I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this on this blog, but I am a bonafide band nerd. Not was, but currently am. My love of music came from my parents so it was only natural that I joined the band in middle school. I initially tried to play the clarinet, but I wore a retainer then and couldn’t fit the head joint in my mouth. I tried the flute next and fell in love…but it took me an extra week to even make a sound on the head joint. I was truly blessed to work with some awesome band directors and instructors, especially from the start. I was in concert band in middle school and in high school I was in numerous jazz, concert, symphonic and marching bands. I competed in all-city and all-state events and I could only take partial credit for that. I had the ultimate support from my parents and instructors. I was even the head drum major my senior year of high school!
My love for music performance continued through the first two years of my undergraduate career, and even joined the national honor Greek organization, but my studies got a bit more rigorous and I had to stop performing. There have been many days where I regret the decision to stop performing, especially when I see other friends performing, but I always look back at my performance days fondly. Every now and then I’ll bust out my flute and tune it up, pull out some old sheet music from high school or undergrad and make sure I’ve still got it. I’m proud to say that I do still have it.
I am proud to say that I learned more than how to play the flute in my band days. I learned discipline and strength training during all of those long, early morning band practices. Whoever said that band isn’t a sport lied, we trained hard. I learned to be a team player, especially with being a member of a band comprised of a few hundred people. I learned leadership skills both as a section leader and later as the head drum major my senior year. I honed my memorization skills with our numerous marching shows. Our summer band camp was an absolute must when it came to learning the new show and our sets. My appreciation for music also grew. I transposed trumpet 4 in jazz band and that was challenging at times, especially at competition. A musician’s brain is truly amazing; being able to not only play what’s on the page but possibly having to come up with a melody off of the top of your head with just key direction is a true talent.
Do any of y’all play an instrument? If so, how long have you played and what do you play? Band nerds unite (below in my comments).