Essay On Marching Band

What comes to mind when you hear “marching band”? A bunch of geeks playing musical instruments, or maybe that one episode of “Spongebob Squarepants” when Squidward assembles a marching band out of Bikini Bottom’s citizens? When I think of a marching band, I think of the time when I felt like a part of a community that helped me to help others.
In eighth grade, I moved to Nutley, and up to sophomore year, I had a handful of friends who were not always in my classes. I would freeze with anxiety whenever teachers would tell the class to pair up because I did not know anyone else in the class. In addition, I would spend countless hours at home studying, or doing my own thing, because my small group of friends would always be busy. Consequently, I felt that I was missing something crucial in my high school experience: being part of a greater community. So to change that, I decided to take a risk, put myself out there, and join the marching band in junior year. Over three months in marching band, everyone bent over backwards and put so much effort into their work to reach the same goal: to qualify for and place in the top twenty bands at Nationals. The countless hours we spent

All of us were shaking with anticipation as we waited for our band to be named. One after another, other schools were called, and band members screamed and applauded, as they learned that they had placed in the top twenty. “In seventh place...” There was a dramatic pause; everyone was holding their breath, “Nutley High School!” Everyone jumped out of their seats and erupted into cheers. We had placed in the top ten! Even though it was only seventh place, it was enough to make us feel proud of ourselves. Standing there, with the rest of the Nutley Raider Marching Band, I finally felt like I was part of a community where I could have friends, be a part of a bigger family, and just be