Growing up, I’d never been interested in sports. The whole competitive vibe that I got from it just wasn’t for me. Up until a certain point, I’d never felt that I was part of a larger community whether it be in school or on the outside. That all changed once I started band in the fifth grade.

Back then, I joined it on a whim. It was simply something that I could do that was different than the norm. Instead of going to music class every so often where I would learn about different types of genres and instruments, I would be playing it. I became immersed in the world of music, but not right away. In typical child fashion, I rejected it because I wasn’t the best. I was pretty terrible, actually, and I didn’t realize at the time that that was OK. You can be terrible at something, practice, and become damn good at it (at least for a high-schooler without lessons)! But, I wasn’t there yet.

It took a good while before I really felt like band was something that I wanted to pursue. Like most people who stayed in band until high school, I was planning on using it for an art credit. Usually those who used it as just a credit would drop it the next year. Thankfully, I did not. There was something about band that made me stick with it. It could’ve been the people that I surrounded myself with; it could have been the great (most of the time) teachers; or maybe it was the music that kept me interested. Even five to six years later, it’s hard to pinpoint just what kept me fascinated with the world of band.

Thinking back on it now, I’m forever thankful that I stuck with band. I definitely believe that it changed my life for the better. While you’re a part of something like that, you don’t realize just how amazing the things you’re doing actually are. Looking back, I can see it perfectly. I see that community that I ended up being a part of, cherishing most of the moments where I got to create sounds with other people to make a cohesive musical piece that sounded pretty amazing.

Practice was rigorous (if you actually did your part), and the instructors were always strict. There was never a way to take it easy in band. You had to work your ass off if you wanted to contribute a semblance of anything to the entire team.

In the end, all of that work would lead up to about 30 minutes for a concert that really didn’t have any impact on our lives outside of that moment. But even if it didn’t effect anything afterwards, if we could walk away knowing that we did a good job, all the work was worth it.

I had a discussion with a friend about people who were in band recently. We talked about how it does “something” to you. It’s hard to lock down just what that "something" is. But it definitely does. For the people who stuck with band for longer than three or four years, it does something to them. Whether they realize it or not, it changes who they are as a person. And I believe that it’s for the better.