Xpress: Musicians are normal people, too

Why do a lot of people my age think that if you are in the band that you are a nerd? I wish my peers understood what a sacrifice it is to be in the band instead of focusing on how weird we are. Playing an instrument takes dedication and commitment. We have to get up early in the morning and stay after school practicing, sometimes until late in the day. In the summer, we give up our time to just "hang out" to have marches and formations drilled into our heads. Usually band camp is in the hottest part of the summer. But do we get glory? No, we get teased because we are not the jocks or the cheerleaders. Just like at the football games, we are the sideshow and not the main attraction.

Do I sound frustrated? If I do, that's because I am! I have lugged my instrument around along with my backpack since elementary school. When I first started in band, everyone thought that it was cool that I was learning to play an instrument. As a matter of fact, my peers were somewhat jealous that I could do something that they couldn't. I don't know what happened between then and now. Somewhere in middle school it became nerdy to be a musician. At some point, I went from being a talented musician to being an outcast.

Kids my age just don't get it. We spend all of our time with each other while practicing and at band functions. Many times even our lunch period ends up being in the band room. We do fundraisers on Saturdays and these take us away from regular free time on the weekends. Many weekends the entire time is spent preparing for competitions or competing around the state. Then after we arrive home late from games on Friday (after being the sideshow) and spending all day Saturday with band activities, that leaves us with only Sunday to study. So, does this make us nerds or committed? I choose to see myself as committed. Am I a nerd? I don't think so! Do I have a life outside of band? Sometimes I wonder. Do I think the efforts we make to help the school look good makes any difference to anyone except the band parents and the instructors? Not really. Do we get recognition during school for our accomplishments? Yes, there is always an announcement on the intercom about where we placed at the competitions. Even once in a while an individual is given special recognition for placing in a state evaluation. The administration contributes to our being excluded and treated as outcasts at times, too. They are much more visible and involved in the athletic programs at our school. If there is a choice between an athletic event and a band contest guess where you will usually see the administration. A few administrators and teachers support us because they were also in the band when they were our ages. Some do come because they want to be supportive of their students and they see the value in the discipline of music-making.

So do I feel unappreciated as a musician? Yes, I do. Is it possible to change the stereotyping of musicians that is done at the high school level? I am not sure! Will I continue pursuing my music? Absolutely! I love music. I love playing my instrument. I have noticed that most teenagers spend many of their hours each day listening to the radio, mainly listening to music. Where do they think these people got their start? Do they think they learned their instruments the first time they had a hit song? Were these musicians nerds before they became famous? Good question. I don't know the answer to that one. One thing I know, famous or not: I am a musician and I am normal.

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IT! (Private thoughts of the Indomitable Teen) is written by Cecilia Tucker, a licensed marriage and family therapist at the Counseling Center for New Direction in Seminole. Tucker, who has been in counseling practice since 1979, writes this column under the guidance of a panel of teenage advisers, who approve the topics and offer their insights (in exchange for pizza). You may write her c/o: IT!, X-Press, the Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail Floridian@sptimes.com.

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