What Band Really Meant To Us Band Geeks | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

What Band Really Meant To Us Band Geeks

The last note has rung but the memories will last.

330
What Band Really Meant To Us Band Geeks

The life of the band geek in high school is an interesting tale. There are levels of band geeks, you have your top tier (future music teachers or first chair musicians), your middle class (the ones who knew what it all meant and could help others out), and then there’s me. I was part of the group that was there to just kind of hang out. Yeah, I knew all my notes and pitches, at one time at least, but that’s not the point of band. Most people think band is all about the love and appreciation of music. But for those of us that truly experienced band life it means so much more. It is a bond, a family, and a lifestyle.

The best part about band was the people in it. We all have that one friend or group that we could never have gone without through high school. For band kids, it was the entire band, yeah there’s some people you talk to more than others but we were all a family. The funny part was that the individual sections made up each family member. Of course, the director was our parent(s), then you have the horns and trumpets. They are more of the arrogant older sibling that thinks they know it all. You have the saxophones who were kind of like the middle child, everyone kind of forgets about them and no one really cares what they have to say during rehearsal. Then there's the low brass, the youngest child. Not many come to see them, but they always have to hear about them boast about themselves. Let’s not forget the percussion, they’re more like the crazy uncle that everyone loves to talk to but can only handle so much of them.

I feel like I am forgetting something… Oh yeah, the flutes! They’re the side of the family who no one talks to anymore. I think one of the more amazing things that we got out of band was the feeling that we got when we nailed it. It’s something that can't really be explained in words. We band people all know the feeling though, when the last note is played and it is still ringing, the horns go down, all is calm but our hearts are pounding, hands shaking, and our eyes are enormous. The most nervous a musician can get is not before or during, it’s after. For the split second in between horns down and the applause. For in that moment we all review the entire performance, we criticize ourselves on every note, and every now and then we just know we nailed it. It is not until we read the audience on their response, when the thunderous applause rolls in, and you leave a speechless look on the director's face, you can’t help but to smile.

People that were never in band will never understand what we all had. We had an unbreakable bond. They will never understand why when they try to shake a trumpet player’s hand they raise it higher than theirs. Or why when they try to make fun of us we just smile and take it, because we know they have no idea what they’re talking about. No one will ever understand why we were all eager to go outside for class when it was ten degrees or a hundred and march for an hour.

As someone who has been there and done it and has moved on to bigger things, it is something that has shaped me into the person I have become. Band is more than learning notes and rhythm, it is also about learning about yourself and how to sit on a bus for 18 hours to Disney World. Band is not just some group people join to get free credits, band is a brotherhood of misunderstood people, it is a saving grace for the misguided, and it is a family for the unloved.

Yeah, we would have all gotten through the years without band, but none of us would have understood the hardships of getting up at 4:30 for competitions. We would never have known just how hard it was to hit that one note, that one stupid note that no tuba should ever see on a sheet of music. We would never have gotten goosebumps while playing our schools loyalty at our first football game, and our last. I still to this day do not know what was harder, first figuring out how to read drill and memorize my drill or taking my last steps to my last ever spot in my last show. I will never again play my schools loyalty or play “Hey Baby” and I will never again throw a Sousa over my shoulder.

It took me one day after my last show to realize that I would never walk out as a Marching Redskin ever again, but it has taken me two years to realize all the never-agains I get to think about, and all the great memories.

Although I miss it like crazy I am happy it is over. I may never march on that field with the lights hitting off my bell again but I can now reminisce on all the great memories I made. Here’s to you Morris.

Far above Illini’s waters

With the waves of blue,

Stands our noble Alma Mater

Glorious to view.

Lift the chorus, speed it onward

Loud her praises tell.

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater

Morris, Hail to you

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

196530
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

18629
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

460698
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

28215
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments