Dear Mr. Glover:
I know that we have been formally introduced by my husband, and you probably know me as “Jay’s wife”, or some other reference (hopefully flattering, especially if it came from Jay) - but I wanted to take the opportunity to email you, tell you a little bit about myself, and share my experiences this summer as a “family member” of the Pride of Yorktown - your incredibly outstanding, hard-working marching band!When Jay and I talked, well over a year ago, about him potentially working with you to help rebuild the Marching Band program, I was already excited…we had just attended a YHS Marching Band Alumni reunion, held by former YHS marching band members Abby Hall and Jennifer Reese (Drum Major Lauren’s Aunt). The reunion really allowed me to see through my husband’s eyes the lifelong friendships that can be formed by participating in a marching band program. You see, I am a show choir girl - please don’t hold that against me! I graduated from Lawrence Central in Indianapolis in 1988. I was an elite member of the show choir Central Sound…I had to pay my dues for two years as a crew member in order to join the ranks of singer/dancer…and then, the real hard work began! We toured all over the country, practiced and practiced and practiced until I thought my legs would fall off and my voice would crack! It took a lot of discipline, hard work, and sacrifice…but it was NOTHING compared to how hard the Spirit of Central (our field show marching band) worked to continuously sweep title after title, year in and year out.
So when my husband speaks of the “glory days” - that incredible period of time between 1984 - 1990 where the Yorktown High School Marching Band was at its height of glory - I watch as his eyes sort of glaze over and his mind transports back to a time where the work was hard, but the friendships formed are still rewarding even today!
And he shared with me how he had this desire for our son (who is 12 and plays trombone) and our daughter (who is 6 and is convinced that she is going to be a drum major or color guard captain) to have the same experience in Yorktown’s music program that he and I had when we attended high school. His intentions were NOT to live vicariously THROUGH our children, but to do whatever it took to provide them with the same opportunity, and allow them to experience the adrenaline rush of performing in front of thousands and the rewards that result from hard work, sacrifice and commitment to a goal.
It was a no-brainer - I wanted my husband to fully immerse himself in the project of helping you in rebuilding this once glorious band…as I type this, I envision a “phoenix-from-the-flame” type of scenario - I always have had the flair for the dramatic!
So the summer, as well as the work, began…band rehearsals, staff meetings, performances, contests…the whole 9-yards! Our lives began to revolve around our family calendar - with YHS Band quickly rising to the top of the priority list. Childcare was arranged (with a huge thank-you going to my mother-in-law…a former Selma High School marching band alum!), family time was established, my work schedule’s flexibility was truly put to the test…and somehow, some way, it all came together with minimal meltdowns (mostly from the 6-year old, who learned this summer that serious grounding will ensue if you try and pit mom against dad to get your own way!). I re-learned how to “suck it up” and not whine at the end of the day when all I wanted to do was collapse…and yet there was still the tasks of picking of the kids, feeding them, spending time with them and then getting them to bed before Daddy got home. Thankfully, Daddy usually made it home in time to kiss them good night before they fell asleep.
It was by the grace of God that I didn’t forget something uber-important, such as…picking the kids up from their Grammy’s house! We ran our family like a tight ship, and it forced us to make every minute together count — and I thank you for that, Mr. Glover, because we are a stronger family, and Jay and I have a stronger marriage because of it!
After the kids were tucked snugly in their beds (with stern warnings to stay in their rooms and let mommy and daddy have some “alone” time), Jay and I developed this habit of actually sitting down and TALKING every evening! We would “decompress” - discuss the day, the challenges ahead, and make sure that we were on the same wavelength, for at least the next 24 hours! Those conversations allowed me to get to know the band members, staff and parents…even though we had never met. My husband is a very kind man, and very very rarely ever talks bad about anyone…ever…so I was able to learn all of the good qualities of everyone involved and never saw the struggles that I know happen during the course of a season (just had a flashback to my old show choir days - those were some temper tantrum ripe periods in my life!). As we talked each day, my excitement to see the band “in action” grew and grew!
Now…for the “groupie” part of our summer:
I could very easily tell people that it was my daughter’s idea to get all dressed up, paint our faces and scream and yell until our throats were raw…but the truth is…it was all MY IDEA! And I am dang proud of it too! After Jay was resolutely chided one evening for not giving me an opportunity to get a Narnia shirt as a show of support, the kids and I packed into the car the very next day and hit store after store after store until we had crafted the PERFECT band contest ensemble. I consider it our trademark - and let me tell you - it is incredibly easy to spot those children in a fair crowd!
