After four years of high school marching band, I told myself that, along with my high school self, my band kid days would stay in the past. Up until just a few weeks ago, this plan was moving along smoothly.
I’m not embarrassed that I was a band kid. After all, I played clarinet from 4th to 12th grade, so it was certainly a significant part of my middle and high school years; I can’t imagine what school would’ve been like if I wasn’t a band kid. When I think of high school, some of the first memories that come to mind are those from band, whether it’s warming up with everyone before concerts or playing my last halftime show with the marching band.
In fact, I started playing because I was inspired by my uncle, who is a professional musician. He got me my first clarinet, and I was so excited when I began learning how to play.
Coming to college, I wanted a fresh start. After nine years of school band, it was time to begin another chapter and explore some new interests.Â
For the past few months or so, one of my friends here at Northeastern, a fellow high school band member, has been encouraging me to join him in the pep band. Every time, I have laughed it off and told him that my band kid days are behind me.
Finally, I promised him that I would come to one rehearsal to try it out. After the rehearsal, I thought to myself, I’m already pretty busy now, so I’m probably not going to join, and I got ready to head out.
Before I could leave, my friend stopped me and said, “Okay, you’re joining.”Â
I stared at him.
“What?” I asked.
He looked at me and said again, “You’re joining. Here, I’ll add you to the Slack.”
After a 30-minute phone call where he made a very convincing argument (trust me, I already told him he should be the head of pep band recruitment), I gave in. At the end of the day, I didn’t want to regret not giving it a shot, and I did love playing in high school, so I decided to commit.
Having been part of an incredibly small high school marching band, the bond we shared was unmatched. During my freshman year, there were 24 members, and in the following years, we had 19, 11 and 14, respectively. We didn’t have drum majors or color guard — we needed everyone on the field playing.
Since we were such a small group and spent so much time together, we all became exceptionally close, which is something I’ll cherish forever. We would go out to Wendy’s or local restaurants after games, and I’ll never forget the post-game drives in my friend’s Jeep, windows down, blasting Nicky Youre’s “Sunroof” with the wind blowing my hair in every direction.
As I step into the Northeastern pep band, I’m excited to cheer on the teams and play “The Hey Song” every time a goal is scored — seriously, the energy in the student section after a goal is incomparable. I can’t wait to play “Gimme Gimme Gimme” and “Still Into You” as the crowd sings along. But I’m most looking forward to the friendships and memories that will be made. I don’t know how long this journey will last, but every moment will be savored.