Being a band kid made me a better person

As many of my fellow band kids and just about anyone else who either passed through the public school system or watched television knows, there is a major stigma around being a band kid. Granted this is far less prominent in reality than it is on the shows we all remember from our days of watching Nick and Disney Channel, but the divide clearly exists.

For years our instruments were toted to school every day, in the beginning with pride, and towards the end with an almost conspiratorial stealth that would impress even the best cold war era spies. But what being a music student lacked in glamour and social status, it more than made up for in character building.

Wear black they said, it’s slimming they said

“This one time at band camp” is the eternal plague of all band kids, it follows us wherever we go; whether we are telling a peer or a professor about our musical background, it always weasels its way into conversation. The truth of the matter is, band camp is nothing but one-week minimum of grueling outdoor activity, especially during a Florida summer. While it lacks all the debauchery and oddly comedic timing of certain popular motion pictures, band camp is a vital time in any music student’s life; it’s where lifelong friendships are forged, horrifying memories are made and heat stroke is as common as getting a sunburn.

That burning sensation on your skin usually goes away after a few days

A 1994 study by the Phi Delta Kappan professional educators journal proved that students involved in music had the highest reading scores of the general student populace. Normally being lumped into a statistic is a bad thing, however in this case it is definitely welcome. Playing an instrument employs the use of certain skills; reading music, keeping time and about a million more that are similar to the skills used in basic reading and math, hence the awesome statistic. Students who are involved in music are stereotypically portrayed as “nerdy” in more of a pencil protector and tube socks way; not focusing on our true nerd characteristics, great grades and even greater uniforms.

That awkward moment when you and your hundred closest friends all wear the same outfit

The one thing about music that has truly made me into a better person than I was before I first picked up an instrument is the intense comradery and even more intense friendships that come hand in hand with being in music. Spending hours sitting in rehearsal for orchestra, marching band, stage band, or any of the other group aspects of being involved with music often lead to the most lasting and successful relationships. Nothing bonds a group of people more than an infuriating instructor, a ridiculous marking in your music, or almost dying from heat stroke together. Being able to have a common ground that is so encompassing of your lives assures there’s never a dull moment, and though it’s certainly not a love fest in any of your local band rooms, you’ll find that many close knit friends got their start writing crude comments to one another on a copied piece of sheet music.

Mastering the artsy pictures is a must

The benefits to being involved in music are endless, spanning from academic to social they all combine to form an experience that can have profound influence on our lives. While doing something as mundane as simply playing in instrument we are simultaneously building relationships that will extend far from the music room’s reach, strengthening areas of the brain we never knew would need strengthening, and also making something beautiful, which can’t be overlooked. For all the mixed hype being a student involved with music gets, it’s an incredibly cool and sometimes even fun way to help you find who you are, even if we have to endure American Pie references on every visit home.