Essay 3.2 Finding a Place in this World

November 15, 2007 was a cold but clear Thursday in my hometown of Sykesville MD. It started out like every other day but strong emotions hung in the air of Century High School, at least for the members of the Century Marching Knights. November 15th would be forever remembered as the day we would become National Champions under the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA). We were told to report to school by 7am and meet in the band room for an attendance check. It was still dark outside but the band was all there, wide awake, and huddled together in the band room waiting for morning announcements to begin so we could start the biggest day of our marching band careers. We finished out our days per usual and then headed out behind the school for last minute preparations before we set out for Raven’s Stadium in Baltimore. The whole community lined up for our notorious final run through at the end of our rehearsal. We had our principal, fellow peers, newspaper reporters, family, and even some teachers stay to watch us and wish us well at nationals. As we loaded the bus everyone was silent, going through the show in their heads ready to lay it all down on the field that night at 11:27pm. When we arrived at M&T Bank Stadium it was 31o outside and it was only 8:30. That left us with a 2 ½ hour warm up block in the freezing cold. We took our time and then made our way to the field. With nothing but the performance on our minds we took the field and threw it down. We nailed everything, and we knew it too. After we finished the crowd went crazy, we’d won them over. As we left the field we couldn’t do anything but smile. It was the best show we had ever given and all our long difficult practices paid off. With a total score of 96.75, out of 100, we won 1st place by 2 points. At this moment in my life I felt like I had finally found somewhere that I belonged. I felt like I fit in here and I couldn’t have been more proud of what I accomplished. I can’t even imagine my life without the friends I’ve made along the way and the achievements I’ve accomplished.

Things weren’t always this clear for me. Back in middle school I didn’t know who I wanted to be. I mean what middle school adolescent does? All I knew was that I needed to find my clique in school. I had always been known as the sports star in my small middle school, but I knew I wasn’t good enough to play in high school. It wasn’t until I met my mathematics teacher in 7th grade, Mr. Oppenheimer, that I would find out just where my high school career and beyond would take me. He gave us a simple assignment; find something in your everyday life where mathematics can be applied to solve a problem and write a 1200 word essay explaining why and how math can/is used. Now it’s important to know that my brother had just joined a marching band at his high school, and anything he did I always wanted to do, because I looked up to him so much. With that being said I decided to apply mathematics to marching band and drill design and formation. This small assignment sparked my passion for competitive colorguard. I wanted to know how it worked, what went into it, techniques, styles, individual limitations, how the different sections worked independently and then came together as a whole. I was hooked and there was no looking back. That 1200 word essay turned into a 6 page paper and my teacher told me that if I didn’t step out of my comfort zone, get involved with the band, and get the experience I was craving, then I would always regret it. So I did what he said.

I see now that getting involved in marching band truly shaped me into the person I am today. I got involved at such a crucial point in my life and if I hadn’t taken that chance when I did I know I would be a completely different person then I am now. In my psychology class we are learning about the life-span of a human, and individual development processes. We’re learning about the different stages of life and how different influences during these life stages can affect the final outcome of a person’s personality, style, and interests. We’ve learned that childhood is a time of learning. Kids are like sponges and whatever they are surrounded with they will soak up and will ultimately become what they are influenced by. Studies that were published in the Journal of Adolescent Research stated that individual surroundings for the middle and high school years did help foretell what type of lifestyle a young adult would have (Stone 3). Children don’t just wake up one morning and decide to become something totally different then what they have grown up around. Their experiences along the road of adolescents shape them and create their personality. Stone also goes on to describe that social identity or “the sense of one’s place in the social world” really dictates where that adolescent will end up in a few years. One’s social identity controls who you hang out with, the activities you participate in, and the experiences you are exposed to.

I was always involved in sports such as basketball and football, which helped spark my interest in sports as a young adult today, but marching band created something for me that I had never experienced before. It taught me so much and showed me that I can do something well. In middle school I was always told that I was good at basketball or I was a good public speaker, but I never really felt like those came easily to me, and that I could accomplish anything in those fields. However, when I joined marching band and I started colorguard practice I soon found out that I was truly good at guard. Marching band was somewhere I belonged. I was confident there and it came easily to me. I was always self conscious, and still am to this day, but in colorguard I didn’t have to be. I could push the limits to what I could do, try new tricks, show off even. That was something I had never been able to do before and it made me have a new found confidence that helped me really turn into the person I am today. I don’t think I would have had the confidence I do now if I had never been exposed to colorguard; and just think I would have never gotten involved in marching band if it weren’t for my 7th grade math teacher.

Music and the arts gave me opportunities I could never even dream of. The art of performance and expression really helped me throughout my high school years. I am usually pretty shy until I really get to know someone, but in colorguard I didn’t have to be. I could walk onto the field and be completely confident in what I was doing. That’s something I thought I would never have. According to Child Trends Databank online, which is a webpage dedicated to exploring adolescents trends, said that kids who participate in some aspect of the performing arts do better in school, avoid getting into serious trouble, and are more disciplined (Participation in School Music or Other Performing Arts, n.pag). I can personally say that marching band has molded me into the individual I am today. My friends along the way have helped me so much and I don’t know where my life would have taken me had I not taken that leap of faith back in middle school. After joining band my grades did seem to improve a bit and I felt like I had more structure in my life. I learned that I needed to stay busy in order to be successful, and that’s still true to this day. Colorguard was such a huge commitment that I had to stay focused and disciplined or I would have lost control of my school work and personal life. However, I did work hard and I did keep up and I think it was those commitments and strict discipline that got me in JMU. My grades were ok, but my extracurricular activities really stood out to the admissions board to ultimately got me accepted into my top choice ‘reach school’.

Participation in School Music or Other Performing Arts. Child Trends DataBank. 2010. Child Trends. Web. 12 April 2010.

Stone, Margart R. Barber, Bonnie L. Eccles, Jacquelynne S. “We Knew Them When: Sixth Grade Characteristics That Predict Adolescent High School Social Identities”. The Journal of Early Adolescents. 28. 304(2008): 26. Web.