When I was 12 I was really a bit lost… no longer a kid but not quite fitting into the preppy world I needed to find a place where I belonged.

Then along came DCI- Drum Corp International and my life changed for the better.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_Corps_International

I not only gained a group of friends, I was able to tour all over North America with. I learned the power of performing.This confidence I built in my ability to learn music, survive on my own, figure out where the bathroom stops were, do my own laundry and budget my tour money so I wasn’t broke the last week stuck with me.

I marched from age 12 to age 18.

When I started high school the first thing I did when I walked through the doors was to find the choir and sign up, because I knew that I would feel safe in the music community.

Now I am a counsellor in a highschool and I still find myself drawn to the music community. Their positive energy and team work is inspiring… also they have those great band trips (oh I love the smell of a tour bus). I want other students to experience all the joys that I remember, and therefore I volunteer my time to be a chaprone for our high school.

Those clips are just a sample of what I was able to witness this year on tour in Whistler BC. I felt so blessed to be given the sacred position of the “bus mommy” for another generation of kids.