oh what a time we had
so I finally finished my college essay, and I'm quite proud of it. Of course it is embellished to the nth degree, but this is my inspiring piece on the subject of marching band compared to accomplishments.
“Sun Valley High School, you may now take the field in competition!” The
words echoed in my ears as I stood on the field gripping my clarinet right
before the last high school marching band competition of my entire life.
The place was Coatesville, Pennsylvania and it was State Championships.
This was the first time in four years that our band had even made it to states.
And those four years were a struggle for us. We were led by three different
band directors. We had finally made our way back to a band that was decent
enough to compete at States. This was my first and last chance to make it
count.
The band had fallen apart the year before I was a freshman. The band
director at that time was struggling with a serious illness and a lack of
funds for equipment and costumes. She finally handed in her resignation and
most of the band members resigned as well. Although we tried hard that first
year, we never scored well in competition. We always came in last place. It
still felt good to hear our score when it was announced. Regardless of our
losses, we had high spirits. My sophomore and junior years were mirrors of
my freshman year. The school was looking but unable to find a decent band
director and funds were low. On a positive note, we were gaining in number.
Slowly but surely we increased from a meager 12 members to approximately 50
eager marchers. I was a senior in the 2003 fall season when I saw the change
begin. We were working harder than ever, and were progressing at high
speed. We looked good and we sounded good. We were playing complex music that
we couldn¹t play in the past and marching in top form. Although it is
difficult for me to admit, I know deep down in my heart, that our new band
director, Mr. Hazlett was the impetus behind our metamorphosis.
Why do I hate to admit that Mr. Hazlett turned us into a band worthy of
respect? When I joined band as a freshman the membership had dwindled to a
mere twenty-three members due to difficulties with band directors and
insufficient funds. We were small, untrained, and unskilled. Over the next
two years, two successive band directors came and went for various reasons.
Then came Mr. Hazlett and it looked like he was going to stick around for a
while. He was an alumni of Sun Valley, and very young. In fact, it was his
first teaching job and after a while it became quite obvious. He had done a
lot of extra-curricular drum corps during his high school career and then
gone on to tour the world with the Broadway show, “Blast”. But, even with
all that skill in marching and music, he still had a lot of learning to do,
like any other first-time teacher. His expectations seemed unreasonable to
us. His motto was, “go hard or go home”. The music was extremely challenging
music and the drill was far beyond our capabilities. We were used to the
laid-back and relaxed practices, music and drills that were undemanding and
required minimal skill. It was like going from kindergarten to 12th grade
with nothing in between. Mr. Hazlett eventually realized that we could not
meet his demands. He came back with a whole new approach the next season.
He proposed a simple, yet classy show for that season with really
outstanding drill. We practiced at least 6 hours during the school week and
4 hours minimum on weekends. He worked us through all of the shin splints
and torn ligaments and colds and viruses that spread like wildfire through a
band that basically lived together. Mr. Hazlett not only worked us to the
bone, but he was not positive about our performances. It seemed that no
matter how hard we performed, it was never good enough. He was quick with
criticism, but slow to compliment. He would get so angry with us during
practice that he would break drum sticks, or leave in the middle of a drill.
We did not have very positive thoughts about Mr. Hazlett. No, indeed, we
hated him. The thought of quitting entered my mind and the minds of other
members more than once. But it seemed like we had already put in too much
work just to quit. We stayed. We hated it, but we stayed, and we played.
My performance the night our band went to States is a blur to me now, but I
can still hear the music ringing in my ears. I remember coming off of the
field thinking, “I did my best.” We all assembled in a group around Mr.
Hazlett for our post-performance pep talk. Finally, we had won his respect.
Finally, he was really impressed. He was proud of us and told us that he
knew we had done our best.
After all of the bands competed, the air became thick. You could
feel the anticipation for the results of the competition to be announced.
All of us in the Sun Valley Band sat on the edge of the cold metal stadium
seats, intensely attentive. Although we thought we might have a chance at
winning, we were up against some tough competition. Finally, the
results were being announced. Third place, Williams Valley High school. I jumped when I
heard that it wasn’t Sun Valley. My hands were clasped together so tight
that my knuckles turned white as they announced second place. Again, it
wasn’t us. We stood stock still at attention and no one dared to speak. We
were all thinking the same thing. Could we have won? Or did we not even
place at all? Then, it came time to announce first place. On November 1, 2003,
the Sun Valley High School marching band won the state championships for
Pennsylvania in the USSBA (US Scholastic Band Association) circuit for
marching band competition.
All of the band members went wild. Additionally, we had won awards for Best
Marching, Best Percussion, Best overall effect, and Best Music. Everyone
was jumping up and down and hugging each other and screaming.
That one moment, when I realized that we were now state champs,
everything really came together for me. I learned that nothing worth
winning is easy. That no matter how bad a situation might look, if you work
hard enough, you can turn it around. We grew from 12 measly members to 57
strong, skilled musicians/marchers. Funny, but looking back now, at all of
the controversy and drama that went on during my four years in marching
band, I can only recall good memories.
