Sussex Central High Marching Band

Katherine performed at her first game with the marching band last Thursday.  I hadn't been to a football game in a while.

A friend commented "I bet your mind was really working, thinking about high school".  Actually, it wasn't.  In a rare moment of UN-nostalgia, I was not thinking about my high school days (well, not that much.)

Instead, I was focused on our Katherine and her band.  I watched as she practiced at the end of the field, giving me a little wave when she saw me approach.  I watched as the band marched out for the pre-game show, and listened for her clarinet.  I watched for her director, Mr. Nicholas Greeson, this being his first performance with our school, and wondered what he might be thinking.

I watched as the teams took the field, and thought of Joe Biden's recent comments about his own football days.  I noticed how filled the stands were, especially on our visitor's side.  There were a couple of loud fans... not obnoxious at all, but eager to cheer players by name.  They were obviously former players, probably the fathers of kids on the field.

The band sat at the end of the bleachers.  The percussion section, sometimes accompanied by the rest of the band, played throughout the game.  They obviously enjoyed it. I tried to duplicate the drum rhythms on my bleacher seat, hoping they would get ingrained in my head so I could do it later.

I thought of our son who was considering entering band.  He initially thought of percussion, but we are steering him towards another instrument, such as the sax, so that he can learn to read music (not just rhythm).  Our logic is that he will then be able to use that skill throughout his life.  But watching the percussion section, and seeing how much they enjoyed their work, I wondered if we were doing the right thing.  Perhaps Elias can make his own duplicator, duplicate himself, and do both.

During the third quarter, the band made its way over to the concession stand for a late dinner, as they came to the game directly from school.  Katherine came back with water.  "Didn't you want anything else?," I asked.  "They didn't have anything I wanted," she said.  "Are you hungry?"  "No, not really."  Then I noticed something sticking out of her pocket.  "What's that?," I asked.  "Oh, those are my Swedish fish."  I felt much better knowing that she would not go hungry.

I, on the other hand, was about to run the half-marathon, and needed to stock up on protein and carbohydrates.  Fortunately the concession stand offered a hot dog, diet coke, and peanut M&Ms.