Marching Band Motivation Report

To the average person, the high school marching band is nothing more than a bunch of geeks that play during half time at the football games or monopolize the benches by the band hall, but to me, it is so much more. To me it is a family, a safe haven, a creative outlet, a home. I have been involved in marching band for three years, going on four, and I wouldn 't trade the experience for anything. When I entered high school as a scared and awkward freshman, I immediately had three hundred people that I could rely on. The program quickly became like a second home to me and opened up a whole new path in my life. Playing percussion took on a whole new definition in my eyes and I gained not only a greater respect for music, but for the people that created it and managed it and loved it like no other. Through my high

Meet my Jazz band. This is a picture of us in New Orleans my junior year during spring break to play Jazz. I decided upon this picture because this band has had such a profound impact on how I frame my future.

High school band is often looked upon as an activity where a bunch of nerds get in big, bulky, sweaty uniforms and walk around the football field during halftime all the while playing music that they have memorized. Although this is 99.9% true, marching band is much more than that and if you think about what was just stated, that takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication. Marching band provides students with life lessons and skills that can never be forgotten. There are some major “plus factors” of being a part of a high school band such as: students get to be around other students that they normally would not associate with,

Growing up in a lower-middle class home, I have learned to be modest and frugal. I have also learned that nothing comes free and that everything must be earned through determination and hard work. So when I joined the Cub Scouts at age 7, I was determined to excel and achieve the highest rank in scouting, Eagle Scout. Since then, I have been intent on changing things for the better in everything I participated in. Ergo, having a lifetime goal to give back to the Earth, whether it be directly by studying chemistry to help the Earth or indirectly by donating some of my time and money back into the science field to help fund future developments of technology, seems best for the world. Knowing that nothing is guaranteed, my participation in the Boy Scouts has served as a foundation to allow me to expand my knowledge in other fields of study in case my expected career path does not go as planned.

I have always been a particularly musical person. When I was younger, I wanted to become a singer when I grew up, but upon joining the choir in elementary I realized I did not have the talent for singing that I thought I had. Continually singing off key and never sounding as good as my peers did, I decided to confine myself to singing at home where only my family could hear me. Despite this revelation that I was, in fact, a terrible singer, I still wanted to participate in some type of musical performance and decided to join the band in middle school. After trying out various different instruments, I settled on the flute and quickly fell in love.

In the world of college, there are many majors or professions to choose from. Whatever career I choose to take, I know that there are many doors open for me to walk through. Planning for life after high school, I am considering going into the medical field to become a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse (NICU).

Easy to encounter, not so easy to overcome, failures claw at hopes and successes. They bring down those who are weak enough to let them in. They strengthen those that can get past them. I got past one that almost ruined my chances for new opportunities.

Marching band; copious amounts of people scoff at the sound of those words. I often hear students commenting on how easy marching band is, how we don’t train like the football players do. At Anderson High School, that’s not the case, the marching band trains for just as long. As a band of over 125 individuals, it takes determination, pride, and confidence to achieve the goals we have set forth to accomplish. As a leader of the saxophone section, I know what it’s like to face failure, to overcome and turn it into success and to march on with confidence. I know exactly how to motivate my underclassmen when they tell me “I can’t do this anymore.” Over the last four years, I have succeeded in leading my group of 13 saxophone players to two State

Marching band is the place where the intelligent students are. Musicians are “great problem solvers in school and social situations” because they have a stronger corpus callosum, the part of the brain that connects the two halves.(Berman) When an outsider joins band their minds are opened into a whole new world. This is because when a person is making music there is not only one place in the brain that is being activated. A musician is using parts of the brain that have to do with the visual, auditory, and motor functions of the brain. People who play a musical instrument are working multiple parts of their brain at once making it easier for them to remember information more. Think about it, a person who is in a band class, or any musical class for that matter, usually has high grades and is good at

Being in my high school’s marching band has drastically changed my life for the better. I would not have made it through all the curve-balls that school has thrown at me had it not been for the marching band, which taught me to find the positive in any and every situation. Working out and making countless mistakes in the scorching Texas heat does not seem like the ideal place to learn about positivity, however that is exactly what it is. Having

Should high school be spent creating final childhood memories or preparing for the future? The answer may not be clear. I faced a tough decision this past year as to whether or not I should continue with my high school band or take a career-oriented internship. I took every aspect of the decision into consideration as a questioned how my life up to this point would transition into my future. I thought about the stress that came along with leading the marching band as well as the stress of keeping up in school. I also contemplated between my summer internship opportunity and staying for my last year of marching band. Upon questioning my plans for senior year, I discovered that an internship preparing for the future has been more beneficial than the stresses of band.

Throughout my high school career, I was forced into many situations where I was challenged to connect with my peers and serve as a role model for future students. Whether it be my involvement in the school marching band, or helping students in community tutoring sessions, I have always made it my goal to better the people around me through my own efforts. Throughout my high school career, I have put forth my best effort to connect with my peers, transform individuals, and make a difference in my community.

I found it difficult to reflect on an achievement or experience that did not render any recognition. Every accomplishment that came to mind was either included in my resume or did not necessitate any appreciation. Then I began to think about all the activities I had been involved in where I felt I may have made a difference. It was not long before I recalled that one of my most appreciable achievements resulted in what appeared to be one of my most disappointing experiences.

Four wind musicians stood before me in my elementary school’s auditorium. Each one played an excerpt showcasing the instrument’s ability, trying to entice us all to play that instrument. I was able to resist the lures of three, but the fourth instrument, the trumpet, captured my eye and resonated with my soul. Little did I know, that sound would come to mean so much more.

I remember in 5th grade when Mrs. Jones told us about band. I got excited, I couldn't wait to start. I'd always wanted to be in percussion but then I got introduced to the clarinet. My sister, Amber, had a clarinet that I borrowed. I didn't know how to put it together or how to even hold it. I kept messing up the hands. I also remember playing my first note. It seemed quite hard, but looking back now, I have songs memorized, and I know most of my scales. The eighth notes actually scared, and so did the quarter rests. I told myself I'll never be able to play this. Now I am able to tongue, and play fast, and count my rests, and do everything I believed I would never be able to do. Looking at the scales, I started to freak, but now I can play 2 octaves and even do most of