This story was written for a graduate course at Nazareth College, LTED 618, in the Spring 2017 semester.
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Macy is distressed.
She paces around her room at an increasing speed, worrying endlessly about tomorrow's parade. She is the leader, after all, so everything really depends on her. The same thoughts are running through her head on repeat.
I really want to win. I have put in my best efforts. I know I'm ready. Is anyone else ready? The drums really need to be on point. We can never win if they aren't focused and playing well. We need them for our rhythm. Is Stanley a good enough leader? Ugh! Will the piccolos ever be in tune? Portia is always really flat on her high notes. The judges really have an ear for that. They'll definitely notice if someone is out of key.
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Tomorrow will be Macy’s first parade as the drum major of her marching band. Under the rule of others, the band has won every competition in the past three years. This really puts a lot of stress on Macy—she has a lot to live up to. As she continues to pace around her bedroom, she hears her mother’s voice from the hallway.
“Macy! I can’t listen to your pacing anymore. You’re giving me anxiety. Go take a nap or something!”
Macy rolled her eyes and stopped her nervous feet. After thinking about it for a few seconds, she decided her mother was right. A nap would probably do her some good. She walked over to her bed and lay down, trying to clear her mind before drifting off to sleep. As she slept, she dreamt of her band.
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Macy had attended drumline practice earlier that week. Stanley, the drum captain, had been in total control of his drummers. They were in perfect lines. As they marched, they were in perfect step.
Macy watched as Stanley drilled the basses on their part. Within minutes they weren’t just banging on their drumheads, they were in perfect sync with each other. The beat was perfect every time. Macy remembered back to earlier practices in the season. The baseline had been messing up the beat and throwing off everyone’s marching in the whole band.
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=53bf79228822&maxw=1024&maxh=1024)
Once the baseline was perfect, Stanley instructed the quads to add in their part and play along. It was clear that Quentin, senior quad player, had been working with the younger players. They all had the rhythm down and they, too, were in sync.
The drumline as a whole was ready. They had each cadence in perfect memory. They didn’t mess up even once the whole rest of the practice! The song went flawlessly—Stanley had truly whipped them into shape, so to speak. The drumline was ready, and they were the backbone of the band.
Macy had nothing to worry about.
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=53bf79228822&maxw=1024&maxh=1024)
As the drum major, Macy took it upon herself to pay close attention to each of the sectionals during practice. As she watched the low brass section of trombones, tubas, baritones, and baritone-saxophones, she was shocked by what she had seen—shocked, again. Brandon, the section leader, finally had each of his members marching in-step as they played. They were doing both things at once!
The baritone-saxophones were in-tune. They weren’t squeaking on their higher notes. The whole baseline was flawless—just like the bass drums during their practice. Hearing this low brass play alongside the drumline was like magic in Macy’s ears. They played as one singular unit—the perfect foundation for the performance.
Macy had nothing to worry about.
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=53bf79228822&maxw=1024&maxh=1024)
When Macy had attended the middle-voices sectional, she was able to watch as Abby Sue, the section leader, drilled her section of alto- and tenor-saxophones, mellophones, and clarinets. They ran through the quick part of the song over and over until everyone formed a part of a solid, uniform, sound. Not one single instrument was lagging behind! No one was rushing ahead! Everyone was on tempo! It sounded perfect! There had never been any question about their marching, but once Macy was able to see the combination of marching and playing, she was sure. They looked great, they sounded great, it was pristine.
Macy had nothing to worry about.
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=53bf79228822&maxw=1024&maxh=1024)
The last sectional Macy attended before watching the whole band practice together was the melody voices, including flutes, piccolos, and trumpets. Florence, who was the section leader and Macy’s second in command due to her position as the point in parade formation, was prepared. As they practiced, she had her tuner in hand and was consistently checking everyone’s sound—Thank Sousa!! Macy knew the band really needed those piccolos in tune on all their notes—especially the higher notes.
The trumpets weren’t too overpowering; we could hear the flutes and piccolos playing along with them. The melody sounded perfect; there was no question what song the band was playing. As they marched, they were in step and their lines looked perfectly spaced out.
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This story was written for a graduate course at Nazareth College, LTED 618, in the Spring 2017 semester.
![StoryJumper Logo](https://www.storyjumper.com/images/cloud-logo-250.png)
Macy is distressed.
She paces around her room at an increasing speed, worrying endlessly about tomorrow's parade. She is the leader, after all, so everything really depends on her. The same thoughts are running through her head on repeat.
I really want to win. I have put in my best efforts. I know I'm ready. Is anyone else ready? The drums really need to be on point. We can never win if they aren't focused and playing well. We need them for our rhythm. Is Stanley a good enough leader? Ugh! Will the piccolos ever be in tune? Portia is always really flat on her high notes. The judges really have an ear for that. They'll definitely notice if someone is out of key.
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=e45692102992&maxw=512&maxh=512)
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=75-4yufgsdln-5afyew9lf&maxw=256&maxh=256)
![](https://images2-cdn.storyjumper.net/transcoder.png?trim&id=6a-pttf2qjru9-5afymhtrh&maxw=68&maxh=68)
Tomorrow will be Macy’s first parade as the drum major of her marching band. Under the rule of others, the band has won every competition in the past three years. This really puts a lot of stress on Macy—she has a lot to live up to. As she continues to pace around her bedroom, she hears her mother’s voice from the hallway.
“Macy! I can’t listen to your pacing anymore. You’re giving me anxiety. Go take a nap or something!”
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