- Joined
- Dec 11, 2018
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction Score
- 76
Please bear with me through this illustration.
When my daughter was entering high school, my wife and I sat down with her to discuss electives. At some point we said, “One of them has to be band,” to which she replied, “They’re MY electives, don’t I get to choose?” Fair point, but unfortunately, no, and here’s why: The band program in our local high school (Hebron High School, Carrollton, Texas) is likely one of the best in the country, year in and year out. They win competitions (Symphonic and Marching), they get named top band in Texas, they attend Midwest Clinic, Bands of America, march in the Rose Parade, etc. Their director is a phenomenal guy, focused as much on turning children into adults as he is on producing beautiful music. In short, he and his program are all about excellence.
We told our daughter this, and we told her that we thought it was vitally important that she be exposed to that environment. We wanted her to be a part of something beautiful, elegant, aspirational, and ultimately rewarding. And not just be a part of it, but hopefully internalize it – see and do the work required, watch the results of that dedication bear fruit, share the experience with others equally dedicated, and apply the lessons learned to the rest of your life.
This is why I am a fan of the UCONN Women since about 2012. Full disclosure: I never played basketball, I am woefully ignorant of the subtleties of the skills, strategies, and details of the players and games, (but I am slowly learning) and I have absolutely no other connection to UCONN. But basking in the glow of UCONN Women’s Basketball is the same experience to me as my relationship with Mozart – I know and appreciate beauty when it touches me, and boy, do I LOVE the program!
Mozart is/was not the only great composer, Mr. Sealy of the Hebron Band is not the only great educator, and Geno is not the only great basketball coach. But the commitment to excellence is absolutely phenomenal, intoxicating to me, and I am soooo grateful to be a fan, (hopefully) win or lose, year after year…..So thank you Geno and CD and all the rest for your example and all the joy over the years, and thank you Boneyard people for sharing it with me and educating me along the way.
When my daughter was entering high school, my wife and I sat down with her to discuss electives. At some point we said, “One of them has to be band,” to which she replied, “They’re MY electives, don’t I get to choose?” Fair point, but unfortunately, no, and here’s why: The band program in our local high school (Hebron High School, Carrollton, Texas) is likely one of the best in the country, year in and year out. They win competitions (Symphonic and Marching), they get named top band in Texas, they attend Midwest Clinic, Bands of America, march in the Rose Parade, etc. Their director is a phenomenal guy, focused as much on turning children into adults as he is on producing beautiful music. In short, he and his program are all about excellence.
We told our daughter this, and we told her that we thought it was vitally important that she be exposed to that environment. We wanted her to be a part of something beautiful, elegant, aspirational, and ultimately rewarding. And not just be a part of it, but hopefully internalize it – see and do the work required, watch the results of that dedication bear fruit, share the experience with others equally dedicated, and apply the lessons learned to the rest of your life.
This is why I am a fan of the UCONN Women since about 2012. Full disclosure: I never played basketball, I am woefully ignorant of the subtleties of the skills, strategies, and details of the players and games, (but I am slowly learning) and I have absolutely no other connection to UCONN. But basking in the glow of UCONN Women’s Basketball is the same experience to me as my relationship with Mozart – I know and appreciate beauty when it touches me, and boy, do I LOVE the program!
Mozart is/was not the only great composer, Mr. Sealy of the Hebron Band is not the only great educator, and Geno is not the only great basketball coach. But the commitment to excellence is absolutely phenomenal, intoxicating to me, and I am soooo grateful to be a fan, (hopefully) win or lose, year after year…..So thank you Geno and CD and all the rest for your example and all the joy over the years, and thank you Boneyard people for sharing it with me and educating me along the way.
