointed my toes high in the air as I marched on, passionate about the activity. As a result, my band instructor saw my drive toward music and I was named Quartermaster for my junior year, being trusted with organizing, distributing, and collecting uniforms for all seventy-five members of the band. The responsibility was tremendous. It took a bulk of my time, but the sentiment of knowing that I was an important part of band made it all worthwhile.
One of the biggest decisions of my high school career came my sophomore year when I decided to try out for the role of drum major in my high school band. This decision was very tough to make due to the fact that I was a sophomore, and although I already had three years of experience under my belt as a band member at Northview High School, I knew that it would be very tough to earn the respect of my peers if I succeeded in becoming drum major. Out of the three years I had spent in the band, the biggest influence on my decision to try out came from my very first marching season, between August and December of 2012. From that year forward, after seeing many areas that the band could improve, watching how underclassmen and middle school band members
A community is a group of people who share something in common whether it be location, interest or a common goal. Communities are what bring people together and that is exactly what happens in marching band. Marching band is a way for people to find their place and make friends. It is very important not only for growth in music, but also for growth in character and friendship. There is only one requirement for marching band and that is to be able to play an instrument and be willing to practice hard. The people who join marching band do not need to have similar like and dislikes, majors, or even anything remotely in common.
When someone asks me what marching band means to me, it’s very difficult to come up with a simple answer that everyone can understand. Marching band means belonging to something bigger and more worthwhile than just a “team”; It means having a stake in something that is a treasured part of both our school and our community. Even if it means going to bed feeling every muscle in my body ache and knowing I may wake up feeling worse, I always look forward to doing it all again the next day (and the next year). Marching band is a challenge that pushes the limits of my physical and emotional endurance in such a way that I can’t wait to come back for more because I know I will be a better person for it.
They argue that there is not much to marching band. In truth, there is a lot to marching band. A person must be able to play the song on their instrument. Some instruments are even heavy. Then that person must learn the drill. After that they have to put the drill and music together. Some bands even memorize their music. These bands will do this at least three times. They will also practice basic marching. If a person works hard, they could even get a scholarship for college. In most schools a student can get a gym credit for marching band like other sports. Unlike other sports there is not a bench. Everyone plays the whole time. Finally, there is no quarters or innings. A band gets one shot to be the best. That is why marching band is a
It is about who I am off the podium. For the past five years (I marched up as an 8th grader), I have been proving something to these people, so that they trust me in this position. The character of drum major or leader is one I have been perfecting since I was a freshman. For a long time I was just an actor trying to be a character. Eventually, I had acted the part so much that I became it, and it was my role. I give respect to receive it. I build real relationships of with members to achieve trust, accountability, and effort. When people are torn up inside because of their home life, which is quite frequent in Lenoir City Tennessee, I am their shoulder to cry on, or a set of ears to vent to, or a buffer to dull their anger. When people are frustrated with me for some reason, I seek them out and learn what I can do different. When there are five flavors of gum stuck to the floor of the band room at 11:30 on a Friday night, I get on my knees with a plastic fork and start scraping. When the band director constantly yells at me for this that and the other, I take into account the criticisms and practice harder. The band and the director see this character I have transformed into, or maybe the one I have always been, and that is why I have the honor of standing on the podium and wearing the gloves. I have become the band’s teacher, nurse, cattle driver, answer dispenser, and friend. Somehow, those all add up to leader. I refuse to let them down, rather I lift them
My older sister loved the marching band, so I always got dragged to their performances. I could not tell what was so appealing about it all; it consisted of walking on a field while playing instruments and flags being swung in the air. Participating in a marching band was never what I intended nor wanted to do. The idea bored me, but my mom insisted.
Being a leader is no simple task. During my Eagle Scout project, I lead a range of people, from adults to youth. It was my job to make sure everyone was working and, that everyone was capable of doing their task. I had many issues doing this throughout my project because I am only one person and I can’t be everywhere at once. Thusly made being a leader a drudgery. But I had an incredible set of adults guiding me along the way, who taught me that being a leader was not doing everything myself, being a leader
Upon learning the position of Drum Major has an opening, I did not immediately consider pursuing it. Simply being able to play my instrument in band was enjoyment enough, or so I thought. Pondering the idea more thoroughly, I came upon the realization of all that I could accomplish musically holding the position of Drum Major. I realize that this opportunity has many potential benefits in regards to my future. Being Drum Major would allow me the opportunity to hold a broader leadership position in the band than my currently held position as section leader.
Involvement in marching band, field hockey, and various other activities has given me many opportunities to show leadership. My first leadership opportunity was in eighth grade when I became a WEB leader. While I was a WEB leader, I helped incoming sixth graders get adjusted to middle school life and find their classes on the first day. I also met up with the sixth graders in my group once a month at lunch and got to know them while I asked how school was going and helped them with any issues they had. In marching band, this past season I was a marching captain for my section. I helped the freshmen learn to march, demonstrated proper marching techniques for others, and gave advice to anyone having trouble with part of our marching show. At the start of field hockey season I showed leadership by helping new players learn to play field hockey by demonstrating how
Personal Narrative- Marching Band Competition This season was only the second year that I had been in marching band, even though we did do parades in middle school. The year before, I was selected to be drum major of the upcoming marching season. I was excited to meet the challenge of getting back to the state championships. It was also nerve-racking because I felt if we didn't make it to state, it would be my fault.