When my mom sent me to pick out my instrument at the end of fifth grade I was totally and completely opposed to the very idea of being associated with band and the people in any way. I viewed it as though it were a obstacle I had to ‘overcome’ to get through my adolescent days and move on to things I thought of as cool or popular. So I showed up to my sixth grade band class pessimistic and down about the whole idea of being there and I sat down with my flute in hand and as Mr. Nearpass began to teach us I instantly knew I was hooked, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew that music was and for many years to come a huge part of me. So the weeks went by, and eventually the years did too, and now only being a freshman in high school, I am not fully aware of what music will do in the future let alone what it has done in the past quite yet, however, I do know that music has changed my life. I openly love band and everyone knows it! I am involved in all of the band programs I can physically put into 24 hours. And music just has a funny way of being everything that you need it to be. A friend, a mediator, a source of happiness. I am changed from the person I was going into band, and I have a good feeling I will change going out of it too.