The Benefits of Bandettes

Yesterday was one of those days… when science fell completely by the wayside. I attended a reunion of sorts last Sunday and as much as I knew I had an ulterior motive for showing up in addition to meeting up with old friends (pushing jewelry and trying to spread the word about AARI), I couldn’t help wishing I could just leave the business cards at home and just enjoy the afternoon reminiscing about all the good times we had.

When I was in high school, I toured with the Bandettes Drum & Bugle Corps as a mellophone player. Each summer, we trekked across the continent; sleeping on gym floors and marching across football fields under the scorching summer sun. You wouldn’t think it would be any fun at all but it was. The corps was like a second family to me and it certainly didn’t hurt to have a bunch of hot young guys as instructors! The director, Mary Wilson and our drum major at the time, Leslie Sawchyn, looked after us with as much care as our mothers would have, if they had come along for the ride.

This Sunday, marked the opening of an exhibit dedicated to the Bandettes at the Sault Ste. Marie Museum. The tiny color guard, started by Mary in 1967, became a full-fledged drum & bugle corps in 1972. Throughout the next three decades, the corps flourished and won countless awards as it brought the joy of music (and the performing arts in general) to the (largely) female youth of Sault Ste. Marie. Unfortunately, the corps disbanded just this past year; another victim of the current economic climate.

Bandettes wasn’t just about traveling around the country or meeting new friends, it was also about learning to toughen up. We all came to realize that no matter how badly things got screwed up during a show, we were still expected to recover as swiftly as possible and keep going (because if you didn’t get your act together and move on, someone else was going to step on your toes or knock you off your feet!). In life, we all have to perform under pressure. Each person’s path across the field is as unique as the loads we bear. When everyone does their job, we make beautiful formations and music together. For me, drum corps was a dress rehearsal for life and I truly believe that without the Bandettes, many of us former members (myself included), would not be as successful as we are today.