"500 (More Like 4) Years of Fame" by Cody T

     Four years fly by fast when you're having fun. I remember how I thought it was
impossible to march in time and play an instrument at the same time when I was a freshman.
Speaking of freshman year, I met some of the best group of people that year. I played alto
saxophone, so I was a part of the alto sax section of course. We were always on top of things and
got all of our work done. But best of all, we were a family. Many of my good friends that I met
in middle school, including my best friend Stephany, were in the section and there were so many
amazing upperclassmen to look up to. Two of them in particular were some of my biggest
inspirations: my section leader named Andy and a senior, who was junior staff coordinator at the
time, named Araybia. They inspired me to go for junior staff coordinator and even alto sax
section leader. They taught me so much my freshman year and and welcomed me with such open
arms. I'm truly grateful to have been under their direction.
     My sophomore year, I ended up switching to tuba, which was a completely different
instrument from alto sax. So much for going for alto sax section leader. I joined the tubas
alongside Santi, Emon, and Manuel, who had already marched tuba the previous year.
Unfortunately, Emon had to go to the front ensemble due to complications so it was just the three
of us as sophomores. Marching tuba was much more demanding than marching alto sax. The
pain in my left shoulder was unbearable and I would often lose hours of sleep because of the
soreness. But I could not have been more happy with switching sections, oddly enough. The
tubas were another group of people that I called a family, and similar to the alto saxes, we were
always on top of things no matter how difficult the music or drill.
     Junior year kind of just happened. Everything went well, but no new major changes
occurred. But senior year was where plenty of change happened. I went for junior staff
coordinator and I ended up as coordinator and tuba section leader. Mr. Hackworth, our director at
the time, left and a new director named Mrs. Marin came in to fill the void. It was weird after
Hackworth left since he's been my music teacher for the past three years, but Marin has shown
she is just as capable during her first year with Etiwanda. There were a lot of changes this year,
but it went surprisingly well under a new director. We ended up getting third place at champs,
which was a major improvement from the twelfth place we got my freshman year.
     These past four years have been filled with joy, stress, tears, and sweat. Lots and lots of
sweat. And tears. But the experiences I've been through and the friends I've made are my fondest
memories. Music isn't just going "toot toot" and "bang bang" on some instruments. It's a way for
me to express myself and leave behind the overbearing stress of school. It isn't just marching
band to me. It's my life. The alto saxes and tubas aren't just my sections. They're my family. It's
been a blessing to have been able to march these past four years. Practices were hell, but the
feeling of performing made it worth all of the pain. They say that you'll know what it feels like to
truly be in a marching band once you step off the field after champs. They never said anything
about what it's like when you step off for the last time. It was one of the most agonizing feelings
ever, like walking away from a passionate relationship. But hey, at least it was in tempo.