Husky Marching Band

Autumn 2010 - Autumn 2011

What a ride, what a family, what an experience.

For the first two years of my college career, I was a member of the Husky Marching Band, a boisterous and charismatic group of 230 hard-working musicians. I immediately decided to join HMB upon coming to UW because I had been in marching band for all four years of high school and had absolutely adored it. Most of my friends from high school were in the marching band with me, and I knew that this community would help me transition into college and provide me access to a social and supportive culture very quickly.

And I was right. I auditioned and was accepted into the band before school even started. I felt like I had made a family within my 45-person saxophone section by the end of the first week. I met one of my very best friends from college in Husky Marching Band. We rehearsed between 15 - 20 hours every week for all of Autumn Quarter. I went to two bowl games (the Holiday Bowl in San Diego and the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio) with this band. I was included in old traditions and witnessed the making of new ones. I learned what it felt like to perform in front of 73,000 people. I experienced what it felt like to cheer on our team from the band block on the 50 yard line, surrounded by the deafening roar of the Dawg Pack. I have had countless incredible opportunities offered to me as a member of this band. I owe an immense amount to the people who led and participated in this band. I learned the value of a serious and sustained commitment to excellence and to each other. Thanks to this band, I am proud of myself and proud of my school

I also wrote about Husky Marching Band in my application essays for the Honors Exploration Seminar to Morocco, to illustrate my thoughts on teamwork. An excerpt from these essays is included below:

Husky Marching Band. I tell you, anyone who can make it through one week of rehearsals with 240 other silly, crazy kids can do almost anything. I know what it's like to disagree with people and I've also learned that 99% of the time, an argument isn't worth it. Conflict isn't worth it. It has been a lesson in modesty and patience. When things are going well, don't brag. When things aren't going well, don't be the person to make it worse. Participation in, and commitment to, such a large, diverse, rambunctious ensemble means being able to compromise and cooperate. It has taught me that there are things greater than myself, and that it isn't useful (or productive) to insist upon putting myself first. I am comfortable with working and collaborating with a wide variety of people.

Sometimes, it's appropriate to be a leader, sometimes I need to be a quiet support. Other times we need to negotiate a compromise. I am now more confident in my ability to navigate these various scenarios than I ever have been before. In band, it isn't about sounding or looking the best on your own, it's about how we all look and sound. There is no collective endeavor quite like it: working with strangers and best friends to create something we can all be proud of. When I fail a test, I'm disappointing myself. When I'm not working as hard as those around me, I'm disappointing 240 other people. We work as a team, we perform as a team and we succeed as a team. Being right has nothing to do with it. Being flexible and humble has everything to do with it.

Above is a video of my very first performance with the Husky Marching Band. We learned this entire fieldshow in less than four days, and I can still remember the sense of pride of pulling off such a challenging show so quickly.