My Decision To Becoming Drum Major

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One of the biggest decisions of my high school career came my sophomore year when I decided to try out for the role of drum major in my high school band. This decision was very tough to make due to the fact that I was a sophomore, and although I already had three years of experience under my belt as a band member at Northview High School, I knew that it would be very tough to earn the respect of my peers if I succeeded in becoming drum major. Out of the three years I had spent in the band, the biggest influence on my decision to try out came from my very first marching season, between August and December of 2012. From that year forward, after seeing many areas that the band could improve, watching how underclassmen and middle school band members …show more content…

Cory was the example of what a person in a leadership role should not be. Yes, Cory knew what he was doing and was very good at conducting and marching; however, the way he lead and confronted people made many people hate him. He had no problem getting in your face and yelling, especially if you were a younger band member as I was. He would openly call out band members in front of the other band instead of going to them privately and dealing with the matter between just himself and the band member. I remember the first time I ever saw Cory for who he really was. One night I accidently left my lyre, the tool that hold music so that you can see it and play at the same time, on my instrument as we were walking out to the field to perform. I quickly took my lyre off and laid it on the ground by the bleachers, never stepping out of the line or putting it in anybody’s way. Once we returned to the bleachers, Cory saw the lyre and chewed me out while we were still in the stands, in front of the entire band and the crowd. Prior to this experience, I saw Cory as almost like a god because of his senior status and his title of drum major. After this experience; however, I saw Cory for who he really was. I saw that the power had gone to his head, and I knew that I could never lead like he did, nor could I allow any other drum major to lead that way while I was in

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