It’s your senior year, and I bet you’re itching to get out of there. I know I was. After four years, it’s finally your turn to walk across that stage and start your life as an adult. Whether that be working or starting college, it’s all up to you to decide how you want to start your life. We’re all excited to watch your journey and watch you succeed. However, while you’re on the fast track to graduation – and trust me, the year does fly by -- just remember to take the time to appreciate the things you’re doing during your senior year.
I played clarinet for all four years of my high school career, and to this day, the friends that I made in band are the ones that I cherish the most. After four years of marching rehearsals and early mornings I was counting down to the day it would all be over.
Thinking back to my own experience as a band member, I can honestly say that I took a lot for granted. I got too caught up in the rigorous schedule to really appreciate what was going on around me. I looked forward to Fridays more than anything. With morning pep band and Friday night football games, what is not to love? I regret not taking the time to appreciate the time in between. Even though marching rehearsals got intense sometimes, living in the Florida heat, they gave me the ability to spend time with my closest friends while we all worked towards a common goal.
High school marching band teaches you a lot. It teaches you discipline, as you must show up to rehearsals prepared and spend long hours perfecting sets. It teaches you responsibility. If you don’t show up to rehearsal prepared, or show up at all, then you’re letting the entire team down. Although many people like to argue, marching band is a sport and we’re all a team. If one player doesn’t pull their weight, then they affect everyone else. If marching band teaches you nothing else, it teaches you that you belong. No band would be the same without every single one of its members. This is one thing that I didn’t fully start to believe until my senior year.
My school got a new band director right before my senior year began, and if I am being honest with you, I didn’t like the transition at first. I wanted things to stay the same, at least for one more year until I graduated. It didn’t seem enjoyable anymore. After a few months, I began to realize that what he changed about our program was for the good, and I accepted that. By the time I graduated, he was one of my biggest role models.
At the beginning of the year, he started this saying, “TBOEO,” which probably seems strange to anyone not in band. That was the sanctity within the meaning of the phrase. It was something only we knew, and we could cherish. I’ll let you in on a little secret… it means “This band only exists once.” Although it may not feel like it in the moment, while you’re rushing to get ready for your performance, but those are all once in a lifetime opportunities. Every year, the people marching with you change. The seniors graduate, the freshman join; it’s a new experience every time.
As I start my first year of college, I can honestly admit that I wish I could go back for just one more season; one more time to truly appreciate the art of marching band, and one more time to march with the people I could truly call family. As I recall my last performance at MPA last year, I remember just thinking to myself, “Wow, this is it. This is the last time I’ll be out on the field with them,” and that really broke my heart. As we walked off the field, I felt so many emotions, and I cried.
If I could give any of you the slightest bit of advice, it would be to not rush your senior year. I understand that you may feel like you’ve been in school forever, but trust me, high school is nothing compared to college. Appreciate your family. Appreciate the teachers and faculty who have worked endlessly to get you to where you are today. Appreciate your band director for pushing you to do things you never thought you could do. Most importantly, appreciate your band mates. Soon, you won’t see them every day. Many of you will be hundreds of miles apart. You have the entire world out there to pursue your dreams, and it will all be there when the time comes. The year will go by fast enough, so don’t try to rush it any more than it already is. Take a step back, look around, and truly appreciate the people you’re surrounded with. You’ll never have the same opportunity after you graduate.
