I’m a recovering band parent. My daughter graduated from high school and the marching band last year. However, at the Memorial Day Parade in our small town today, my heart still thrilled to the sound of John Phillip Sousa, played as the band marched crisply down our main street. Tears still filled my eyes when the trumpeters played “Taps”, even though my daughter is no longer one of the performers.
Music tugs at some deep part of our hearts and souls. Every culture has music in some form. Human beings can’t seem to survive without it. But why a marching band?
My theory is that it’s the teamwork. A diverse group of individuals has to work together in perfect unison to create a marching band. Maybe it’s because writing is a solitary profession so I find that sort of connection enviable. Or maybe it’s because I admire the willingness of the individual to merge his identity into the good of the whole.
No matter what the reason, I love a parade.
