“Drum-major, is your band ready?” the judge asks me before beginning our show at state championships. I begin to look around me, staring into a sea of excited faces, whose expressions look very eager to watch our best show yet. This is the moment that I’ve been dreaming of since freshman year, knowing that I’m the person who cues the first note that defines the rest of the show. I give my salute from the podium as a reply to the question, knowing that I have the best view of our accomplishments.
No one would have expected a timid freshman to later take on the most prestigious role in the music department. Blending in was easy, but standing out was something I felt like I needed to do in order to help the group make progress and stay unified. I have always looked at the previous drum-majors in admiration and I would constantly ask myself what it takes to be a leader. The dream of becoming drum-major seems impossible at the moment, but I gave it a shot. After a series of
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That was something I wanted to change because in order to look at the bigger picture, the smaller pieces must also be recognized. It was my first time as a leader as well as being in charge of 130 members. I tried to work with and gave my attention to each individual because they do matter, which helped the group progressed so much. The responsibilities continue to increase as the pressures of being a perfect leader begin to evolve. I was worried that people were criticizing me or blaming me for any small mistakes that I might make, but I realized that I was still a member of the band who was given a leadership position to inspire people with encouragements and positivity. I was only human after all, not this perfect superhuman that people envision when they think of a leader, even though I sometimes feel like a servant, handling continuous tasks