Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
Who runs the world? Leaders do.
I joined band the summer before fifth grade and chose the trumpet because I saw that it had only three valves. I thought to myself how hard could it be? I soon found out I was completely wrong. The small number of valves means that the lips have to do more work which makes learning and playing very difficult. However, I decided to stick with the trumpet
I joined marching band my freshman year also thinking it was going to be easy. I already knew how to play trumpet and I knew how to walk around so I did not expect a challenge-I was wrong. The combination of the two made marching a strenuous task. As a member of the marching band, I am a part of a team. Teamwork is essential during performances because it requires that every member is perfectly aligned to produce the proper form. Everyone must be in step and in place. At first, the carping of the veteran members annoyed and frustrated me. But the mentality forced me to become a team player. Until then I did not have any real incentive to be a team player but when the veterans saw that I was working hard they started encouraging me. I realized that the initial carping of the veterans was not meant to annoy me but to help the entire group to perform better. It rubbed off on me and today, I am the one helping the rookies.
Our final competition of the season for the UsBands Mid-Atlantic Championship was especially difficult because of the bad weather. While we were competing, the low temperature made it difficult for our instruments to stay in tune. This combined with the intense wind made marching our show extremely difficult. I advised the rookies to cover their mouthpieces with their hands when they were not playing to prevent heat loss. And I reminded them to push their valves down and blow into the instrument in order to keep the warm air circulating. Despite the discomfort, we played with a high level of energy and kept the pitch steady. In the end we managed to place third in the Mid-Atlantic Championship so the hard work paid off.
My perception of leadership was greatly influenced by my time at Global Leadership camp at Washington University last summer. This was a shortened college class on policy making run by the international studies department. The professor used playing cards to simulate teamwork. We worked as partners and each had to play a card to give ourselves points; if we both tried to play the card that steals the other’s point then we both get zero points. My partner and I knew we had to cooperate and give each other points to succeed. Through this activity I learned the significance of teamwork and trust over self interest. This reminded me of my band director telling me “trust the decisions we make, even if you don’t agree with them”. I realized there were a lot of similarities between leadership around the world and in marching band. This year in band I was given a leadership position to manage the field equipment. The real leadership comes not from setting up equipment but from teaching other members new poses and choreography which the entire leadership team does. As a result of my experience, I make sure I trust my teammates and, in return, the rest of my team trusts me.
Joining band was one of the best decisions of my life. It is impossible to talk about my high school experience without mentioning band. The sense of being part of a group and leading others is something that has left a deep impression on me. It has influenced my experiences at leadership camp and everyday life; it will no doubt influence me in college.