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Spirit shines in band

To the editor,

It is all about the band! For me at least. I have spent 14 years of my life playing the trombone, learning the trumpet, learning the baritone and learning the tuba. The only one I play well is the trombone though. In those (learning) years I have spent four of them in marching band and two in pep band. I have learned a lot from all of these 14 years that does not relate to band. I learned about motivation, music, emotions and relationships. As I see my career coming to a close at this university, it is time that I say good bye to the one thing that I have done for many years. If our football team could have just won one more game, I might have gone to Hawaii. And I am missing out on brand new uniforms for next year.

I write this because I know there are people out there that classify us band people as band nerds, or whatever their term might be, so I will leave them with some things that they should know about the students that are here in the UA marching band. Yes, we are our own clique, but have many other friends like anyone else in an organized sport. We do this out of our love for music and performance and not for a team, or the little one credit we get for doing this. We can make a cheer out of anything. We know every insult possible to throw at an opposing basketball team or football team because we do homework on them. In marching band, you have to be athletic to even attempt Rees drill. Finally, we are the biggest fans of UA athletics that there can ever possibly be.

I thank you for your ear. I hope that next time you hear us playing at a basketball game or football game you realize what has been put into this ensemble. As I leave this university, I wish everyone the very best and hope there is now better understanding that it IS all about the band.

Chris Carstens

MIS senior