The beat goes on

American Band: Music, Dreams, and Coming of Age in the Heartland by Kristen Laine

I have to admit, I almost didn’t finish this. The start was rather slow, getting into the kids’ personal lives before the marching band season started. Once the author got into the band director’s background, though, and also into the nuts and bolts of making a marching band happen, I was hooked. And by that time I actually “knew” some of the kids, so I was a bit more understanding of what was going on with them.

In addition, my experience of marching band about 3 decades back was a little different. Though I know that myself and others were probably pretty consistent church-goers, I don’t know that we were as focused on our faith journeys as the kids at Concord seemed to be. We were worried about grades, scholarships, relationships, fitting in, and the usual teenage rebellions, but not so much about religion. Different times, different place … who knows?

Of course, this being an Indiana band and the Indiana music system was a big draw for me, too. But I think there might an appeal for anyone who has ever set heel/toe to turf, pointed their instruments to the pressbox, and played their hearts out. Recalling those moments of striving for excellence and living it again with the Concord students made this book a satisfying read for me.