I've been dreading this for years now; my time in band is reaching an end. More than half of my life has been dedicated to a band program. Those countless days out in the heat learning drill, the dreadful band camps, and the 14-hour game days have come to an end for me. No longer will I sit in an ensemble as the conductor tells the clarinets to play louder or the trumpets to back off a bit.

Before I close this chapter of my life I want to say thank you.

Thank you for being my support system all these years. For many, bands (marching band specifically), is something that they have to do, but for me, it was so much more. I could have backed out years ago. I knew I would never be a music teacher. I wasn't required to participate. I needed to participate for me. During some of the hardest parts of my life, band was a lifeline for me, a way to escape reality and simply create music.

Thank you for the adventures! When I think of all the experiences I have had because I was a part of a band program, I am amazed. I have marched in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago, I have played in the pep band at my university's conference basketball tournament, and I have performed in the historic Cotton Bowl during the Heart of Dallas Bowl. If someone had told me 12 years ago when I picked up a clarinet for the first time that I would have all these opportunities, I would have told them they were crazy. These are memories I will cherish for my entire life.

Thank you for the people you brought into my life. I have been blessed with so many incredible people in my life, and almost every single one of them I met because of band. My best friends are all my "band friends." I will never be able to fully express my gratitude for bringing my friends into my life.

And finally, thank you for making me the woman I am today. Music has molded me in so many ways. Band forced me to discipline myself and made me more mature than most people my age. I have been given opportunities to obtain leadership skills that I will use my entire life. Band taught me how to be a friend, how to shut the heck up and listen, and how to respect other, even my peers. Through band I have been molded into a decent human being with skills necessary to succeed in life.

Thank you, band, for a good, long run. As much as it hurts, it's time for me to move on.