Day 1246: An American Flag

One of the best parts about being an Alumni of a High School Band is the opportunity you're given to continue to help serve the community on important days like today: Memorial Day. For the past two years I helped by carrying the banner, and while that was my intent today as well, unfortunately a bad ankle kept me from marching. Instead I helped out by filming the entire event, per usual, and attended the ceremony complete in my red marching polo to match the group. 

However, as I stood across the room from hundreds in my town, I couldn't help but feel sort of bothered. The stands weren't full, not by a long shot, and certainly not like at basketball games. Many of those there were parents of band members or those who are family members to those that have served or are serving.

I know for a fact that my town is much large enough to fill that entire room, and then some, but where was everyone? Here I was, supporting the band, which was supporting our country in the best way I know how, and the large majority of my town was skipping out on the day, sleeping in or heading up North or, in all honesty, just doing nothing. 

So I ask of you, my blog readers, what did you do this Memorial Day? 

Have a magical day! 

Day 906: Best Day of My Life

It's been a year and I still don't think I believe that I marched down Main Street U.S.A.

June 25 will always be an important day for me, probably right up there with other important days of the year like my birthday or Christmas, because on June 25, 2014, I fulfilled my dream of marching in the Magic Kingdom, and even now, a year later, it still hits home. I can honestly say that not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about that parade. I think about it all the time. Whenever I'm feeling a bit let down about how much work it takes to upkeep a daily blog or weekly YouTube videos. I thought of it every second of the way through editing the band trip video for our trip to Walt Disney World. I think of it when I'm happy and when I'm sad and when the powers that work against me almost succeed, but June 25 is an important day, and I still can't thank the powers that be enough for making this possible.

I went back and read my blog post that corresponds with that day a year ago, which you can read HERE, and it's in that post that I talk about how, by some strange twist of fate, it was my dream that came true. I'm not sure if I've ever really talked about this in depth, but this seems like a great time for it.

Wishes.

I faintly remember the show previous to Wishes, and as a kid in awe of Illuminations, I really didn't think much of it. But when we learned we were going to audition for Disney Performing Arts, I would stand almost nightly by my window and listen to Wishes. Or if I was driving home from school late one night, maybe after a football or basketball game, I would turn on the soundtrack and sing along, wishing with all my heart that maybe, just maybe, it would be my dream that comes true.

People in our world are negative. I've said it time and time again. So many don't believe in wishes. We're raised to believe that the only thing that gets us anywhere is hard work. And I'm not saying that's not true. I worked incredibly hard in my years with the High School Band, and I continue to work hard on a daily basis. But hard work means nothing without a dream behind it to help push us forward.

There's a moment near the end of Wishes, right after the Blue Fairy appears, where she says "Remember, we must always believe in our wishes. For they are the magic in the world. Now, let's all put our hearts together and make a wish come true." When I stood in the Magic Kingdom that night, only hours after the parade, others were merely concerned about the fireworks. I know there were some simply happy from the thrill rides and experiences with their friends. Even my fellow drum major, as I went around asking everyone their favorite part of the day, commented that her favorite part was leading the band in the parade.

But I never actually answered my own question, and for those of you in the SHS Band, go check out the video. Of everyone in the band, I never give an answer, because to be honest I don't think I could do it without tears appearing again, much like they are now. But I'll tell you now. My favorite part of the day was the moment when everyone DID put their hearts together and made a wish come true.

For those of you out there wishing tonight, keep wishing. My heart's in it for you now.

Have a magical day!

Day 885: Change of Tempo

It seems that just about every year we all come up with these grand ideas to add exercise into our lives. Whether it be at the beginning of the year as a New Year's Resolution or in the middle of the year like me, more as a summer project, it always ends the same way.

We do it for about three days and then give up or forget about it.

But for once, I've actually somewhat kept up with one of my goals: direct through a few pep band songs every night. It's probably good to keep my arms moving anyway, and since conducting in high school made me probably the most fit I've ever been, it seemed like a natural way to keep up with things. So that's what I've been doing: directing pep band songs that my brother has saved to his computer. And for the most part, it's been working.

