Senior Night & the High Note King

Last Friday was Senior Night at the football game, where the football players, cheerleaders, poms, trainers, and yes, marching band seniors and their parents get to parade around the track for a brief moment of glory.  (Very brief compared to the interminable waiting beforehand).

Here is the brief moment of glory.

And here is a relaxed moment with friends during the interminable waiting.

The JV game went late, so by the time the Senior Night ceremonies and 9/11 commemorations were done, and a shortened pre-game show on the track, the varsity game didn't get started until about 8:15 p.m.  Despite how exhausted the senior was, occasional glances through the binoculars showed he was having a lot of fun.  The junior high bands played in the stands with them, and the band was loud.

Believe it or not, we have learned to pick his trumpet out of the crowd at times.  I have designated him the High Note King, because in a lineup of good senior trumpet players, the high notes have become his niche.  He's the one hitting that killer note -"land of the free" in the Star-Spangled Banner.   He also gets a high note in at the end of "Thriller" during the Marching Show.  He is not one for solos - he is not part of the trio of trumpets featured during the Elvis medley.  He does, however, have a few solo bars during "Bohemian Rhapsody", which made its debut that night.  As is typical, he did not share with us beforehand that this was coming.  But we had a great view of him on the field and as soon as we heard the notes, we knew it was him.  Tremendous parental pride - this is the kid who really struggled with his instrument in 6th grade and he has had periods of challenge with it from time to time since.  But this is also the kid who works and works and doesn't give up.  Both me and his dad were just beaming Friday night!