‘Band geek’ learns from musical lessons

It’s a bit surreal and I still cannot believe it. From April 26-28, I attended my senior music festival in Washington, D.C., a retreat that seemed so distant just four years ago. Entering the ninth grade, band was just an elective for many, a simple art requirement that we are forced to fulfill. For some, it was an embarrassment to be associated with the stereotypical “geeky” or “lame” school band. Frankly, freshmen year, I fit somewhere in the median of that spectrum. However, now, I proudly speak on behalf of myself and a majority of my peers when I state that the band has intuitively had a remarkable impact upon the person I am today and the individual I aspire to become.
Not many individuals can say they have led a fleet of musicians, marching in a uniform pattern — left, left, left, right, left — down a green, grassy field marked with white lines. Yet, I can. At my first marching band rehearsal, I was perplexed by the idea that so many diverse individuals were led by one leader, a leader who conducted with a perfect tempo that connected the divergent puzzle pieces we call musicians. Perhaps that’s what made me so interested. I decided that when my junior year approached, I would audition for drum major. I did and was selected.
All that I have learned from my reign as drum major will be applied during this festival as I will use all my musical knowledge during a united performance of the high school band, orchestra and chorus. On Saturday, students attended the Washington National Symphony Orchestra Performance at the Kennedy Center led by the renowned conductor, Osmo Vanska. Sunday, the band, orchestra and chorus performed together outdoors at the Jefferson Memorial and will later sail abroad the Spirit of Washington DJ Cruise for a relaxing dinner. Students visited the Arlington Memorial Cemetery on Monday, where President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy are buried.
The trip was an irreplaceable experience in which all that we have learned in class was truly be applied in the “real world.” The unification and dedication of each sector of the music department is a unique and vital opportunity that Hewlett High School provides. For this reason, I am beyond thankful.
Undoubtedly, each individual gains a different experience from his or her music class. Some, to this day despise it. Others have learned to love those 40 minutes per day. As for me, I will gladly represent that stereotypical title, “band geek,” because I have learned invaluable lessons from music; music that now lies within me.
Quite simply, music empowers us all, to learn from, accept and appreciate those obstacles and lessons in our lives that we often cannot express in any other way. Hewlett’s phenomenal band, orchestra, and choir performed together in Washington D.C. to remind others to listen quietly to the noise around us and make it into music.