From the eyes of a marcher, this sort of growth can be apparent through even high school. Paul Baldi, professional drummer and alumnus of four marching bands, can testify. He claims that, ”’Marching band is music, memorization, eye-hand coordination and good for your posture. It may hurt to be told your paradiddles suck, but it builds character. It’s a team sport. You create friendships that become your buddies for life. High school music is something focused to do. You don’t have to be great to belong, and members immediately have something in common.’” (DiFore). Similarly to fellow members of the band CAKE, marching and music helped him through the critical steps of high school, letting him easily adjust while moving from state to state. In spite of the joy and growth Chris, as well as many others, have gained from music, it continually becomes neglected in lieu of core classes, like math and science. It comes at a literal price, unfortunately. While there are fundraising opportunities for students to pay for their fair share, they are tossed into the chaos of a student’s life. As both musicians and normal students know, work is plentiful and sleep is scarce. We perform together from time to time, raising whatever we can. While a previous endeavor in May amounted to a pitiful sum of six dollars, it did purchase a piece of chocolate cake from the café we played outside for.
For now, all the students must rely on donations for the Music Program to stay alive. Chris, as such an eager musician, is well aware of what sort of consequences may arise from being underfunded. Despite the fact that the Music Program is one of the school’s most prominent aspects, next to Spartan Robotics, it does not receive nearly enough to reflect that. As Marissa knows, “I feel like, because of Marching Band, I have a lot more confidence in myself because coming, I didn’t have much confidence in anything I was doing. Being in Marching Band, I feel like I can push myself now because carrying the baritone was not easy at first. I feel like having to hold up a baritone for that long, you really need to push yourself. So. I think I’ve changed a lot in the past few weeks.” The benefit is there, even though it might not easily be seen. Fortunately, musicians know how to make themselves heard. Of course, Chris would be extremely interested in the preservation and advancement of Mountain View’s Music Program. I wanted to know if he was as passionate toward the experiences of others as he is toward the music, so I asked him if experiences like his are important. He told me “I don’t know what experiences like this mean, but if it means anything related to the Music Program, then ‘yes’.”