Personal Essay: Marching Band

Marching Band has always opened so many opportunities up for me and more importantly, Color Guard has created a community for me to thrive and be a part of something more. I have been so grateful for this experience and want to pass on the same emotions I felt to others. Everyone deserves that same happiness I feel when participating in the Marching Band. Color Guard has been my passion since 6th grade and I’ve always admired the older girls who would come to our practice and help us with choreography. I knew for sure that I wanted to be just like them, so I strive every day to work harder to make my goal even possible to achieve. I truly love my team and I would love for them to set their own goals and be able to use me as an example to inspire

Being a section leader would allow me to work closely with my teammates and be able to help more people keep their spark for Marching Band.

Being a section leader takes a lot of determination, experience, and most importantly, creativity. These qualities are resources I utilize every time I’m presented with a leadership position. Once I put my mind to something, I will stop at nothing to get it done. When I am leading I am determined to make sure I set a good example of the expectation. This is seen when I stepped in for last year's section leader when they weren't able to be there, counting out loud for others, and showing others it's okay to laugh at yourself when you make mistakes, creating more positive spaces full of learning opportunities. These actions help the band stay focused and have the spirit to keep trying. This constant determination branches so much further than stated and will continue throughout the marching season. Along with that, I have learned new ways to lead through my daily experiences. For two years I gained experience helping the middle school winter guard and it has taught me new ways to

I noticed multiple times last year when fellow section members were unheard and felt unseen when the one person who was representing them never considered their ideas. I think it's massively important to not only lead a team but work with a team, and be completely open to different personal styles and approaches. One change I would make to the band would be to give everyone a chance to be heard and have a say on how things should go. I would have a small box or envelope where my section could anonymously make comments on whatever they pleased. This could be anything from recommendations, personal or band-related problems, and most importantly critiques. Every section leader would have their folder and they are the only ones, including directors, that would be allowed to look inside. I truly believe no leader is perfect and that their idea isn't always the right one, and I want to make sure everyone has a safe place to report an area of concern with anything I'm doing. I remember others’ frustration with the leader's choices, but they were too scared to make a confrontation so they were annoyed the entire year, all while the section leader remained oblivious. Understanding my team’s needs will help me become a better representative for them and help me ensure they feel included in the