Opinion/Resources/Teen Perspective

By Teen Opinion Contributor Maggie VerDught

Photos: Deposit

This time of year is bittersweet. The beauty and death of fall feel like a living metaphor of my current experiences.

I’m heading into the rest of my senior year reflecting on these finished seasons. One of those is marching band. It means a lot to me, and I’ve learned so much from it! 

My goal with this article is to share my experience with marching band and encourage you to find an activity for the youth in your life that teaches similar lessons!

Choosing to continue

If you’ve read my story of continuing to do band, you already know some things about this. After my sophomore year, I was planning to quit! Marching band is a huge learning curve, and it was hard for me to balance it with cross country. I wanted to be free from that pressure and focus on cross country. Besides that, I wasn’t sure if I really liked band in general. 

I chose to stick with it, and after prompting from one of my band directors, I auditioned to become a drum major. I got the role, feeling excited and nervous to begin something new and unfamiliar, and to be a real leader in our band.

Lessons learned

The greatest lessons I’ve learned from marching band have been in the ordinary, mundane parts of the process.

Leadership isn’t glamorous. Good leaders don’t avoid dealing with problems by redirecting others. They seek to directly solve the issue, and if they cannot, that’s when they look for more resources.

I take my responsibilities as drum major very seriously, and I know that I am looked up to in the band. I want to be a good example, not just in marching band, but throughout the year! Integrity is vital to maintaining respect and relationships.

Something I have grown in this year is creating more solid relationships with the underclassmen and working to actively encourage others when it got difficult. People don’t want a drum major who looks down on them. I am not better than others because of my role. Haughty behavior sends the message that I don’t really care about the band as individuals, and I only want glory, attention, and friends for myself. That’s not true! I care about my band, and I’m proud of how hard they work.

As drum major, a highlight for me has been seeing the underclassmen grow and improve from the beginning to the end of marching season. It’s not immediately gratifying, because you don’t see the big picture right away. Marching band is frustrating, and it takes a lot of mental and physical energy. At first, the practices seem endless and worthless. Then, after a performance, we zoom out and watch the show, and it’s incredible to see how our work pays off. By the end of the season, even the kids who don’t like marching band appreciate and accept the process. It’s an amazing thing to watch.

Conclusion

You don’t have to do something for a long period of time to benefit immensely from it. Marching band has been part of my life for a relatively short time, compared to other things! Yet it has impacted me and grown my leadership skills. I would say that I am more of a “quiet leader.” Because of this, I was initially apprehensive about how I would fit in as a drum major. Will people like me? Will I be respected? Will they listen to what I say?

Marching band (like everything in life) is something that I give to God, that He may be glorified. It’s not about me. Marching band points to that reality; my role guides others, and when we work together, we look and sound amazing. God is glorified in marching band!

I pray that you will be encouraged by some part of my marching band story. I’m so grateful that God has given me the opportunity to be a part of it.

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For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Galatians 1:10 (ESV)

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Maggie VerDught is a high school student who enjoys learning about culture, news, and politics.

She is passionate about sharing the truth, especially with her generation. Maggie loves to run, read, and write poetry in her spare time.

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