Paper Rough Draft

My life has been full of interesting experiences. Nothing too fantastical. Just experiences that are fun to share with those willing to listen. I’ve learned many things throughout the trials and triumphs. I would like to believe that they have made me a better person, but I have to say that regardless of how they have affected me I am satisfied for now with who I am today. Over the past few years it has increasingly become my goal to push the boundaries of my comfort zone into new territories. Though I still struggle with this goal I value deeply the experiences and people that it has brought into my life. In particular I am talking about my decision to try out and perform with a World Class drum and bugle corps.
Now first I should explain what a drum and bugle corps is. A corps is basically a marching band except with no woodwind instruments and at the time consisted of approximately one hundred and thirty members. The sections were percussion, brass, and color guard with each section playing a vital role in the eleven minute on field production. Drum and bugle corps are organized under several organizations the biggest and most dominant being DCI (Drum Corps International). DCI corps are divided into World and Open classes. World class drum corps are considered the elites. DCI claims to be the “Marching Music’s Major League.” They are considered by some to be the NFL of marching bands. The corps I marched for, Southwind, is a lower ranking World class corps. We competed in over thirty formal performances and performed in close to fifty informal performances.
When I first tried out for Southwind it was very intimidating, especially not knowing a soul there. I was below the average age by about two years and lacked more than a little in the experience department. I remember going about the days leading up to the auditions in almost a state of denial. I tried to ignore the fact that I was taking a huge step out of my preset boundaries. It didn’t really hit me what I was about to do until the night before. It had been a very cold Thanksgiving weekend and we had left home early for the six hour drive up to Lexington Kentucky. I was terrified. I realized that at that point there was no turning back.
When I arrived the afternoon of the two day audition camp I remember looking at the big double doors to the middle school where the auditions would be held and telling my mother that I would be okay going in alone. In retrospect I’m very surprised that I worked up that kind of courage. I then grabbed my luggage out of the back seat, and walked in trembling with anxiety. It’s a funny thing when you know that there is nothing to be afraid of but you are still afraid. I think at that point I really learned that living was acting out against those fears.
Checking in was awkward but the waiting afterwards was almost unbearably uncomfortable. I had done all the necessary paperwork and now was the waiting period. It was almost as if the talent of these people made the air thick and heavy. I could hear people warming up on their instruments. They played beautiful lines, and fast runs things that good musicians do. I felt out of place from a talent and social standpoint. Everyone else had someone to talk to. I eventually wound up talking to someone who would later become the friend I spent most of my summer with. It was my first encounter with the people there and I could definitely feel some growing pains.
The waiting ended eventually and now we got to move on to the fun part. The auditions weren’t really anything of a formal matter where you went into a room with a panel of judges and they critique you on your technique. The corps. wanted to know the following three things: can you play your instrument well, can you march well, and do you learn well. I was by far and away not the most talented musician there but I am a good marcher and learn very quickly. So because they were looking for other things besides music virtuosity, they taught us the specific techniques that would help everyone look uniform. There were many veterans who knew how things went and were great at helping the newbies. Things were going great until they started calling out names. It was time for the dreaded music auditions. I was shaking when they called me in and while I was playing the audition music. It had turned out that there were two audition pieces and I had only practiced one. I walked out of there upset that I had not had the quality tryout I had hoped for. I quickly cheered up however realizing that the worst that could happen was not being called back. This wouldn’t have been too big of a problem but I wanted to prove to the people back home that I was good enough to be among some of the elite. Here is where I had conquered my fear of failure something essential for success.
It’s interesting to see how everything fits together. I was called back several times until I was finally offered a contract to sign. It was wonderful having the feeling of knowing I was going to be a part of something great. There are so many memories packed into that half a year. I came to enjoy the performances, appreciate rehearsals, and love the people. It was like my own very large adoptive family. I would pay the amount of discomfort I felt at the audition ten times over if it meant knowing more people like them. Getting to know good people is one aspect of life I have come to truly appreciate now, and sharing experiences with people allows you to truly see who they are.
If I tried to write to you about everything I learned that summer I would have to give you a novel, but instead I’ll leave you with a few of the most important ones. Besides for professionalism, dedication, mental endurance, discipline, camaraderie, and passion I learned how to handle myself. Being on my own and being held responsible for my own actions really raised my level of maturity. I learned to handle difficult situations with strangers and friends. I learned that in order to achieve something your proud of you must first have the courage to create that opportunity. It can’t be an expectation for opportunity to simply fall into your lap. It may not have been easy that way but it is more than worth it. The pride that comes with knowing you delivered something that brought out your true potential is priceless. It may sound a little cliche but I walked a little taller after that summer and will for as long as I live.

Price of Parking

Let me preface this post by stating that this is my first year at UAH. That being said I never had to pay the original price for parking decals from the last semester. I do however have to pay the outrageous one hundred and twenty dollars for my current parking decal. This is significantly less than last semesters (if memory serves correctly it's greater by a factor of four). Now though it is a lot of money to pay I do see why administrators need/want to raise the cost. With the new sophomore dorms coming in year as well as the need for road improvements and such, the increase would allow for these improvements to be made without the need for an increase in tuition. The major problem is that there are a few commuters who come to the campus once or twice a week. This is a problem because these people are paying outrageous amounts of money just to park for a few hours every week. I remember talking to one such person and hearing her complaints on the matter. Overall I can't really say that it was a horrible decision (though it costs me an extra 90 dollars) but it would be nice if it could have been eased in to instead of quadrupling over night. Overall as long as it's not being wasted on something useless or being spent in ineffective ways I'm fine.