A Dedication to Marching Band

WARNING: SUPER LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PICTURES.
(maybe you'll just enjoy the pictures) 

I've been taking a stroll down memory lane. I miss marching band so much. I miss the Panther Regiment. I wouldn't trade the four years of it for anything! It went by so quickly. You should really treasure all of it. Recently graduating I've realized this. And I'm so happy that I got as much of it as I could.
All of the rehearsals, football games, contests. Even the horrible, hot long days. Or the 30 degree mornings. Rehearsing drill until leg muscles burned. Practicing run-throughs until sick of hearing "lets do it one more time." Loading and unloading instruments, carrying hat boxes. Doing everything with your jacket still zipped up. Lots of sweating. Learning that it is possible to pull a lip muscle! Arm lifts.... Standing at attention for five more minutes. Sunburns.... turned into band tan lines. Wanting 5 more minutes of sleep soooo bad. Randomly catching yourself humming the show music.. dreaming about band. Sectionals. Hating your alarm clock. More arm lifts because someone was late! Eating dinner in a car while changing and doing your homework. Mastering the art of sleeping on a school bus. Lost shoes. Lost black socks. Keeping up with a flip book. Arm lifts because someone was late, again! Learning your band is your second family. Laughing with others and learning so much about yourself. Friendship. The moment when the whole show finally comes together. Giving it your all out on the field. The stadium filled with cheers. When the band is done performing we march out of the stadium together knowing that we tried our best. And when we hear "do it just one more time, a little better," you do it! I could just go on and on. 

Freshman year

I was thinking about my freshman year of marching band.... There aren't to many memories that pop out. Marching band was really a shock to me. Really. I had no idea what it was all about and it wasn't anything that I was expecting. So after about a week of it I went home from practice one day and cried. I wanted to quit. I'm sure my parents played a part in making me stay in band.. I don't really remember. But I did stay. When I start something, I finish it. So I learned the show titled "rendezvous with the other side." After my freshman year I realized the importance of all the rehearsals. I realized we were pretty good! We went to area contest and advanced to finals. Where we came in 4th place. And the first 3 bands advance to state contest. So close. 
I can't find a lot of pictures from freshman year.. but here's one. get ready to laugh, I was into eyeliner a little to much. haha

Oh, and good-ol braces. 

I loved the show this year. The biggest part of it I remember is my Jazz run! Where you literally run across the field, but in time and "in marching band form?" haha. I have no other way to describe it. I was part of two lines that did it. I remember having to come to rehearsals early to practice it. And I mean, I have short legs! It was kind of a challenge. Especially because there was a tuba player behind me and I always thought he was going to run me over. 

Here's me and Alyssa at Freshman banquet. hahahaha

Sophomore Year--"Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy????"
Our show was titled "Queen." We played Bohemian Rhapsody and Bicycle.. with some other songs by Queen also. The best thing about this year was it wasn't my freshman year. It was 10x better and more fun. I really didn't care for the show though. It was my least favorite. There wasn't a state contest this year. My only year that wasn't a state year. Weird. Again, I had thought about quitting. I was also on the high school soccer team and wanted to choose that. But my sophomore year I was moved to Wind Ensemble. The top band... and they were going to SEATTLE!! And we went to Corpus Christi. So I stayed in band again. haha. 

We had a car wash to help us go to Seattle. 

This trip was soooooooooooooooooooo much fun!! Wind Ensemble rehearsed for months and months and it was an epic performance. It was the "performance of our lives." haha. I love the music we played.  

 

 

 

 

  

   

Junior year

SO MUCH FUN! I didn't think about quitting this time. ;) This was probably the funnest year... besides Senior year. I was a section leader. wooohooo. We bossed the section around. Had to set examples. Then were nice to them and made them goody bags for games! The first football game was in the ALAMO DOME! 

This is how me and Alyssa felt about the bus ride. haha. And showing our excitement. I lost my favorite sweat pants ever on that bus. I made the first mistake of sending someone else a text message that wasn't intended for them. Hahahaha Alyssa, remember that? Ohhhh the memories. 

This show was called "Dream of Niagara." It was a pretty cool show!!  

Oh, and Wind Ensemble went to Pensacola Beach this year. That was fun! Except we went in  February. hahaha

There are no words to express Senior year. 

It was so wonderful.

Yeah. I wanted to quit marching band again. 

I had such a full load of classes.

 I needed an A in Anatomy and Physiology to get the college credit I needed for Nursing School.

But if I wanted to stay in Wind Ensemble I had to stay in Marching Band. 

Well, I marched. And kicked-butt in my Anatomy class! 

I am thankful I stayed for my 4th and final year! 

I goofed off a lot this year. If you were in band.. you probably know what I did. HAHAHAHAHA

I loved my freshman buddies:)

And I loved our marching show! The music was awesome.

We had some awesome horn lines.

And French Horns are BEAST! :)

be ready for lots of pictures with this. 

 

  

OHHHHH YEAH! WE WENT TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So many awesome memories. And this isn't even all of them!

- Band back rub?!?!?!?! yessssssssssssssssssssssss please.

- The FRENCH HORN HANDSHAKE
- Annnnd we're marching, to the beat!
- Band Roller Coaster!
- "valve oil"
- I wish I could dance like crazy in the stands wearing my uniform
- I wanna know who now wears uniform #10... Or who's playing my mellophone!
- I realize we ate lunch everyday on a floor covered in spit. 
- I'm going to miss my awesome private lessons! 
- "Uhhhh, your gauntlets are on the wrong hands... wow, you put your plume in backwards!!"
-The summer we went to a band leadership camp at UTA and it was so stinkin hot the tar from the parking lot was melting and getting stuck to the bottom of our shoes. Making it hard to take a step. haha
-I remember the year when we owed like 5465465415515871875 laps around the track.

-I'm definitely going to miss changing in practice rooms. Oh, and having 5 minutes to get ready for school most days. 

-"With a show designed with TRUE Panther Pride, It's the Paaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnther  REGIMENT!!"

And well, if you don't enjoy the 4 years of marching band as much as I did, I'm really sorry :)