Well, It's been a few weeks since I last posted on my blog so this is gonna be a longer one than usual because there is a lot to cover. The past few weeks have been....... interesting to say the absolute very least.
Firstly, Musical practice has been in full swing for a while. For those who don't know, we are performing the musical production Guys and Dolls. At first I was kind of upset with my part because he wasn't a well known part. I'm kind of like the lead's best friend. So at first I thought my character was just a shadow trying to be great but always being hidden. But this isn't the case, I'm the best friend that does everything with the lead. We have a duet, a trio with another character, and I have a lot of lines at the same time as him. So I'm in essence a lead, but I'm not labeled as a lead. My songs are also mainly the harmony in the songs which is a lot of fun. I love singing the harmony. And in the chorus songs, I get to sing either the high tenor line, or even the soprano line at times (in falsetto which is also fun) and it is very challenging because their aren't that many tenors there. We have a long way to go, but it will get there eventually.
Next, Marching band is going absolutely fantastic. Our sets are coming together, the music is getting better every day, and we are overall improving. Just in time too, as we are traveling to Baker University for a marching competition this Wednesday. It's gonna be great, we may be a small band but I expect us to get at least a decent rating. This competition isn't ranked, they just give a general score on how you performed. Our marching show is title "Family" and we play We Are Family, I'll Be There (I have a very small solo in this one), and Who Are You (This one is giving us the most trouble). The show itself is very fun and entertaing but Who Are You is so high and fast, and we aren't used to this caliber of music. I love the challenge, but it's precisely that, a challenge. I expect us to do well though.
While on the topic of marching bands, the best news I could've gotten came in an E-mail about a week and a half ago. I was accepted once again to participate in the All-Star Invitational Marching Band! The greatest experience of my life was coming again to offer me another round. I can't even explain in words how this experience changed my life. Firstly, I got to play IN FRONT OF 80,000 PEOPLE in the BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! My heart was about to explode as I stood on the field waiting for the conductor to start us off. Watching all those people staring, watching, ready to be entertained, was indescribable. After we started, my heart pulse was normal again and all I could think of was all the practice and dedication I had that week being put to the test in our field show. It was a fantastic show and I'll never forget it. Secondly, the people I met. Some of my best friends were made in a matter of a few days. Our bond is unbreakable and all it took was a common goal. To be the best we can be. Shared experiences are one-of-a-kind, but to share an experience like this is even more rare. To play in the National Championship game with 100 other people you know nearly nothing about and only just met. That's not something everyone can say. I'll never forget how we sounded that first practice. We barely even said, "Hello" before we practiced and we sounded SO GREAT! The conductor just waved his baton and a wave of sound emerged, we were all in time, we played correct dynamics (for the most part) we all nearly had the music memorized and we played so great. The same can't be said for other bands I've played with. It baffles me to this day how it was even possible. I really look forward to doing it again, but the people I performed with in this band first, will always have a special place in my heart. We still keep in touch and I love it when we talk and catch up, even when halfway across the country.
Lastly, this weekend was also very life-changing in a very, very different way. Friday after the football game, (which we lost, but it was a good game) 14 others from my youth group and I went to Branson for the weekend to stay in a lakehouse owned by our youth pastor's in-laws. He drove us from 11:30 P.M. to 5:30 A.M. to get there. In the bus, we played Mafia, (card game) Sang 99 Bottles of Pop all the way through, played Pokemon and Minecraft, and stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up Pokemon X but only to be dissappointed it wasn't there, (we went to another Wal-Mart the next day and got it) and finally made it. We slept until ten, and after we ate breakfast we found out the reason we came. We had a general idea why, we knew it was to learn about leadership but we didn't really know what we were doing. We had sessions, discussions, and activities throughout the day and walked through what type of leaders we were and how to apply that to our school, community, and church. I found out I'm very good at teaching and helping when it doesn't come to spreading the Word of God. Which I'm a little embarressed of. But this knowledge will help me to fix my flaws and to empower my strengths. We did other fun things of course like wiffleball, frisbee, more Pokemon, swimming in FREEZING pools, etc. but the main idea was to grow closer to God and to spread the Word, and His Love to others.
Well, this has been the past couple weeks in the life of Billy Hatfield, Band Geek, Nerd, and Potential Leader.
