Well, it's now been over a year since I played at my last high school football game. A year since we sat on the bleachers together and played "The Hey Song,” “Paint It In Black,” and all the other stand tunes. A year since we all wore band uniforms with shakos and plumes on our heads and those black band shoes on our feet.

But I grew up and had to leave. I had to go off to college. Although I knew that it was obviously time to go, I also know that I learned so much from all of you, my fellow band members. Our friendships and our memories together have impacted me for life. I can't thank you enough for being such a fantastic band and for teaching me so much.

You taught me how to be different. Some of you were quite strange, in all honesty. But you were proud of your uniqueness. It showed me that I could also be myself whenever I was around you. I could skip with my band friends in my uniform on Friday night games and others would join me and sing with me. I could come up with new dances in the stands when we don’t play and all of you would go along with it.

You showed me the importance of teamwork. We stood out in the heat of July and August for hours, learning field show drills. We marched in parades to drum cadences and we played music together. If we didn't cooperate and appreciate each other's efforts, the work was meaningless. We were really a big family by the end of each year, and it was amazing.

You made me laugh so much. Whether we were sitting in the band room after school when we had home games or taking a water break between field show sets at a practice, we never failed to create an inside joke or a stupid music pun that would last for the rest of the year. Plus, the relatively risky stunts that we managed to pull off will always remain in my memory. The best memory was when we were at competition and we had a dance battle with all the other bands and one of us did a back flip and we ended up getting free food. Those were good times, weren't they?

You challenged me as a musician. I worked my butt off to get better and better at my instrument. It became a highlight of my entire high school experience to just meet up with some of you and play random music for fun. Some of the field show music was difficult too, but we all worked together to learn it, and it was always so rewarding. I became a much more proficient musician because of you all.

You showed me true friendship. Many of us were friends outside band functions, and I know many of our friendships will continue. We went to concerts together (and still do). We met up for parties, dances and dinner gatherings. Whenever we're together, we always have a great time, whether we're playing music, watching a movie or just chatting about the field show from two years ago. Even after we all grow up and go our separate ways, we'll be able to find that connection from our common experiences again, whenever we see each other.

Band family, you really did change my life. While I enjoy my current stage of life—in college and at the beginning of adulthood—I know that I'll always remember the fun times we spent together. Let's keep marching on and never forget the lessons we learned from each other.