"There's no place like WVU Honor Band. There's no place like WVU Honor Band."

The title is true.

Background Information: WVU Honor Band lasted from February 12 to February 14. It was composed of some of the most talented high school musicians not only in this state but beyond, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Maryland. Mr. Leonard was kind enough to nominate Kristen and me, and last Thursday we headed to Morgantown.

The past three days...to try to describe all of the magnificent details would take pages and pages of typing. I already talked to my mum for two hours in the car on the way back about it, and I don't know if I'm up for a retelling just yet. So, I'll leave it to the basics and what I got from it.

Here we go...

I love musicians. It's that simple. I don't care if a lot of them have gigantic egos. I don't care if we all differ over what style of music is best. I love musicians. I love watching people talk about things like mouth pieces and musical brands and the various occupations within the field of music. I love how we are tied together with a melody.

To call those that I met amazing is an understatement to be sure. They aim to create music, to teach music, to play music, to live music. They are dedicated to the point of obsession, many of them performing multiple styles of music in multiple different bands on multiple instruments. Yes, I can't help but compare myself, and I'll admit that I do not even come close to the talent most showed. This detered me slightly at first. I wondered if I was cut out for this, if I was already too far behind to catch up. This thought was in the back of my mind throughout my time there, but it was shoved out completely as soon as I stepped outside of the CAC (Creative Arts Center) today to leave. I felt like a part of me was being ripped out, kept inside the practice rooms and performance area. I remembered how when practicing, time did not exist. I remembered going out to eat and feeling like it was a waste of my time because the only thing I wanted in my mouth was my mouthpiece or the bubbles of laughter I emitted frequently due to the humor of my stand partner. I cried and cried.

The fact that I am by far not the best musician, not even the best saxophonist, in my state is irrelevant. What is relevant? My love for music. I'll do whatever it takes to become better and worthy to pursue what I consider one of the noblest paths in life: music (in all forms). I want to continue the pattern of the past two days (wake up, eat, play music, eat, play music, eat, enjoy the night, sleep, repeat), not leave them behind as a simple high school memory. To do so would be a disservice to my soul.

I do not yet know where my passion will take me. That will come in time. For right now, it's comforting enough to know that I know what it is.
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman


Maybe no one cares about this, but I needed to let it out.




On a side note: Valentine's Day might have something in store for my mother as well. She received a singing Valentine's day message from an old friend of hers today, and I have a feeling that something might be in the works between the two of them. Yesss! Go, Mum!