I love marching band.
I mean, I really love marching band.
I love the moment before our first note, when the whole field goes quiet. I love hearing our sound come together. I even love rehearsals when we have to reset the same eight counts until everyone gets them right.
But lately, I’ve been wondering where my flute might take me after high school.
On the bus to contest, I can see what everyone is watching on their phones. Taylor Swift. Harry Styles. Sabrina Carpenter. Benson Boone. Brandon Lake.
Call me a band geek, but I’m watching the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.
They’re a military music group that marches and performs with fifes, drums, and bugles, wearing uniforms inspired by the Revolutionary War. A fife looks a little like my flute, but it has a brighter, sharper sound. When the whole group plays and moves together, I can’t look away.
I’ve watched their performances on my phone more times than I can count.
And today, they’re the featured performance group at our contest.
For the first time, I might get to hear them live.
Might is the word that worries me.
By the time we get off the bus, unload the instruments and equipment underneath it, and reach the warm-up area, their performance could be over.
My flute is already beside me. I’ve kept it close for the entire ride. But having my instrument ready won’t make the rest of the bus move any faster.
I glance at the clock on my phone.
Maybe we’ll make it.
But I have my doubts.
Could I Ever Play With Them?
That question started as a little daydream.
Then I began looking things up.
The Old Guard’s fifers play ten-hole fifes. I’ve never played one. The musicians I watch in those videos are also full-time Army soldiers. They audition for their positions and complete military training.
Suddenly, my daydream had a lot more questions in it.
Could I learn the fife? How good would I have to become? Would military service be right for me?
I don’t know the answers yet.
I do know I’d like to find out.
Wait. Is That Them?
The bus turns into the contest lot. I press closer to the window.
Across the pavement, a group in Revolutionary War-style uniforms is moving toward the stadium. I recognize the drums. Then I see the fifes.
“It’s them,” I say.
The friend beside me smiles. “We know.”
I turn toward her. “What do you mean, we know?”
Our band director steps into the aisle.
“Some of your friends told me how much you wanted to see the Old Guard,” he says. “We checked their performance time. The band agreed to leave two hours early so we could get here in time.”
I look around the bus.
Someone grins. Someone else gives me a little wave. A band member across the aisle says, “You’ve shown us enough videos. We figured we ought to see them, too.”
For a moment, I can’t think of anything to say.
We all got up earlier. We all climbed onto this bus earlier. They did that because they knew this mattered to me.
Then our director adds, “Come with me. I can take you to the band directors’ observation section. You’ll have a good view.”
I Get to Hear Them Live
From our seats, I can see the fifers taking their places.
The stadium speakers crackle.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today’s featured exhibition performance is the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps!
“Founded in 1960, this remarkable group is part of the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Its musicians wear uniforms inspired by those of George Washington’s Continental Army and bring the sounds of fifes, drums, and bugles to audiences across the country.
“The Corps has marched in every presidential inaugural parade since President John F. Kennedy’s in 1961. They’ve also performed at the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis 500, and the 1980 Winter Olympics.
“Please welcome the United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps!”
The crowd applauds. Beside me, my director smiles.
I barely notice. The fifers are lifting their instruments.
Then they play.
My phone has never captured that sound. The fifes are bright and clear, and the drums seem to move right through me. I watch their feet, their hands, the way they listen to one another.
I thought seeing them in person might make me feel closer to my dream.
It does.
It also shows me how much work that dream would take.
Beside me, my director watches the performance. I’m already trying to think of a hundred questions to ask him afterward.
There Are Other Military Bands, Too
The Old Guard is the group that first caught my attention. Once I began learning about them, I discovered other military music ensembles.
The Army has other bands. The Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard have musicians who perform in different kinds of ensembles, too. Some play concert music. Some march. Others perform in smaller groups or play styles I might never have expected to hear from a military band.
Each group has its own openings, auditions, and service requirements.
Maybe someday I’ll learn the fife and audition for the Old Guard. Maybe I’ll keep playing flute and discover another military band that feels right for me.
I don’t know yet. But I know I want to keep listening, keep practicing, and learn what those possibilities really involve.
Now It’s Our Turn
When the Old Guard finishes, I stand with my director and look for my bandmates.
Soon we’ll warm up. I’ll find my place on the field, listen for my entrance, and give our show everything I have.
This morning, I thought we were simply arriving early for a contest.
Now I know the whole band came early for me.
I may spend years finding out where my flute will take me. Today, it brought me here—to a performance I’ll never forget, and to the realization that the people riding beside me care about my dream.
When I take the field with them, I’ll be listening a little more closely than ever.
