The Best Years of Your Life?

“It’s showtime, Eagle Fans!”

The crowd erupts into cheers as the band begins our first song “Championship”

The joy that fills my heart is immeasurable. I am so nervous to play but so excited to be a part of a great group of people.

Music has always brought me joy. From my days in 3rd grade just starting out learning the violin;

To my senior year in high school playing the first concert of the season for the last time.

I joined marching band after my seeing how much joy it brought my sister. But it was really nerve-racking for me.

I played stringed instruments my entire life, so trying to pick up a brass or woodwind instrument brought this unparalleled amount of fear to my heart.

I knew I wanted to do this. Not just to be like my sister, but to learn something new and be a part of something much bigger than myself.

So, I got to work. I decided upon the Pit Percussion section. A lot of my friends from Orchestra were in that section, and it closely resembles a piano which is an instrument that wasn’t completely foreign.

Within the first season, I worked my way up to section leader. I really loved helping the other kids learn and memorize their music, which is vital in the band.

Not only that, I loved getting to play every Friday night for all of our football games; hearing the crowd and seeing everyone love our show.

Even though I was in the pit, which always received the most jokes and torment, I love being in the Pit. Indoor practices and not having to learn how to read a dot sheet? Sign me up!

At the same time, I loved having this bond with my sister. Being only a year older than me, we did most everything together- though sometimes not by choice on her end.

My junior year we got the greatest opportunity; head down to sunny Orlando, Florida and preform in Downtown Disney in front of a huge crowd.

Coming from a fairly lower-class family, this was something we would’ve never dreamed of. Being a product of a broken home, my mom worked hard to get us things we needed.

The ability to send not only one, but TWO children to Walt Disney World for an entire week is not an easy feat for our family. Through the grace of my mother, and a whole lot of fundraising, we made it.

Getting to go down to Florida and preform at Walt Disney World, all while being with my sister, was the greatest moment of my life.

We got to spend 4 days in the parks, hanging out with our friends, and doing the thing we love; play music.

When my mom passed away in 2016, I began thinking about all the notable memories we got to experience together; and this trip to Disney always comes up first in mind.

Although we didn’t have much, my mom managed to find a cheap flight and was able to stay with my sister for a few days.

My sister and I got to spend some time with them before we had to go preform, but they all got to come to Downtown Disney and watch us play in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I can’t ask her myself anymore, but I believe if you asked her, she would say it is one of the happiest moments of her life.

I will never forget that trip for as long as I am of sound mind. Not only getting to play music and preform in Walt Disney World with my sister and all of our friends BUT also getting to look out into the crowd and see my moms face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree.

That, to me, is worth more than any prize could ever offer.