There's really nothing like it. To the rest of the world, it's the greatest concentration of geeks assembled in one place. But when the fan fair blows, you really figure out just what community is all about.
Every 4th of July, I'm drawn into the sounds of Drum Corps International takes football fields across the nation by storm. And when you see 120 young men and women giving 110% in 100 degrees wearing polyester suits, there's no question about whether or not community values is alive in our country.
growing up, I was a band geek. Totally blind at age 15, friends and families of the Pope High School Band took me in and gave me something to reach for during a time when all seemed lost. For someone learning how to walk in the dark, socialize and reach the same levels of achievement as my peers, though without sight, I was in need of a major self-esteem boost. And I found it by being a part of something that completely rose above the abilities of one single person.
When 120 awkward teens take the field, they do it not for their own glory, but to be a part of something much greater than themselves. The structure is one where even the least plays an important part. It's that powerful harmony, when all is in tune, that magic is made. One note sets off the entire flow, like a rogue wave breaking a surfers stride. but, when they're all locked in, an energy extends beyond the individual, and you become part of the whole symphony.
It's difficult to explain to people who never marched on the field. Going to see drum and bugle corps perform gives you some idea at the sacrifice made for the greater common good. But even then, it's hard to express the feelings you have for one another, the desire to make everyone the best they can be.
In school, everyone loved to make fun of the band geeks. Our school wasn't as harsh as others, with one out of every ten students in band. But, you were still seen as a freak or a geek. However, as we've all gotten older, I see not a rag tag of musicians who only could dance with other band kids at school functions (we liked to keep it in the family). I see people who have grown up and fully lived out the values they learned marching thirty wide and four deep beneath the hot Georgia late summer sun. I think of the parents who, band geeks once themselves, gave so much time and energy to tell a kid who had just gone blind that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. And, I think of how it was always for the music, never for myself.
If you get a chance this summer, check out a DCI show in a town near you. In August, the final world championships is simulcasted through Regall Theatres. It's a perfect example of community values at play in our country.
