LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP

All I ever needed to know, I learned in Marching Band

In 1991, Pharrell Williams, a renowned musician and music producer with 13 Grammy Awards, played snare drum in his high school marching band. During this time, he met his long-time musical partner, Chad Hugo, and now they link the lessons they learned as teenagers to their professional success. With my post-secondary program of study being music production, I thought it was only right to draw a connection between the lessons I've taken away from marching band and how to turn that into a successful career. Repetition and respect are two things that are strengthened by time spent in marching band. These lessons are not learned during the Grammy Acceptance Ceremony at all, but all anyone ever needs to know about repetition and respect can be learned in marching band.

In life, repetition has always been a common theme, no matter the scenario. Take the drum line, for example; without every drummer playing in time, no piece of music works. Building on that, Pharrell has said that he loved playing in the percussion section because it meant doing things over and over again to get it right. Pharrell applied this to his career by listening to his Grammy Award-winning song "Happy" constantly - in and out of the studio - in order to perfect it. This teaches us that the recipe for success is practicing, and Marching Band didn't just teach me this, but it engraved the concept in my brain more and more every single year. With every "One more time!" from Mr. Kokus (even though everyone knew it wasn't the last time), we weren't just learning a form in a halftime show; we were learning how to deal with challenging situations. All I ever needed to know about repetition, I learned in Marching Band.

Another very important and multi-applicable life lesson learned from Marching Band is respect. It was always encouraged to show respect to the staff, as they take every Friday night to ensure we have a successful band. When Pharrell was in high school, his teacher, Alan Sharps, always encouraged him to expand his musical talent. So in 2009, Pharrell honored Mr. Sharps in front of nearly 10,000 people by telling his percussion section, "My drum teacher is in the crowd tonight, so you better play good." Showing how, despite being a professional musician, he still holds his mentors in high regard. This applies to my life in a very similar way, as 1 play live music for local establishments. Every time I have a gig, I invite Mr. Kokus and make sure to tell the crowd he is there. Mr. Kokus is someone who always respected my musical talent and encouraged me to expand my horizons, just like Mr. Sharps. His influence is what made me want to pursue music as a career, and for that, I have never taken Mr. Kokus for granted. The way he treats me, in and out of the marching band setting, has taught me that all it takes to make a difference is respect. All I ever needed to know about respect, Hearned in Marching Band.

In summation, the lessons learned in Marching Band are catalysts for success to all those who choose to apply them. Musicians such as Pharrell Williams apply the wisdom learned in Marching Band to go from being a snare drummer in high school to being a multi-Grammy Award-winning artist. I am hoping to apply the knowledge I have of repetition and respect to also become a successful music producer. I have full confidence that this is achievable because all 1 ever needed to know about repetition and respect, I learned in Marching Band.

• Anthony Swander (2026)