For those who have been keeping up with my opinion columns, you know I have been practicing with the London Community Band to perform in its 25th annual patriotic concert honoring Mr. Jack Walker, who died on June 16 of this year. At the concert, there were tears from just about everyone. We also sounded awesome.
We performed at First Baptist Church in London. My momma, her husband, Markus, my sister Whitney, my dad, his wife Penny and her mom, Pauline, all came to support me. It felt like middle and high school all over again. Just like back then, I looked out into the crowd, scanning from left to right and spotted both my parents smiling back at me. It reminded me even though I’m not in school anymore, I still have people who show up for me. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being grateful for things like that.
We had a decent sized band. I believe more than 80 people partcipated, including band directors, former students of Mr. Walker and community members. Some people missed rehearsals and only had time to show up for the concert, so I had no idea what we’d sound like until the performance. Thankfully, everything came together. We had a full sound and it was really cool to hear.
We played 10 patriotic pieces. One, titled “On a Hymnsong of Phillip Bliss,” was a tribute to Mr. Walker. A slideshow of photos played during the piece. During rehearsal before the concert began, Mark Sizemore, my high school band director and this year’s conductor for the LCB, gave a speech that had a lot of us in tears. I heard Corbin High School choir director and saxophonist Nick Hibbard say something like, “Wow, this piece just got really blurry,” and I laughed because mine did too.
Playing the piece in front of an audience was even harder. I cried through almost the entire piece and spent most of it trying to keep myself together so I could play well. At the end of it, Mr. Sizemore placed a baton on the podium and stepped away. The lights turned off and a single spotlight shined on the baton in memory of Mr. Walker. The last slide of the presentation read, “Teacher. Conductor. Mentor. Leader. Your legacy lives on.”
It was emotional, but we made it through. Mr. Walker isn’t the kind of person people forget, and I know our local band community won’t let his legacy fade. During the concert, Mr. Sizemore said Mr. Walker poured into people. If we want to keep his legacy alive, we should do the same.
Thank you to conductors Mr. Sizemore and Mr. James Adams for taking over and giving me a really good experience, and thanks to guest conductor Jacob Smith. It was good to see you again after so long. I hope life continues to treat you well.
After the concert, I spent time with my sister, Whitney, and it made me really happy. Recently, we’ve become really close. In a lot of ways, she’s become one of my best friends. Growing up, we fought all the time because we are only 18 months apart in age. Life has changed a lot this year, and I’m thankful through all of it, my sister continues to be there and remains a constant.
Reader, I hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July. Thank you for the kind words you’ve shared about my recent opinion columns. It truly makes my day when someone tells me they’ve enjoyed reading them. So, thank you.
