Blog 1: Growing as a Leader; A Reflection on My 2019 Drum Corps Season

To take care of others in the hardest parts of their lives can be overwhelming. You are the person people come to with issues ranging from minor need for a door to be opened to a raging sorrow caused by a fellow teammate. And when things go horribly wrong, you have to look past your own needs and emotions, and make sure that the team can continue moving forward. I think I was the last person to recover.

During my summer with Crossmen Drum & Bugle Corps, I acted as co-section leader with another member of the Front Ensemble, part of the larger percussion ensemble. Every day, for 85 days, I was tasked to make sure there was minimal blips in the radar, in terms of both musicianship and social behavior. I put out fires of all sizes while still having to do my non-leadership responsibilities in the highest capacities.

I learned that with such a high-functioning group that the easiest way to solve the unavoidable internal struggles was to truly just talk it out, peer to peer, member to member. I found it much more valuable to act as a guide than a manager.

This attitude, while not always easy to uphold, is what made the biggest struggles of the summer an overall massive success. There is not enough weight that can be put upon the importance of positive energy and selflessness when trying to be a leader. When you think about others, you will always do the right thing.