Experience is the source of knowledge whether they're bad or good. It gives us confidence, courage, and strength. It is how life teaches us to love and forgive each other. In fact, experience is the worst teacher because it gives us the test before presenting the lesson.…
It starts in early July and ends in late June. It involves great precision and discipline. High school marching band can be a full time gig for any music student that chooses to dedicate their life to this activity. High school marching band has three different seasons that a high school music student can participate in, fall, winter, and parade.…
It was back about a year ago when it happened, a month after the 8th grade dance. But first let me introduce myself I’m Raylene Johnson former friend of Aubrey Stones and this is her story.…
When I started Unity High School I thought that we were going to get a lot of work from my classes, and that work was going to be extremely hard. I also thought that I wasn't going to have any free time to do anything because of that, but it turned out to be wrong because the teachers give us a good amount of work but its not really hard. I thought that making friends in Unity would be hard in a sort of way but it was quit easy because everyone else was trying to make friends too. When I first got to Unity I also thought that there was going to be a few school clubs, but there is a good amount of clubs that students can join if they want to join some type of club. I think as a person I have grown more since first coming to Unity because I…
I am a leader. I have all the qualities that make a great leader, but I was not born this way.Experiences and how someone reacts to those experiences are what truly make a leader. One of the most influential experiences I have gone through is called the Lebanon High School Marching Band. I am certain that I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for marching band. Before coming to high school I already had leadership qualities, but band helped bring all those great qualities together and helped me get past my two major flaws: my lack of self-confidence and the fact that I was probably one of the shyest people you would EVER meet. When I joined marching band, I spent most of my waking hours sweating and suffering alongside wonderful people that I longed to…
At a normal summer camp, a few dozen fifteen-year-old girls wouldn’t be told to spend a night alone in the woods. Camp Cheerio isn’t a normal summer camp. I’ve been going to Camp Cheerio every summer since I was eight years old, and I’ve loved every second of being there. The summer before sophomore year of high school was the last year that I could be a camper. Part of being in your last year as a camper is doing CREW. The acronym “CREW” stands for Courage, Responsibility, Enthusiasm, and Worth. In CREW all of the last year campers do things such as team building, being a counselor for a day, hiking eleven miles to and from Stone Mountain, and more. However, the most significant part of CREW was doing Solo Night. During Solo Night, each…
Rachmaninoff stated, “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” Essential to all nationalities, generations, and people, music can make your soul soar, put you to sleep, or bring you to your knees in tears. All din and clamor goes silent. Every eye is riveted on the conductor. The baton lifts. Suddenly, in a myriad of melodies, harmonies, timbre, and texture, a whole new realm is unraveled. The extraordinary feeling of unwinding and renewing your mind by listening to the flow of music is inexpressible. Nothing compares.…
My partner of eleven years is my greatest cheerleader. When I feel overwhelmed and depressed she gives me encouragement to conquer every challenge I’m faced with. In addition to my partner, another influential person in my life is a co-worker and friend. She fills the maternal role that is absent in my life, by giving me advice, different perspectives, and confidence. My career plays a vital role in my resilience, it gives me cause to wake up and achieve greatness each day. The children I work with inspire me to be a better educator, nurturer, and caregiver. When I am feeling depressed nothing lifts my spirits speedier, than my students. I believe it is a gift to have the availability to focus on constructing children’s strengths, rather than…
There have been numerous times in my life where I’ve failed at something but there was one specific failure that really opened my eyes to what it really meant to fail. When I was in high school, I was in the band, my instrument of choice was the saxophone. While in the band it is required that you learn your sheet music before you attend any school event. This is to ensure that everyone is doing their absolute best and will make cuts to perform in every function the band was asked to participate. As I mentioned earlier, I played the saxophone and had always made cuts until one day our band instructor issued out new music. Being the person I am, I glanced at the music and said “I see no need for me to practice this, it’s so simple”. Later that…
Sweat drizzles down my skin as it exits my pores trying to cool my heated body. The blood rushes through my veins pumping blood with the consistent pounding of my heart. Every breath, every second, every action, every thought; I am standing where everything counts. Artificial turf and grass crumpled beneath my torn black shoes and the thick silence only cut by the timed chants from afar. This is the last moment I will stand here for this reason. This is the last moment I will stand here with my family. This is the last moment of my marching band career. Many will say that this was a special group of kids, others will say that this year was a show that was made to make it. I, on the other hand, will say that this was because of seven years of dedication.…
As somebody who always had trouble fitting in in school, it was really hard to find a place of which I could be a part of. I joined band in middle school, and I enjoyed playing greatly, even if I wasn’t the most talented saxophone player in the program. I wouldn’t say I was passionate about it at the time, but band certainly was a fun and [something] experience, learning to play music with my friends. Through my three years of middle school at Southeast Bulloch, I travelled from second-to-last chair placement in 6th grade to 2nd chair placement in 8th grade. For a lonely, shy middle schooler, it meant a lot to me to have an activity I was good…
My Jr High choir teacher, Mrs. Bradbury, was the most challenging teacher I have ever had. She would never cut the choir a break, and never stopped pushing us to be our best; “I can’t” was not acceptable to her. I hated her with every fiber of my being, and every time she spoke all I wanted to do was sew her lips together. It wasn’t until the beginning of ninth grade when I realized she was amazing. Once I let my guard down, we instantly connected. Recognizing how much I loved to sing and becoming one of the top singers in my choir was thanks to her. I started working for hours every day on my songs, staying late after class for help, and going to voice lessons. I excelled exponentially and Mrs. Bradbury noticed it.…
Cheerleading is one of my most defining life experiences. The sport allowed me to explore not only my leadership qualities, but also my own mentorship abilities. From a newbie to cheerleading in middle school, I grew and developed into a role model on my cheerleading team in high school.…
The first time I was ever daunted sitting at a drum kit, was at my first gig with my high school jazz ensemble during my freshman year. It was the night of the Presidents Circle Dinner, an event dedicated to the individuals who donated a substantial amount of money to my school. All the people I had to impress. Not only was I new to playing in front of a crowd but I was also new to playing jazz itself. During the performance of C Jam Blues, the band director pointed at me, hinting that I, the second string drummer, would be taking the next solo. The solo I played that night was the worst bit of drumming I have ever done. After that performance, i realized that the road ahead of me was going to be long and hard.…
When I was younger, I was shy and quiet. I used to be afraid to talk to others and often kept things to myself. One summer, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons so that I had something to do. Initially, I was hesitant to join, but I soon began to appreciate music and its significant influence in my life.…