Dear High School Marching Band,

I want to begin by saying, "I miss you already." It pains me to think that I won't ever be able to walk into the Adair High School band building as a student for the rest of my life. Five years was definitely not enough time to spend with you. I never thought that I'd say this, but I miss those early marching practices during the first semester of school, the times spent in the band bleachers where we passed around hand warmers and shared blankets, especially whenever the football team made playoffs and the weather gradually got colder, those long bus rides to away games and contests where we'd pull all kinds of shenanigans on the way there and back, and the marching shows we performed at home games where the crowd would cheer for us no matter how many mistakes we made.

I also wanted to take this time to thank you for so many things. First of all, thank you for allowing me to meet so many people and make lifelong friendships. Through you, I met some of my greatest friends who I wouldn't trade for anything. At contests and football games, it was one of our primary directives to mingle with the other humorous, and musically talented band kids. One of the great things about making these friendships was the fact that we'd be seeing each other throughout the year at various honor band auditions and concert band contests. I even find myself meeting band kids through different organizations like FFA, chorus, FCCLA, etc. In fact, my college roommate just so happens to be a band student and former drum major, and we're already getting along pretty well! You've been something that students can relate to and ramble on for hours about, and for that I am grateful.

Thank you for the opportunities you've offered to me. In those 5 years, I've worked with 3 different directors. While some students might view this as a nuisance, I saw it as a chance to learn different styles of directing and marching. Not only that, but all three of those directors were wonderful to work with. My junior and senior year, I was selected to serve as the drum major, which was one of the greatest experiences of my life. My senior year, I attended the George N. Parks Drum Major Academy (GNPDMA) where I, again, met several other talented and dedicated individuals, and learned that there's a lot more to being a drum major than I thought.

Throughout those two years, nothing could beat standing on that rickety drum major podium and directing the band during performances. This past year, we got to perform a "Glow Show" for our final home football game in which the stadium lights were turned completely off, we strapped ourselves with numerous glowsticks, wrapped some of the instruments in Christmas lights and various flashing lights, wore old tennis shoes with miniature flashlights taped to them, and marched the show.

Now, my favorite performance was the day that we got to perform at the OSSAA 2A Football State Championship-- that was the biggest crowd we'd ever had. The weather was perfect, the fans all cheered, and nothing went wrong in the show. Needless to say, it was a joyous yet tearful ending to a fantastic season and time as a marching band member.

Finally, thank you for turning me into who I am today. After having to maintain the cleanliness of my marching band uniform and memorize both music and show drill, I believe I've gotten a good grip on responsibility. In terms of taking the lead and giving orders to the members, you taught me courage and integrity. You pushed me to my limits and taught me that I can always do better, which is why, to this day, I always yearn to improve rather than be content without some sort of change. Because of you, I've become a greater person than I was before you walked into my life. I hope that nobody takes you for granted because you'll likely end up being the greatest thing that they'll ever be part of. It is with a heavy heart that I bid you farewell, but I will never forget all that you've done for me.

Sincerely

A former and forever grateful band student who wishes she could do it all over again.