Every night I have him pick a few different songs, surprising me with whatever it is he's decided to have me conduct that particular day, but there's one song in particular I generally have him play before I finish for the night: Illuminations.

That's right, there's a pep band arrangement of the song, but apparently, as I just now discovered, it even goes beyond just Reflections of Earth! I just came across the full show and to say that it's a life goal to conduct these doesn't even describe it. You can listen to the recording here:

Yeah, I'm pretty much in love with this piece. I have a need. 

We'll see if I blog about any other of the Disney Pep Band pieces in the future, but there's a ton of them! 

Have a magical day!

Day 875: So Inspiring

I don't think I truly understood the importance of Memorial Day until two years ago, during my senior year of high school. The blog post I wrote that day was short, and you can read it HERE, but it's still absolutely true. On this Memorial Day I happened to think back to that day, which is probably one of the most memorable days of my life. I even wrote about it in my memoir at the end of my senior year, talking about how it would be pictured as a scene in a movie, simply because that was the only way to describe how it felt.

Our High School Band has a long tradition of performing in both the Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony in our little city, something I participated in for 7 years, both as a Middle Schooler and High Schooler, and now for the last two years as an alumni volunteer. Why am I always there, helping with uniforms and carrying a banner and filming the band? Well, for one, my Mom is in charge or the uniforms so it kind of comes with living in this house, and secondly I am a music major, so it definitely makes sense. But beyond that, helping on Memorial Day is important to me because of that realization I had two years ago, and it's certainly a realization and appreciation that has come with a little help from Disney.

But first let me tell you a story. It's not a terribly interesting story, but I do believe it helps get the point across here. Back when I was in Middle School, I honestly didn't like marching in the Memorial Day Parade. It took a lot of effort, keeping people in line and everything that came along with it. It meant getting up early on my day off to go and march down the street with my instrument. Everyone else got to sleep in or have the entire day off of school but no, my friends and I had to be downtown at 8 in the morning, ready for the parade. When I reached High School, it meant getting into our terrible uniforms and marching in the heat. Still on our day off, only now it was also now unbearably hot. Wonderful. I lived that way until my senior year, when I stood at the top of my ladder as drum major and looked around to see how many people it was really impacting. Sure, I had to pay attention to directing, but as members of the service stood during our performance of Armed Forces Salute, including the five main service themes, I couldn't help but glance at the crowd. We were making so many happy, just by being there and taking part in the service. Of course, at that point I'd already decided to pursue music in college, so I have a greater appreciation for music in elements like this already, but something still clicked in my head.

And that's why I still go back and volunteer for the band, even if it means getting up at 7 in the morning to be on time. The band has provided me with countless opportunities that I'll forever be grateful for, and Memorial Day is one of the moments the band has a chance to give back to the community that supports them. And if I learned anything in my time as Drum Major and President of that band, it's that a marching band is nothing without support from the community.

There was one other thing that came to mind as I sat in this year's Memorial Day Ceremony, however: a quote from John Steinbeck. "We now face the danger, which in the past has been the most destructive to the humans: success, plenty, comfort and ever-increasing leisure. No dynamic people has ever survives these dangers."

I like to remember that quote, which you may recognize from The American Adventure at Epcot, when I feel like I'm pretty successful in whatever I'm doing. Yes, I may find success, but with that comes the danger that I will forget where I come from and push the important things aside. I could have a leisurely day at home instead of running around leading a drum line through a high school hallway, resulting in some hearing loss, but what would the fun in that be? And more importantly, is that really the right way to honor those who have served our country and made my success possible?

Oh, and just for old times sake, here's an old picture of me from my senior year in band. As you can see, I was really photogenic.

Have a magical day!

Day 699: The Grass Is Greener...

This is one of those blog posts where the title is really longer than I can fit in the actual title line, so here's the full one:

The Grass Is Greener...On The Marching Field

Tumblr is one of those great places where you can find lots of things. It's a place filled with humor and angst and the people that are parts of fandoms that casually tend to remind you that, of course, your favorite ship actually has this super tragic backstory that they decide to tell you through GIFs and then you just end up crying. (Not that this happens to me...often). 

