At first, I wasn’t too keen on joining the Moon Area Marching Band, but I did decide try it for one year.  It did not take long for me to realize why I even questioned joining it in the first place!  I was in the marching band for 4 years along with the concert band.  Everyday being at rehearsal was work, but it was also enjoyable.  The training, the teamwork on the field, creating new friendships, and giving our peers advice on what we see they could work on.  I enjoyed it so much that when my stepfather’s job transferred to Texas, I told my parents I wasn’t moving until after graduation because of the band.  Yes, Texas has marching bands, but the Moon teens, staff, and volunteers make it something extra special.   (And yes, my parents worked it out so we could stay until after I graduated since band was so important to me).

I enjoyed my time with the marching band so much that even though I am majoring in mathematics with a plan to go into either teaching or aviation, I decided to go out for and ended up joining the University of North Texas’s Green Brigade Marching Band.  It is such a great experience to work with so many wonderful people.  UNT’s Green Brigade is a 400+ member marching band (you know they say everything is bigger in Texas after all!)

There are times I go back and think on the great memories from Moon Band that include all the pep talks and yes, reps we thought would never end, for us to reach our top performance.  That helped me become the young man I am today.  I am proud to say that I am a Moon Band Alumni as Moon Band’s family is the most supportive and caring group of parents, mentors, and friends anyone could ask for.

When I began band back at the beginning of freshman year, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if it would be too hard for me. Learning how to march and play at the same time seemed quite difficult. At first, I thought there was no way I’d be able to keep up with it all. 

But once I started band, I absolutely loved it! Marching and playing at the same time wasn’t as hard as it looked, and the music, while always reasonably challenging, was playable. And whenever I had trouble as a freshman, upperclassmen were always willing to help.

I made a lot of great memories with friends in marching band- going to band camp, football games, and competitions. Once marching band was over, there was concert/ symphonic band to look forward to. These classes instilled a love of music in me, and I improved my playing more than I would ever have expected back in eighth grade. Although I didn’t continue with marching band in college, I plan to find a local concert band of some variety to play in, and I will always have great memories of my high school band days.