“Sun Valley High School, you may now take the field in competition!” The
words echoed in my ears as I stood on the field gripping my clarinet right
before the last high school marching band competition of my entire life.
The place was Coatesville, Pennsylvania and it was State Championships.
This was the first time in four years that our band had even made it to states.
And those four years were a struggle for us. We were led by three different
band directors. We had finally made our way back to a band that was decent
enough to compete at States. This was my first and last chance to make it
count.
The band had fallen apart the year before I was a freshman. The band
director at that time was struggling with a serious illness and a lack of
funds for equipment and costumes. She finally handed in her resignation and
most of the band members resigned as well. Although we tried hard that first
year, we never scored well in competition. We always came in last place. It
still felt good to hear our score when it was announced. Regardless of our
losses, we had high spirits. My sophomore and junior years were mirrors of
my freshman year. The school was looking but unable to find a decent band
director and funds were low. On a positive note, we were gaining in number.
Slowly but surely we increased from a meager 12 members to approximately 50
eager marchers. I was a senior in the 2003 fall season when I saw the change
begin. We were working harder than ever, and were progressing at high
speed. We looked good and we sounded good. We were playing complex music that
we couldn¹t play in the past and marching in top form. Although it is
difficult for me to admit, I know deep down in my heart, that our new band
director, Mr. Hazlett was the impetus behind our metamorphosis.
Why do I hate to admit that Mr. Hazlett turned us into a band worthy of
respect? When I joined band as a freshman the membership had dwindled to a
mere twenty-three members due to difficulties with band directors and
insufficient funds. We were small, untrained, and unskilled. Over the next
two years, two successive band directors came and went for various reasons.
Then came Mr. Hazlett and it looked like he was going to stick around for a
while. He was an alumni of Sun Valley, and very young. In fact, it was his
first teaching job and after a while it became quite obvious. He had done a
lot of extra-curricular drum corps during his high school career and then
gone on to tour the world with the Broadway show, “Blast”. But, even with
all that skill in marching and music, he still had a lot of learning to do,
like any other first-time teacher. His expectations seemed unreasonable to
us. His motto was, “go hard or go home”. The music was extremely challenging
music and the drill was far beyond our capabilities. We were used to the
laid-back and relaxed practices, music and drills that were undemanding and
required minimal skill. It was like going from kindergarten to 12th grade
with nothing in between. Mr. Hazlett eventually realized that we could not
meet his demands. He came back with a whole new approach the next season.
He proposed a simple, yet classy show for that season with really
outstanding drill. We practiced at least 6 hours during the school week and
4 hours minimum on weekends. He worked us through all of the shin splints
and torn ligaments and colds and viruses that spread like wildfire through a
band that basically lived together. Mr. Hazlett not only worked us to the
bone, but he was not positive about our performances. It seemed that no
matter how hard we performed, it was never good enough. He was quick with
criticism, but slow to compliment. He would get so angry with us during
practice that he would break drum sticks, or leave in the middle of a drill.
We did not have very positive thoughts about Mr. Hazlett. No, indeed, we
hated him. The thought of quitting entered my mind and the minds of other
members more than once. But it seemed like we had already put in too much
work just to quit. We stayed. We hated it, but we stayed, and we played.
My performance the night our band went to States is a blur to me now, but I
can still hear the music ringing in my ears. I remember coming off of the
field thinking, “I did my best.” We all assembled in a group around Mr.
Hazlett for our post-performance pep talk. Finally, we had won his respect.
Finally, he was really impressed. He was proud of us and told us that he
knew we had done our best.
After all of the bands competed, the air became thick. You could
feel the anticipation for the results of the competition to be announced.
All of us in the Sun Valley Band sat on the edge of the cold metal stadium
seats, intensely attentive. Although we thought we might have a chance at
winning, we were up against some tough competition. Finally, the
results were being announced. Third place, Williams Valley High school. I jumped when I
heard that it wasn’t Sun Valley. My hands were clasped together so tight
that my knuckles turned white as they announced second place. Again, it
wasn’t us. We stood stock still at attention and no one dared to speak. We
were all thinking the same thing. Could we have won? Or did we not even
place at all? Then, it came time to announce first place. On November 1, 2003,
the Sun Valley High School marching band won the state championships for
Pennsylvania in the USSBA (US Scholastic Band Association) circuit for
marching band competition.
All of the band members went wild. Additionally, we had won awards for Best
Marching, Best Percussion, Best overall effect, and Best Music. Everyone
was jumping up and down and hugging each other and screaming.
That one moment, when I realized that we were now state champs,
everything really came together for me. I learned that nothing worth
winning is easy. That no matter how bad a situation might look, if you work
hard enough, you can turn it around. We grew from 12 measly members to 57
strong, skilled musicians/marchers. Funny, but looking back now, at all of
the controversy and drama that went on during my four years in marching
band, I can only recall good memories.