I was a late comer to the band show. I came into 9th grade from Catholic school and had only picked up the clarinet in my 8th grade year. I had piano experience so the clarinet, with only one clef, was a breeze to pick up, but my instructor thought it best to take JV Band initially and make the transition to varsity in my sophomore year.
I was in the JV group with a few other students under the direction of band director Karen Donaldson. We had to walk between North Hall and South Hall, outside between the two buildings, to take this class. Miss D, as she was called, told me that I should have been in the varsity band but, nevertheless, she would work with us on the music we would have to play for an audition. From the beginning, I could tell she was tough. She did not mess around and expected 110% from everyone, even us JV kids.
I loved when the upperclassmen came in to visit. Sometimes they would hang out in her office and chat and I longed to be cool enough to be in her circle. Miss D had a great sense of humor underneath her tough exterior and to make her laugh was an accomplishment.
I remember seeing the Tiger Band perform the year before I was officially a member. I remember the sounds, I remember the sights, I remember the excitement I felt when I heard them play "How Do You Keep The Music Playing." At the climax of the song the entire band was standing in a straight line slowly marching down the field. I met my destiny and it would be a long nine months before I would walk on the field as a member of this amazing group.
What I didn't expect was the time, the effort and the dedication that would go into this endeavor. The hours of practice, the memorization, the discipline it would take to live up to the standards set by Miss D. She did not want a mediocre band, she wanted an awesome band. But as long as we each performed at our personal best, it didn't matter if we got a first place trophy or a third, she wanted us to live up to our potential.
Yes, sometimes that meant having our name called out over a megaphone when we made a mistake during practice. Yes, that meant running through a song again on a 90+ degree day even when the sweat was pouring off of our foreheads and we wanted to quit. Yes, that meant being held accountable when we did not meet her standard of excellence.
Those lessons prepared me well for life in the post high school world. It takes a special kind of person to instill those precepts in kids that are just figuring out who they are and have no idea where life will take them. I believe she genuinely cared about each one of us and wanted us to succeed. I kind of flew under the radar in our 100 member band. I was quiet and shy and was not among the popular crowd, but I worked hard. I participated in a couple award winning years and I remember being just points away from being in the top ten once when we performed in the regional championships in Morgantown, W.V.
We had winning years and not so winning years but "We Are The Champions" by Queen, was always our anthem. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but if we did our best we knew we could still hold our heads high. To this day when I hear that song I think of her and I know that yes, I will keep fighting to the end.
Miss D passed away last week. I am grateful that I had the chance to thank her for her positive influence in my life. I can only hope as my daughter begins her journey as a member of her high school band, she will have a wonderful leader who will motivate, guide and inspire her to be the very best she can be on and off the field.
No comments:
Post a Comment