How I Got Here
It was the end of the eighth grade and my mind had been made up since the beginning of the fifth grade. From right there and then, I knew that I was going to do four years of band in high school. There's really a simple explanation for this. See, my fifth grade year was also my brother's freshman year in high school. He had done band in middle school and was continuing on into high school, and so i had planned to do the same.
I'll admit, there was some pressure to join band. By the end on my brother's high school career, my family had become very involved in the program, and I had already told my family of school band was fun and I loved it, but like many of my classmates, I was ready to get to get to high school. From my middle school band experience, I had developed a tentative picture of band in my head. It looked like middle school. Even after listening to my brother's stories. Even after hearing presentations on high school band. Even after watching videos and slide shows. Even after helping out at the football games and events, that picture still looked like middle school! I really couldn't figure it out.
But now... I think I got it...
The reason why I couldn't figure it out before is because band is a truly unique experience and it's completely unique for each individual. I never stopped thinking about it like middle school, because I had never been apart of any band except for middle school band. I had never seen band through a high school band member's eyes. It's a purely "in the moment" experience. And to me, there's nothing like it.
