Reflecting now, as I sit in my dorm room at UNC Chapel Hill, I am happy to report that the Myers Park Marching Band is a family that followed me to college. I have only been here for 4 days, but have already run into 5 upperclassmen who I knew through the marching band at MP. We have had a great time catching up, and, even though I haven’t marched with some of them in 3 years, they were still ready to help me acclimate to Chapel Hill in any way that they could. These past few days have reminded me just how much of a family that the MP Marching Band is. We definitely have our fair share of conflicts, but we have grown up together, and there is an indescribable bond that you have with those you have marched with. My best guess is that these connections stem from seeing each other at our worst, whether that is being hot, sweaty, and tired at the end of a long day at band camp or coming to friends for emotional support before practice after a rough day at school, there is a certain level of comfort that comes from spending so much time with the same group of people.
You only get as much out of this organization as you put in, but, I promise, if you give yourself over to the process and to the community that already exists here, you will get more than you could have ever imagined from the Myers Park Marching Band. I hope that this blog was helpful! Thank you for taking the time to read about my journey as a member of the Marching Mustangs!
Best,
Jennifer Judd