To the Raven Regiment and all Future Members,
It's no shock that college band is different than high school band. I went to a public high school with an incredibly competitive band that scored in the top 10 bands in the state of Colorado every year. Not only that, I was SUPER into it. I was a drum major for the last two years of high school, and band totally consumed my life. I was so invested in the competitive nature of the program, and I can honestly say it was the highlight of my high school career. As everything ended my senior year, I was concerned about transitioning to a college band because it lost the competitive nature. I thought that marching band wasn't worth it if I couldn't compete. Looking back, I realize that I gained something far more valuable than a trophy by continuing with marching band at Benedictine, and the defining characteristic of the Raven Regiment is something that I never found in my high school band; I found community.
Benedictine's marching band is unique in that it fosters community in ways I had never experienced. Day 1 of band camp began not with music, marching, or even the concept of our show. Instead, I walked into the Raven Regiment meeting new people and making connections with those around me. I wasn't used to that. You mean to tell me that we've got tons of people from tons of different backgrounds, some who don't know how to march, and some who are playing their instrument for the first time, and we aren't going to do anything to try and solidify the smorgasbord of experience that our band has? Now THAT was different than high school.
If you're reading this as a high school senior and are considering joining band, know that you're joining a family. Everyone, students and directors alike, is here to help you become a better musician and a better person. Just take the leap of faith and trust with full assurance that you are ending up in the right place. Between the directors, musical selections, and the work ethic of each student, the Raven Regiment has grown in so many ways, and I, for one, am proud to be a part of it. Our band is filled with knowledgeable musicians that I am honored to play next to every day, and their expertise has helped me grow as a musician, marcher, and leader. I never thought that I would be in a band that compares to the one I was in in high school, but as I complete my sophomore year, I stand corrected. If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would do it without hesitation. Yeah, it was rough at first, and sure, there were a lot of new problems that we had to face. But what family doesn't have that?
But the most important thing isn't how well we march or how blended our sound is. It isn't even how much better we are than other college bands (another shocker for 18-year-old me). Instead, band is ALWAYS about how every person was doing individually, emotionally, spiritually, socially, educationally, musically, you name it. In a nutshell, band at Benedictine College is never about band. Band is about you as a person, made in God's image and likeness, striving to become a better person with other people to walk with you. Everyone has different ways of doing that, and we do it through music.
If you are or were in the Raven Regiment, know that everything here applies to you. This band would not be the same without you. YOU. Believe it, because anyone here would say it's true.
~ Anna Hartman (SO/Montrose, CO)
