The good old days.

This, that you see right here, is the middle school band that I used to be apart of. I can't even begin to decribe the level at which I miss being in middle school band. Those really were the years where the kids in band weren't just that, "kids in band". They were family.
Middle school was the time when it was all easy and enjoyable. Not to say that I completely despise high school band, but sometimes it's all taken way too seriously. I miss being able to jump from clarinet to double bass clarinet to saxophone, then from saxophone to percussion, then from the next thing to the next. I was alaways playing something different for certain parts of the program, and I LOVED it. During marching season, I'd play tri-toms. There wasn't anything more "exclusive" and exciting than being apart of the drum line. For some reason, the drum line is set apart from the rest of the band, and everyone wants in it. I don't know exactly why it's like that, but it is. And that's what makes it even better! Everyone wants to do what you're doing! Maybe it was the fact that drummers got to wear white shirts with rolled up sleeves, and everyone else had to wear red polo shirts...I don't know. :P
What I do know though, is that us drummers took our "job" seriously. Every morning before school, we'd have our gear out and be practicing away in the band room. At first all the other students would gather around to watch our little "percussion discussion" but as time wore on it became routine.

Anyways, this event was the yearly Viking Fest Parade. I loeved feeling like I was apart of it all over again. Helping them tune the drum heads, play together, so on and so forth. I realized today, that I really REALLY miss being young. :( Time goes by too quickly!