Change Isn’t Always Bad… by Claire

Change Isn’t Always Bad… by Claire - August 2026 Scholarship Essay

2 years ago - my sophomore year - I was in the middle of marching band rehearsal like every other Tuesday of that month. It was September so it was starting to get a little chilly outside, and frankly, I was getting a little cranky myself. We ran our practices set by set in order to stop and clean the drill before we would move on. I vividly remember we were struggling with this one set so badly, and I couldn’t quite wrap my head around why. At this point in my high school career - I thought that if I did everything right, then we wouldn’t have any problems - and If I can do it, they all should have been able to as well. Throughout this rehearsal, you could probably see that I was not happy and was actually starting to get annoyed with my fellow band mates.

After practice got over, I was packing up my clarinet, and one of our student teachers came up and asked to talk to me for a second. I thought because I had been doing so well within that rehearsal that I was going to be praised. I was very wrong. She told me something that I will never forget. She told me in the nicest manner possible, that I wasn’t contributing to help make the band better. She thought that maybe I was even creating problems - instead of fixing them. So, she suggested that I take a step back and only say things that encourage and support the others. Meanwhile, I believed I was already being a supportive band member, and now come to find out that people were starting to dislike me because of some side comments or beliefs I had.

I was embarrassed and devastated. I was honestly on the verge of tears. This was something I was not expected to hear - and didn’t think anyone would ever say that to me. But one thing was for sure - I was not going to let that be the person my band members see and remember. That night I couldn’t sleep. I was constantly up thinking and brainstorming ways that I could positively benefit my band for what they need - and not be selfish and think about what I want or can do to make myself better.

One thing that I have learned overtime and especially from this moment, is that actions speak louder than words. Additionally, you are only as good as your weakest link - which allowed me to realize that in order to help the band become successful, I needed to step up and help others be the best version of themselves. This moment allowed me to grow and become the leader I am today. Without this feedback from our student teacher - I probably would have never realized how negative I was being. Currently, I am the head Drum Major - and was an assistant and field commander for 2 years before that.

Constantly, I am thinking about how this one interaction changed the whole course of my high school marching band career. I cannot image the person I would be if our student teacher hadn’t had the confidence to come up to me and tell me honestly what I had been doing to the others. Frankly, she also inspired be to try to know and be on a personal level with my fellow peers.