But Tumblr's also a really inspiring place, and by far one of the most inspiring stories didn't originate on Tumblr at all, but rather with Jennifer Morrison. I've talked about this wonderful role model more than a few times on my blog, but this is one of those times where I just had to share. I have this really weird list of reasons as to why JMo and I are alike, and it's getting weirdly long, but this article she wrote, "The Legacy of Positivity" is something that just got me. 

You can read the full article HERE, and I really do suggest you read it before the rest of this post. If you don't want to read the whole thing, the important parts I'm hitting will be summarized in my spiel about it and so on and so forth.

Jennifer's parents, as I already knew before this article, are music teachers, meaning that music has had an important influence on her life, just as it has mine. The article goes one to talk about the things that she learned from her parents. I, of course, am not an alum of the Prospect Marching Knights, and I've never met the Morrisons, but I do know exactly what she's talking about, and I agree with every single word. 

We live in world so filled with negativity that I'm all for every chance we have to make things more positive. It's one the biggest reasons I'd love to just sit down and have coffee with Jennifer Morrison. Not to talk about Once Upon A Time or anything else, but simply talk about how she keeps things positive. As my own social media presence increases, it has occurred to me time and time again that I have to do the same thing she does, and keep things positive. Arguments don't help anyone, and negativity only works against us. But as JMo points out, it's all about your mindset. 

Over the past few days I've actually been debating this whole thing. The idea of happiness and positivity. For the last several nights, just as I'm about to go to bed, I find that I can't. Not because I'm not tired, and not because I don't have to go to bed yet or because I'm in the middle of a super angsty episode on Gilmore Girls, but rather because I'm happy. I'm excited about life. Sometimes it's excitement about things that will happen in the new future, such as my trip to Disney World that's coming up faster than any of us could possibly imagine. Once and a while I'll think about my Disneyland trip in August, and the fact that on that trip I'll have the incredible chance to meet some of the friends I've made through Disney and Once Upon A Time. And then there are the moments when I'm excited about things that are so far in the future I don't even know when they'll happen, like the simple fact that someday, somehow, I'll meet Colin O'Donoghue and yes, Jennifer Morrison. These are the things that make me excited, and you know what? I can't remember a time in the last two years when I've been so completely, truly happy. 

These past two years have been a trial for me. Tests have come in every shape and size and around every single bend, but somehow I've made it through all of it, and if there's one thing I would remind my past self if I had to do it all over again, it would be to stay positive. It's a mindset, and now that I'm in that mindset, I no longer am angry constantly, I'm not disappointed in the work I've done or the moments I've missed out on. I've grown, and my positivity has grown with it. 

After all, as Jennifer Morrison mentioned: "...'The grass isn't greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it.' And it's also green where you march, my mom and dad would say. So put one foot in front of the other, even if they're baby steps and let's all walk towards the light, lean into it, and grow green together." 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on December 19 due to finals!)

Day 606: Magical Moments

Of all the Disney blogs I follow, AllEars has to be one of my favorites. As a kid (and teenager too I suppose), I always remember my mom talking about the website and the newsletter and so on and so forth, but I didn't really appreciate it all until I began this blog, and then I appreciated it even more when I started reading it weekly.

But my absolute favorite part of the newsletter comes once a month, when Magical Moments are included. On the last newsletter each month they include three magical moments that are sent in. I look forward to these each month and can honestly say that they make me cry more often than not. I mean, these are just moments that showcase how powerful and magical Disney really is, and it's a great feeling.

Oddly enough, as I was writing this blog post, I scrolled back through the past newsletters and picked a random one, which happened to be exactly a year ago in September 2013. I've read a lot of these magical moments, but there's still one that I've never forgotten. I read it to my brother and cried both times I went through it. It was about a little boy who loved Indiana Jones and received the gloves from Indy himself after the stunt show. You can read the whole story by scrolling down to the magical moments section HERE.

Of course, I've had my own fair share of magical moments, but marching down Main Street still tops them all. It was tiring and frustrating and sometimes I wonder if it was all worth it, but I was on top of the world in that moment and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

That's the thing. Magical Moments don't really ever happen on purpose. They happen on accident. They're moments that shouldn't be happening, that we don't think will happen, but occur anyway, and that's what makes them so magical. I think it's moments like those that make Walt proud and are the true heart of the Disney company. After all, these are moments that often stick with us for our entire lives.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 30).

