To start off, I want to say that this isn't one of those "I'm a senior, I'm an awesome player, let me tell you about everything that's happened in my band life". No, this is the real story. Granted, it is about my high school band career, but I will be the fist one to say that it wasn't all a march through the park. Hm now where to start… well, how about band camp.
Ah, the adventures of band camp. The sweat, the lost drill charts, the band director having a temper tantrum due to music not memorized; oh what a rush. Oh and of course the overly hackneyed expression "one time at band camp…" I find it funny that the only people that say that are the ones who have never experienced band camp. Our whole tuba line attacked a guy for saying that once, but that's another story. This is band camp: the real story.
It seems that I've gotten ahead of myself; I haven't even properly introduced myself. Where to start, where to start? Well my name is Cadence, Cadence Williams to be precise, and coincidently I'm a percussionist. Kind of ironic, don't you think? I tend to lean towards the short side. To quote my band director, I'm "just the right size to carry the cymbals". I think he was just trying to butter me up. I suppose you could say this is where my story truely starts.
Yes, I do believe my story begins with being a cymbals player for the drum line (you could say it started when my brother gave me my first pair of drum sticks when I was only seven years old but I'll save that story for another day). I've always been avidly involved in the band but sometimes I tend to be a tad bit lazy and don't practice like I should. I wanted to be on the drum line, and I guess I didn't expect the down right fierce competition to acquire a spot on the all mighty drum line. I believe this would also be the prudent time to mention that I was the only girl to make the drum line. From the start, I was singled out.
At first I didn't mind being a cymbals player, a spot's a spot, right? As time progressed I got the distinct feeling that I was not wanted on the line. The only person that was decent to me was Matthew Allen, the junior percussion captain. He was the lead snare player that I carried the cymbals for. The other percussionist didn't seem to have the same view as Matt about having a girl on the drum line. I believe the day I decided that I would make my way up the line was the day my cymbals were stolen. This seems like a completely random act that could happen anyone, at least to an outsider. Oh no, this was planned. I know this because my cymbals didn't just disappear. It seems that the other drum line guys thought it would be hilarious to replace my cymbals with pan covers; you know the things you put over pots and pans when you're cooking. Granted the band director found my cymbals hidden in a near by tuba case, but for me it was the last straw. At that point I vowed that I would make my way up the drum line.
