I'm the little freshman flute player. There are only three flutes in our band of 44 total. It's a tiny band but we defiantly were not a weak band. We gave it our very best and never gave up.

The people in my band are so close to each other. I remember that very first day of band camp how everyone was all happy to see each other after a summer of being apart. I didn't fully understand it then.

I thought I would be rejected and shunned out by the upperclassmen. But how very wrong I was.

I now know that my first thoughts were wrong and I was truly accepted into the marching band family.

It was our 2nd competition of the year. It was a show that was a mere 40 minutes away from our school so we didn't have to travel far.

We were standing in our warm up arcs getting ready to do a run through of the music. In the front arch as the 3 flutes, 3 clarinets, and then the 2 saxes. Directly behind us were the 4 trumpets, 2 mellophones, 2 contras, and 4 baritones. Behind them were the 2 quad players, 2 snares, and the 4 bass drummers. Off to the right side were the 5 color guard girls and then to the left were the 10 people that made up the percussion pit. And last but certainly not least, our drum major stood tall and proud on her podium.

We did our first run through and we were all very excited for this performance. The drum major told us that it was time for sectionals. So the high brass, low brass, drums, pit, guard, and the wood winds all gathered in to the groups that were our sections.

I sighed and went over to the woodwind group and we just had a little pep talk. When it was done we went back to our spots but no one else was done. I was upset because our sectional wasn't as good as anyone else's. It seemed weak to me.

Then I heard my name being whispered from behind me. I turned around and saw the trumpets looking up out of their circle with a gap for me to join them. I smiled and walked into their open arms. My woodwind friends got mad at me but I really didn't care because that turned out to be the best sectional time ever.

That show was the best show we had ever played and it truly felt wonderful.

But you see this isn't where this story ends.

A week later we were on the bus going to our next show that was 3 hours away from home. It was a fun trip and like always it was random and crazy.

On the day that our show was we had sectionals and this time it was better for the woodwinds. So I didn't go join the trumpets this time.

Then as we were standing at the entrance to the stadium, our backs turned so we didn't see our competition, the senior trumpet section leader turned and went to each of the trumpets like every other time.

I watched as he grabbed the first trumpets shako and shook it gently, a good luck sign. He then walked back and did this to the other two trumpets.

Then, when I assumed he would go back to his spot, he looked over at me standing next to the freshman trumpet player and grabbed my shako and shook it just like he did to the trumpets.

I smiled and nodded once as he turned and went back to his spot in line.

I had a very good show that day, it wasn't my best but it was defiantly a great show.

At our next two shows I did not expect him to do the shako thing to me. I figured it was a onetime thing. But he did, for every show after that.

Then on our very last performance, when he walked over to me and did the shako thing, I reached up, grabbed the bill of his shako and shook it gently.

I wasn't just wishing him good luck, I was saying thank you for including me, and most of all I was saying that I would miss him the next year.

Then after the show as we were gathered in front of the bus celebrating and crying I realized that I wasn't just a woodwind.

I was a woodwind, with a brass heart.

And I wasn't the little freshman flute player any more. I was more like the little sister of the band.

So this is just a story i quickly wrote up about something that happened in my band. It was a really special time and i love this memory.

But yes this is a true story :)

Please leave a review telling me what you think! :)

-Ky