End of an Era

(Moved over from my previous blog because it's a post worth saving as far as I'm concerned.)

A few days back, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced that their long-time marching band director, Mike Leckrone, would be retiring at the end of this year.  His 50th year at the UW.

It is absolutely "The End of an Era."

I had the honor and pleasure of marching for Mike from 1991-1995. I was also a member of the office staff for the last three years of my time with the band. I don't know if I can even fully express all the valuable lessons I learned while in the UW Band. But. . . . I'm going to try.

Lesson #1: Don't give up. Failure is not an end.  The first year I tried out for the Band, in 1990, I was cut.  I didn't make it and I was crushed.  The tryouts, known as "Reg. Week," are not for the feint of heart.  In fact, if memory serves, they are brutal.  After being cut, I went to see Mike to ask him what I needed to do to make the Band the following year. He suggested I do these things: Go down to the instrument shop and get a loaner trumpet, sign up for the University Band (a non-audition band like what one does in high school), LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE TRUMPET WHILE IN SAID BAND, and try again the following year.I went back to my dorm and considered my options. . . . then I did exactly what he suggested. I didn't know how to play the trumpet but I knew people who did and so. . . I signed up, learned how to play and tried out again the next year.

Lesson #2: If you don't like it, do something about it.  The second year I tried out, I DID make the Band. . . . as an un-uniformed alternate (a "Sweater" alternate).  When the list came out, my name and a couple others were listed as a "go talk to Mike" at the end of the final cut.  So. . . back I went and this time Mike told me that he valued my hard work but didn't think I was ready yet to march in the block. I might have started to cry.  And. . . I remember this clearly. . . he leaned back in his chair, looked me dead in the eye and said, "I'm giving you a chance to show me you belong here." I worked my ass off that year.  I never got a marching spot--despite learning the entirety of most of the half-time shows.  At this point, I had dug in my heels.  By God, I WAS going to prove it and no one was going to stop me. I may have only been on the field during rehearsals but there was no way I was going to quit now.

Lesson #3: If it was easy, anyone could do it.  After my 3rd Reg Week, I finally earned a 1/2 spot on the block.  I was marching pregame shows. I was thrilled but it wasn't good enough.  I wanted a full-spot. Both pregame and half time shows. It wasn't easy to watch my friends "saddle up" for the half time show but it was a whole hell of a lot easier than watching the game from the student section. At this point, I had come to realize that what seemed pretty easy for about 200 other people was just going to take more from me.

Lesson #4: The harder you work, the sweeter the victory. I finally earned a full spot on the block during my 3rd year in the UW Marching Band. While I don't, empirically, know if this is true, I believe that I relished my time on the field more than a lot of band kids. . . . it was a long, hard road and I valued each time I put on my uniform, taped on my spats, and lined up for run ons and half time shows. I was also filled with a sense of pride because I'd had to work so hard.

Other, smaller lessons I learned from my association with Mike both as a band member and a band staff member:

*A broken copy machine is NO excuse (very helpful in my current job).

*Sometimes you don't mean to hurt something (like the band) but you do. Then you need to fix it.

*Quadruple check all your photocopies.  Hell hath no fury like 200+ band kids with bad charts.

*Own up to your screw-ups and endeavor to NOT repeat them. . . EVER.

*Perfection is a perfectly reasonable goal.

*Hard work does pay off.

*Even when you do a good job, sometimes you have to, "do it again."

*Frost bite is no excuse for crappy playing or crappy marching.

*Be tougher than the person next to you--or try to be.

*When you expect a lot from yourself and those around you, amazing things can be achieved.

*Big Band music is a thing of wonder.

*Bix Beiderbecke is an unsung hero.

*"EAT A ROCK" (Which--as far as I was ever able to understand--means you take something difficult and crush it with your will and determination while being stridently amazing in the process.)

So. . . today. . . when asked to reflect on an educator that impacted me and had a lasting effect on my life, I instantly thought of Mike Leckrone.  I am, sincerely, a better person for having been a part of the UW Marching Band.