Day 560: Sentimental After All

To be quite honest, it's been months since the band trip. Just this week I was spending a good amount of time working on the band trip video (which as you already know is a larger undertaking than maybe I initially intended), and the thought came to me that there's a good portion of me that doesn't even realize anything happened.

The band trip video is long, it's going to be long, it's taking a long time to edit. It's just...long. Now, that doesn't mean that it won't be spectacular, because I certainly strive to outdo myself every time I get my hands on a new project regardless of the time and effort it's going to take to do that, and I do hope that the band enjoys the final product...even if it takes me months to edit. But that editing does take time, whether or not there is an extreme emotional attachment and connection to the project or not. When you add that connection in though, that's when things get crazy difficult.

I know I tweeted the other day about this particular project, saying "Trying to edit this video is so difficult for me due to the extreme range of emotions involved. Anger, happiness, pride, heartbreak." And it is difficult. There's a lot that went on behind the scenes of that trip, things you won't see in the vlogs that will hopefully be coming out before the end of the month (October), and things that some people, a lot of people, didn't even experience or realize.

Now, I make a serious effort in life to not hold grudges. The world is already filled with so much hate that it seems pointless to add more negativity to that. But it sure seems to me that no matter how much we attempt to let go of that hate, there's a certain percentage of it that continues to stick with us long after the situation has burned down. And when the people that caused you pain pop up on things like that video, it makes it harder to work on.

In the end, though, I guess I'm still pretty sentimental about the entire trip. It's changed me in more ways than one, and it gave me a chance to bring my best friends home (and to encourage them to return...gosh that's weird!) And no matter what happened with everyone backstage, I still have pictures from the trip covering my desk. Maybe it's not the same group of people previously in those frames, and maybe not every memory involving the trip is a happy one, but when something like that happens you have to remember it for the good moments instead of the bad. You have to edit all the video in a positive light, including everyone and as much of everything as possible, because that's what's going to make an impressive outcome. And that's certainly what I'm striving to do with this band trip video.

I hope to accomplish that (and I guess this is like a little bit of a pep talk for me). At least, I hope to accomplish it if I can ever figure out a way to include everything that needs to be included!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on October 10).

Day 147: Memorial Day

It seems that this time of year holds a lot of "lasts," and today is no exception. This morning I marched in my final Memorial Day parade in my hometown, and it was, as all of my senior performances have been, special. I absolutely love my role as drum major, and getting to lead the entire band one last time was a bittersweet moment. I can't express how proud of them I am and how far they've come both over the past four years of my high school career and especially within the last one.

Even in just our Memorial Day Performances, I have noticed a drastic change. We have the parade and then a standstill, and the respect our group showed off this year was great...even if we couldn't decide whether to stand or sit that one time. But the steps were high enough and everyone sounded great. Standing on top of my ladder for the last time, I couldn't help but smile. We were making a lot of people really, really happy.

Having the privilege to direct at that ceremony brought a lot of joy to me, because that's what it was, a privilege. There was a fifth grader who gave an absolutely wonderful speech about her favorite freedom, the freedom of religion, and I totally agreed with her. But her speech encompassed more than just that one freedom. I think she really was talking about all freedom in the words she spoke, and it was honestly the best essay I have ever heard at a Memorial Day Ceremony...and I've heard a lot of those speeches.

Either way, I am very proud to be an American, and I want to take a moment to thank all of our Veterans, fallen soldiers, those currently serving and those who will serve in the future. You keep our freedoms, well, free, and you give everyone great opportunities, including me and my opportunity to lead my band over the past year. Thank you for everything you do.

Here's today's Disney History: 2011: Mickey's Soundsational parade makes its official debut at Disneyland. Yesterday, May 26, guests were given an unannounced preview of the new parade. The nine-float affair kicks off Disney Soundsational Summer, which will also include the openings of The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure and Star Tours, along with the new experiences at the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier.

Have a magical day!