Reflection

Thinking about the process and product of your Capstone, reflect upon what you are most proud of and what you might do differently if you were to complete a similar project in the future?

Since I heard about capstones my freshman year, I knew i would want to make a capstone revolved around marching bass drums. I am most proud of how much I was able to compile into one piece. I was able to bring in parts from all seven of the shows I marched in my four years. I was also able to add parts from warm ups and cadences to really bring a good summary of my time. If I was to complete a similar project in the future, I would do better time managment and paying attention to deadlines. If I had used all the time I was given, my capstone could have been even better than it is.

Explain how your life experiences are reflected through your project.

I joined band in fifth grade as percussion and have stuck with it since. When I learned marching band was a thing I knew I had to be apart of it. I fell in love with the marching bass drum and have now played it for seven seasons. These seasons include four marching seasons and three indoor percussion seasons. My capstone tries to show my journey through multiple parts and rythms. The first main section of my capstone is the bass feature of my senior marching band show. Then the piece goes on to all my other shows finally leading to the end. My capstone ends with parts from my freshman year marching band show. The finally of the piece is the french horn solo that started that first show, but played by marching bass drums to truly wrap up the journey.

Thinking about the extra-curricular hours you completed, reflect upon what you learned through the experiences and/or how you have been impacted as an artist.

Looking back at the hours I completed, I never realized how much time I spend with band as a whole. I put thousands of hours into the fine arts in only four years. Through that time I learned many valuable life skills. I learned how to collaborate with a group of people to make an amazing final product. I learned to never give up even when things get tough through the long days of marching band. I learned how to interpret music in other ways through conert percussion. Band has truly taught me better than acutal high school has and I will never forget that.

How is your life positively impacted by the arts?

My life is positively impacted by the arts because it gives me an escape from school and the real world. There have been many times where I been overstressed from school and band was there to calm me down. Another major it has impacted me is the experiences I've had. I have had once in a lifetime experiences with band, from playing at a NASCAR championship race to playing in the tunnel while the Arizona Cardinals run out. Above all else, band has given me friends and mentors I will be forever grateful for. If it wasn't for my friends in band, I would not have gotten through high school. My friends were always there to back my corner and my mentors were there to get me stronger.

How do you plan to include artistic experiences in your future after high school?

As I am in many fine arts activities in high school, this will change in the future. While I do plan to stay engaged in the fine arts, I am going for a degree in mechanical engineering. I will be studying at Northern Arizona University and I have plans to join their marching band as a marching bass drum player. Other than that, I have no other plans to pursue music after high school. I did have plans to join an independent indoor percussion group, but going to NAU makes those plans hard to accomplish as all of the groups are at least three hours away. I will continue to cheer on my friends as they pursue music in different ways.

What advice would you an incoming freshman about studying the arts to help them make the most of their experiences while in high school?

There is one piece of advice that I remember from my freshman year. A senior said one simple thing during band camp, "stick with it". They said that no matter how hard it gets or how much you don't want to go, just stick with it and it'll be worth it in the end. This is the advice I pass on to any incoming freshman or even current member of the fine arts in high school. I wouldn't be the same person without everything band has given me and that's because I stuck with it. I have seen time after time, people leave band just to regret it in the long run. So to any incoming freshman, stick with it, get involved, and have fun because if you do that, then you're going to have a life changing experience.