But it was important to me to show the musicians, and the staff, and the parents…few of whom I had met…none of whom I really KNEW…that our family was behind them, supporting them and promoting them - 150%!!!
And so we (me and the kids) developed a “contest day routine” - which involved Mommy taking a ½ day at work, coming home, taking a NAP (very important!), getting up, getting dressed, getting the kids dressed and “made-up”, piling into the car, hitting an ATM machine, whipping through the drive-thru at McDonald’s (you want fries with that?), and then closely following the Google Map that Daddy had left for us. (I pride myself on my sense of direction…but the ONE TIME I recklessly abandoned the Google Map, I ended up in REDKEY after the CENTERVILLE contest - you figure out how I did that!)
Once arriving at the contest, we would spread various items out and about (blankets, water bottles, programs, whatever was handy in the ever-elusive Vera Bradley Tote Bag turned “Groupie Bag”) in an effort to save seats for any band parents who didn’t think we were too goofy looking to be see with in public. As the season wore on, the Groupie Bag included such items as Battery Powered Sprayer Misters, Rain Ponchos, Umbrellas, Sunscreen, frozen bottled water and the increasingly important set of walkie-talkies. I stretched the bag’s seams and it weighed more than my daughter, but by golly, we were PREPARED! Wind, rain, snow, monsoon, and maybe even mudslide or earthquake, we had it all and were willing to share!
My stomach would tighten when I would see the band transition out onto the field. Jay would always text me when Yorktown would line up (texting had become our main form of communication once rehearsals began every day) and I would have the kids search for their daddy. They would squeal with joy when they found them…and, I must say, my heart did a little flip…because he really IS a handsome guy!
Then I would begin shooting pictures.
I love my camera! It does this auto-focus, auto-snap thing…and so I let it do its thing! And I would snap, snap, snap the entire performance…hoping that at least one shot would be stellar. I wanted to capture it all…so that I would never forget this special summer!
Then…after the performance (as well as before YHS even took the track) I would scream my fool head off…that was my favorite part!
Depending on where YHS was in the lineup, the kids and I would watch the rest of the bands and then would watch as the kids, staff and contest officials prepared for the awards ceremony. A trip or two to the concession stand was usually in order during the wait, as was the essential potty-break (or two, if you are my daughter).
Once the results were announced, we would pile back into the car and begin our trek home. My son, who believes he has “arrived” now that he is 12 and can sit in the front seat with me, would engage me in conversation the entire way back. We connected - in a way that is usually foreign when a child enters puberty - and we talked about things that are important, but too tough to talk about when your little sister is awake and demanding every moment be focused on her.
I tell you all of this Mr. Glover, because I want you to know how important YHS Marching Band is to our family - not just to Jay, but to all of us! The summer, although admittedly the most challenging one in our married lives, has reaped some really wonderful fruit - we are a stronger family, we communicate better, we learned patience, self-control and dedication to something that didn’t necessarily primarily benefit us. We learned how to say please and thank you to each other, and even caught ourselves praying for the band before we ate our McDonald’s on the way to each contest. We learned to sit on bleachers for hours at a time and sacrifice the coveted “personal space”, and that if you were obnoxious enough (in a good kind of way), people around you would cheer for your band as they took the field.
Oh yeah, and the most important lesson of all…we learned that you treat all band performances, performers, and parents with respect - and ALWAYS cheer LOUDLY for schools in your own county…and also when they bring tears to your eyes when the performance is just THAT GOOD (Anderson Highland did that to me at the State Fair…as did YHS’s performance at Family Preview night…I was too nervous at the State Fair!).
Mr. Glover, you have done a phenomenal job this summer. You took a group of kids who didn’t know the first thing about marching, and taught them how to reach and achieve a goal. You taught them that their best IS GOOD ENOUGH…and that you are always proud of them. These experiences this summer will be looked back upon fondly for the rest of their lives.
I hope that Jay was a great help to you this summer…please know that he is always there to help you…lend you an ear…dispense some advice from both a parent’s and former band member’s perspective, and always support you. No matter what.
But most importantly, Mr. Glover, I want to thank you…for being you.
Sincerely,
Liane J. Harrold
Wife of Jay
Mother of Matthew (6th grade Trombone player, looking forward to his first marching season)
Mother of Rachel (1st grade Diva, destined to be either Drum Major and Color Guard captain)
And die-hard YHS Marching Band Supporter! 
January 1st, 2008 by 
Liane
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