Notes of Community
Summary
Being a part of band is an amazing opportunity to try new things and find a great community.
Band is about new experiences and trying new things as a group. We do things for ourselves, but we are also driven by our directors to do things for the greater community we live in. We all started somewhere, and this recorder from September 28th, 2017 was my first step. Photo taken by Michael Johnson
Being a part of Waunakee band has completely changed my life. Over many years, it has instilled in me a lot of the values that I live my life by. These are things like being empathetic, working hard, working at what you believe in, and being responsible for myself. Additionally, it gives everyone who tries it a goal to work towards, because there are always benchmarks to work towards and there is always some way you can do something even a little bit better. But beyond just me, band is very meaningful and influential in the lives of everyone it touches.
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Band gives people a unique opportunity to express themselves. It does this with things like the instrument or instruments they play, the style they play, and the style of music they play. Photo taken by Michael Johnson
Another way band really influences and affects people is that it gives people the choice and the chance to be whoever they want. One way band has really allowed me to express myself is in the types of music I play. Band has given me a venue to play lots of genres, from marching, to pop, to classical, to jazz. I have spent the last couple of years being immersed in all types of music. We play lots of marching and some pop music in the fall for the football season. We continue a little bit in the winter with pep band, leaning especially into pop. Throughout the concert season, I spend hours every day working on classical music, playing anything from Bach to John Philip Sousa. And when I get a chance, I get to lean into and pour my heart into jazz. The school has an amazing jazz program, and while I haven't worked my way to the top, I still play it as much as I can. Of the three jazz ensembles, everyone has the option to be a part of two of them, because they don't require anything other than showing up and playing.
Sometimes band will pay off in ways that we never could've seen coming. One example of this is the once-in-a-lifetime experience that everyone in the band got to experience last year, being marching at the state championship football game. This is something everyone marching there that day will remember for the rest of their lives and holds a special place in all of our hearts. Photo taken by Warrior Media
Not only does band help us to give back to our community, but it invites us into lots of new experiences that, while they might be outside of our comfort zones, help shape us into better people and push us in new directions. I and many others have tried things for band that they weren't interested in, like playing in a new group or style, or performing a solo, or playing in an extremely public place. And I know lots of people that have loved these and had them completely change their lives.
W E T. Part of trying new things is learning from when they go poorly, and rolling with the punches when things are out of your control. Sometimes, a parade will be planned for months and day of, somebody will feel the need to rain on it. Photo taken by Michael Johnson
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It seems like every other day participating in band has rewarding new experiences to try. This picture was taken when I was playing in a concert hosted as a friend's Eagle Scout service project. This was another really unique and meaningful experience that I got to do alongside lots of my peers so we could try to help our friend accomplish something that was big and meaningful for him. Photo taken by Kathy Johnson
Waunakee band is an amazing community. It continuously pushes all of its members towards new heights, new ideas, and new things. Whether it's trying jazz, or performing a solo for the first time, or playing somewhere you would never expect to see live music, Waunakee band is always gunning for improvement. It does its best to try to help everyone involved or even close to related every day, and is an invaluable experience for everyone it affects everyday.
Comments
Post a commentWaunakee Community High School Advanced English 10 - 3B
Mrs. Swanhorst's Advanced English 10 students
Michael, Thank you for sharing this story about your experiences in the band. I think we all need communities that support us in finding out who we are and allowing us to challenge ourselves. I hope you share this piece with your fellow band members!