I don't want to sound too much like Tyrion Lannister here, but he--or at least the writers at HBO--was right when he said something like this: A group of people is the story that we tell ourselves. And they story that I tell myself about Heart 2019 is a happy one, full of firsts, full of achievement, and definitely full of work and committed effort.
Every single person in this marching band organization jumped in with both feet last spring and never stopped jumping through the summer and the fall marching season. We met and learned so much about our new director and some of our new staff. We welcomed back familiar staff as well. We said hello again to so many parents and kids and we all got into the business of making this 2019 season happen.
And what I personally love about it is that amidst all of the hard work and the meetings and the practices and the performances, we had so much fun. (Now, I'm not going to pretend that there weren't difficult days and that everyone loved each other endlessly. But when those moments occurred, they were met and overcome to something better and--I think--stronger.
Groups like marching band are always changing. And we've seen our fair bit of change this year. But the story that we tell ourselves is one of improvement and progress. Every year should be that. We face each year with the reality of having to say goodbye to some old friends as they begin new journeys. And we say hello to new people and new personalities to shake up the mix. Our story is always changing, but we agree to make it better.
The story of this year is one of the most well-documented years in this band's history. (Ain't technology grand?) So I don't need to spend any more time reminding you of what was done this year. Make a few clicks on your computer screen and you'll see it all: the summer practices, Tag Day, the first halftime show, the raincoats, the many runs of the show, competition successes, and so many people having a blast doing it.
But please, come to the Band Banquet this Wednesday night. You'll hear the story a bit more. You'll see all of those smiles again--both on-screen and in person. Let us say thank you face-to-face.