Student guide
Before the
First Note
Poems for the Ride to Contest
For marching band members on the way to the field
Before the First Note
Dedication
For the ones on the bus.
For the student performing for the first time.
For the senior performing for one of the last times.
For the person who cannot stop talking because they are nervous.
For the person who has not said a word.
For the director at the front trying to keep a hundred details moving in the same direction.
And for every band member who has ever looked through a bus window toward a contest and quietly wondered:
Am I ready?
You probably are.
Preface
There is something unusual about the ride to a marching band contest.
You have already done most of the work.
The music has been learned.
The drill has been taught.
The flags have been tossed thousands of times.
The drumline has repeated passages until everyone within a quarter mile of the rehearsal field probably knows them.
Your director has said “One more time” so many times that nobody believes those words anymore.
And now you are sitting on a bus.
There is very little left to practice.
But there is still plenty of time to think.
That can be wonderful.
It can also be dangerous.
On the ride to a contest, your mind can travel much faster than the bus.
It can race ahead to the warm-up area.
To the opening set.
To the difficult entrance.
To the toss.
To the solo.
To the judges.
To the score.
To the awards ceremony.
To everything that could possibly go wrong.
This book is meant to keep you company during that ride.
Some of these poems are about nerves.
Some are about friendship.
Some are about mistakes.
Some are about winning and losing.
Some are about the person sitting beside you.
Some are about the person standing at the front of the bus.
Some are about the other band across the parking lot.
And some are simply reminders to look out the window and realize how extraordinary it is that you get to do this at all.
Along the way, you will also meet people who once knew something about being a band student themselves.
A future president carried a saxophone.
A future NBA superstar was a drum major.
A future global recording artist stood in a drumline.
A future New York Philharmonic principal trumpet player grew up surrounded by bands and drum corps.
A future international singer played flute and piccolo in marching band.
None of them could see the complete road ahead when they were young.
Neither can you.
That is part of the adventure.
You do not need to read this book from beginning to end.
Open it anywhere.
Find the poem you need today.
Read one.
Read five.
Pass one to the person sitting beside you.
Save another for the ride home.
Because contest day is bigger than a score.
It is a collection of moments:
A bus ride.
A uniform.
A nervous friend.
A stadium appearing in the distance.
A director looking at the clock.
A deep breath behind the gate.
A first note.
A final note.
And years from now, some of those small moments may be the ones you remember most.
So while the road moves beneath you—
read.
Breathe.
Look around.
And when the bus finally stops,
go make some memories.
How to Use This Book
This is not homework.
You do not have to begin with the first poem.
Read what you need.
Feeling nervous? Read: You Do Not Have to Be Fearless.
Everything feels overwhelming? Read: One Count at a Time.
Warm-up went badly? Read: When the Warm-Up Is Bad.
Made a mistake? Read: If You Miss.
Playing your final season? Read: For the Senior.
Playing your first contest? Read: For the Freshman.
Someone beside you seems unusually quiet? Read: The Quiet Student.
Disappointed after awards? Read: If They Don't Call Your Name.
Won something? Read: If They Call Your Name.
Headed home after a very long day? Read: On the Ride Home.
Or close this book, look out the window, and talk to somebody.
That may be exactly what you need.
End of the book
You have reached the end of this book.