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Saturday, February 10, 2007

A Dream Was Born

A Dream Was Born
This is the first anecdote in a series of blogs dedicated to my love affair with marching bands.

Back in 1990, I decided I was going to fulfill one of my dreams - to march in a Drum Corps International (DCI) drum and bugle corp.

The dream came to me my freshman year of high school as I was sitting in the old Alamo Heights High School band hall getting ready to hit the field to rehearse our new show based on exploring themes on Texas, the lonestar state. We were hearded into the main room to watch a DCI show that was supposed to demonstrate a "great marching band". With me being the arrogant second-chair trumpet player that I was(feeling the entire time I should've been first-chair), I sat down and figured that this would be a complete waste of my time, because at the tender age of 13, I already knew everything there was to know about marching band and trumpet playing. Boy, was I ever so wrong!

My favorite band director Mr. Gary Graser put on a 1989 tape of the Star of Indiana Drum And Bugle Corps. I was mesmerized by the technique and the marching ability that the group had! While I was watching the tape, I imagined myself taking the field with them, being the lead soprano player, sprinting 20 yards within 8 steps without missing a note, and winning the admiration of all my fellow (but yet, inferior ) corpsmen. Fawking awesome!

After that tape, I convinced myself that I was going to be part of a drum corps in the next couple of years. I hit the field super hard everyday, and marched my arse off and took my marching technique even more seriously. Everything I would learn from my high school band from that point on was to get me into a drum corp.

I would go to bed every night that year thinking about the show, dreaming about the show, and practicing my music. I would get so into the thought of marching that I would physically heat up by the thought of hitting my marks on the field. I loved being in the band and being good at it too while also sharing my love with others that I thought felt the same way.

Currently listening :
I Melt With You [Single]
By Modern English
Release date: 13 June, 1990

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