Personal Narrative: My School Band

I was told in the 4th grade that school will get harder and harder, I was told that middle school and high school will get harder than elementry school.

As with most kids, I was a bit nervous about my transition from middle school to high school. One advantage I had was that I participated in band in middle school and planned to be in the band in high school. The Round Rock High School band has a history of excellence and I was looking forward to being a part of that organization. This was an extraordinary time and I looked forward to being a part of the band with great anticipation. Being a part of an organization such as this makes the transition to high school seem much easier and it seemed I had a ready-made group of friends that I could rely on and ask questions of if necessary. After all, the Round Rock High School Band has over 300 members.

When I came to Highlands Ranch High School as a freshman, I didn’t know where I belonged. I had done soccer, but a concussion and several headaches later, decided it wasn’t for me. I had tried fully devoting myself to academics, but later realized that I can’t spend my life focusing on grades. I didn’t have anywhere to belong. Then, in the winter of my freshman year, I was persuaded into doing winter percussion. I had never played an instrument before and had absolutely no idea what was going on. I didn’t even really know what a quarter note was, no less how to count them. My freshman self was totally clueless and wanted to quit at first because I was so bad and had absolutely no idea what I was doing. But, I stuck with it to the end of the winter percussion season and when we took second place in the state suddenly all the long hours of rehearsal and constant changes were totally worth it.

I stood on the podium, looking out at the field and took a deep breath. The fans in the stands behind me were a buzz in my ears as I made eye contact with every member of the band. I held my hands up and clapped three times and then SNAP! The instruments were up and I counted off, starting our first marching band show of the season.

Not only were they attempting to direct our talent into beautiful music, but they had cared very deeply for us. They cared so much for us that they did not want to give us the satisfaction of being lazy or encourage degrading behavior- they wanted us to keep excelling and improving in every aspect of our lives. This concern for us did not even stop at just the jazz bands, it continued on into non selective bands, such as the marching band. Shortly after being forced to quit jazz band my junior year to negotiate with my mental health, I fell into an even darker place because I did not have the outlet I normally had. Not being able to play jazz was a sudden and shocking change in my life, since I had been doing it for four consecutive years. At the time, I thought it was a necessary decision I had to make to better my mental health, but I realized it was the exact opposite when it was too late. I was not able to play my saxophone like I used to, so I clung onto marching band, which I actually hated my first two years because it was a “stupid” requirement if you were in a jazz

Never in a day would I have dreamed of joining the marching band. As an eighth grader, the idea of joining the marching band sounded horrendous. I never imagined myself as that “nerd”. Now, today as a senior in high school, I am so glad that I made the spontaneous decision to join as marching band was a significant chapter of my life.

It doesn’t take a natural disaster or a death to alter the course of your life. It can be as small and simple as a choice—picking a class. My life was changed for the better when, in sixth grade, I chose to join the band. I remember vacillating, nearly in tears, over which instrument to learn before deciding to choose the flute, unaware that this decision would mold me through out my middle school and high school years. Band has taught me valuable life lessons and leadership skills, it has provided me with priceless friendships, and it has fostered a love of music in me. Without band I would not be the person I am today.

My entire family is an athletic family, everyone did or does sports. However, I never really enjoyed sports to the extent that my family did. I tried to find something I had a passion for, but didn't really find anything until I was in 5th grade. A time that I was open to growth was my entire time in Phoenix Boys Choir.

Marching band does not sound interesting to most people, at least to me it didn’t. For the longest time I wanted to quit band because I never really enjoyed it, I didn’t think I was good so it made me want to give up. But my mother never let me quit. I hated her for it but I realize now that she was doing something good for me. My mother made me play the flute. The instrument that isn’t like any other, some call it a “hybrid” between the woodwinds and brass. I never liked to practice the flute, but eventually I had to. These factors, hating being in band, my mother forcing me to stick with it, and playing the flute, changed my life.

Ever since my older sister, Molly, had gotten into our high school’s marching band I have longed to join; that was almost 3 years ago. As the years went on I went into middle school and started my band life there. I went to 6th grade as a new percussionist. I wasn’t the most social person so playing in front of people soon became the main worry. I would deal with this difficulty all of middle school. But I learned to overcome it at my tryouts for the marching band.

When I first joined the marching band in high school, I was very insecure and unsure of what to expect because it was very unfamiliar to me. Near the beginning of the season, our director and staff began to teach us how to march and play simultaneously. Many people were doing fine but some were struggling and I was one of those kids in that predicament.

As a freshman I was only learning the ropes on what to do during a halftime show. Now, I get to pass down knowledge and tips to the upcoming freshmen; teaching them the basics such as roll stepping or how to guide. As the years go on, more responsibility is added up until you are a senior. That is the time when seniors can become section leaders, president/vice president of the band, and other smaller roles. Marching band has taught me to have a better understanding of things and to take charge when needed. For instance, as a junior I had to write a speech for one of my senior friends and give both seniors in our section gifts during band camp. My other junior friend and I had to plan what we were going to give them ahead of time because we couldn’t buy stuff during band camp. The speech was also done ahead of time since I didn’t want to embarrass myself or my senior friend for having a subpar speech. Being a responsible person is an important characteristic, so developing that trait early on in marching band will help me down the

Throughout my high school, I have been able to not only be led but also being a leader myself. I have been a part of high schools drill team for three years and of course every year I have had a group of leaders that help us throughout the year with our personal goals and struggles. This was my one of my first experiences with having a leader and it truly became what inspired me to become a leader myself. I joined the Latino Student Union my junior year and became the secretary/representative officer my senior year. Within these involvements, I have learned what it takes to be the best leader you can be and which ones I value the most.

​In the fifth grade, I was introduced to my district's band program. The moment I was shown the instruments and allowed to take one home has changed me over the years. I along with the other students, my peers and friends, experienced the trouble of learning a brand new thing, an instrument. I was given the task of just playing one note and holding it for a certain duration. For the next few days the tasks assigned to me increased in difficulty, as well as how I should structure my schedule around practicing my instrument and school work. Then, from fifth to sixth grade my middle school experience separated the wheat from the chaff. This small transition of just one year showed a willingness or commitment to what I and my peers, my friends

Sweat was already dripping down my neck, and our show hadn’t even begun yet. From the corner of my eye, I could see a colorful screen showing a high-up view of our band, and in front of me, our drum majors marching to their spots.