Musical instruments have been around for as long as we can remember. I only know of the main musical instruments, not the ancient ones. But, one of the first musical instruments found was a bone flute which is over 40,000 years old. This goes to show that music has been around for quite some time, and will continue to be a huge part of our lives.
Band in our school was introduced to us in fifth grade. This was back when the hardest decision I had to make was what instrument I would play. I chose the clarinet, and have stuck with it ever since, but I have added one more instrument recently and that is bass guitar. On our first day of band, everyone was eager to learn how to play. We didn't sound very good at first, but over the years, we have all developed into outstanding musicians.
Band in high school is a lot more intense than it was in elementary and middle school. We go to contests, and we have solo and ensemble to attend, and countless rehearsals after school, and we even go on many trips. Sometimes, with all of this going on at once, band can truly be a burden. I have had my fair share of complaining about everything we have to do for band, and trust me, there is a lot that we have to do. But, now that I think about it, band is truly brilliant. Being able to express yourself through the music we play is something remarkable. And the feeling you get when you have an amazing performance, or you get a 1 at districts or state, is one that cannot ever be described.
Having a good band takes a lot of hard work and practice, and that's when the complaining comes in. We have multiple rehearsals after school, and many playing grades to ensure that we are the best that we can be. Despite how much I dislike doing all of this sometimes, and really makes us all better and it's great that we have a director that wants us to improve.
There are many experiences that I have had in band that will always make band absolutely brilliant. Last year, our marching band show was titled "Man vs. Machine." This show signified a short sort of battle between man and machine with songs such as "Mr. Roboto", "Creep", "Rockit", "Soul Man", and "Fix You." Our favorite performance every year is at the Jackson Band Night in Massillon. The crowd there always has so much energy and it's wonderful. When we got there, we were all extremely excited to perform our new show. We all lined up on the field and got ready to go. As we stood in parade rest, the audience was quiet, and then we heard the whistle, and it was show time. We performed every song as best as we could, and it all paid off. In our last song of our show, "Fix You," we did a chainsaw which is when the whole band comes together in different lines making it look somewhat like a chainsaw. But once we came out of the chainsaw we were all standing in a line of blue and white mixed together to symbolize that man and machine could come together. (The man side of the band was wear white and the machine side was wearing blue) When we finished, our entire band was lined up across the football field and the colors were alternated. The second we finished the crowd stood up and broke out into applause and cheers. It gave our entire band a feeling that we will never be able to explain. It was in that moment that we knew all of our hard work paid off, and we had created something very special. That was something that only happens once in a life time. Even before that day I knew band was something special, but after that day, I knew it was brilliant.
Here is our Man vs. Machine show at Warren
Being in band gives every person a chance to have a surprising experience. Some of the music we play is incredible, and we are very fortunate to be able to go on many trips to places such as Chicago, New York City, and Orlando. Band gives everyone a break in their day to just express themselves though amazing music. I think band can truly help with creativity and at times can be very relaxing. Band will continue to be brilliant as time goes on and it will never cease to amaze me. You may think you hate band at times, but just wait, you will be amazed at where it can take you.
Lizzie, I could not agree more with you said in this post. I can relate very well to everything you said in this because, as you know, I am also in band, too. One device I found throughout your entire post was your tone. Immediately in your post, the audience gets a sense of your feelings and attitude for band because of your language. I can tell from words such as "eager to learn," "brilliant," "remarkable," "amazing," "hard work," "special," and "a feeling that we will never be able to explain," shows the pride and enjoyment that you have for being in the band. By saying "eager to learn" you show your audience that it is truly something you enjoy doing. The eagerness extends to the time you devote to practicing and working to improve yourself and skill as an individual musician and student. When you the words "brilliant," "remarkable," and "amazing," you are typically discussing a performance or the quality that your band is able to accomplish when performing. By using these words you deliver the message to your audience that you are proud of the achievements and successes your band has been able to accomplish. Those words show that you think very highly of your band because not just everybody uses those words if they truly do not feel they fulfill the meaning of what is being said. The phrase "hard work" helps signify that you want to be proud of something and present something to an audience that will leave them astounded; however, to do that one does need to put in hard work. The way you talk about your band and the feelings and emotions that overcome the students shows that they hard work they put in pays off because the ending result is rewarding and well worth the hard work that gets out into it. In order to have the pride that you have for something, works needs to be done. You explain the work that gets done by mentioning all of the practices and countless after school rehearsals. The final phrase you use, "a feeling that will never be explained," is enough to let your audience know you are proud of what you and your band has been able to accomplish. The hard work, the brilliance, and the remarkable performance shows that you get a well deserved response from your audience. A response that fills you up inside and leaves you with countless emotions that are just indescribable portrays the pride and enjoyment you have. I can really tell that you are extremely satisfied and fulfilled with the type of band you are in!
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