I was a 5-year color guard member in the Moon Area High School Marching Band & Winter Guard.  This organization taught me many things.  One, that has proved to be valuable, is that in life you will have to work with people from all walks of life.  You may love them or not at first, but they could become your very best friends and family.  In band, we all were after the common goal to be better walking off of the field at PIMBA Championships than we were walking onto it for the first day of band camp.  I also learned that one of the best things anyone can do is to love and treasure music.  On days of sorrow and days of joy, Mr. Barthen would never let that emotion go to waste.  When all 100+ members of the band came together and put everything we had into a practice or performance, the result was like nothing anyone could ever imagine.  Currently, I am taking these lessons I have learned and applying them at Youngstown State University while I work towards my undergraduate Music Education degree. I am also a color guard member in the YSU Marching Pride.

As someone who decided to pursue music as a career, I was lucky enough to be immersed in such a rich, diverse music program in high school, one that prepared me for my college and professional career.  I was a percussionist in Moon’s Marching Band, Symphonic Band, and Percussion Ensemble, as well as a pianist in their Orchestra and Jazz Band.  The high expectations held by Moon’s band staff not only pushed me to become a better musician, but also shaped me into becoming a better person.  Beyond the growth that I experienced as a musician, I formed relationships with students and staff alike that enhanced my overall high school experience.  Such relationships allowed me the opportunity to return to Moon’s music program as a staff member for their Marching Band.  I currently hold a Bachelor’s degree in Music Technology from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and am pursuing my graduate degree in Acoustics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.  Thank you to Mr. Barthen and all of Moon’s music program staff, for all that you have done for this program and its students.