We Use Music to Celebrate and Praise ….

I’m not just talking about hymns and anthems, here. We all grew up experiencing the wonder of religious services involving cantors and choirs, organs and gongs. We automatically yield to the rhythms and tones to melt into a greater whole in the spirit of praise.

No. I am talking about parades with bagpipe bands and primary school students dancing on the back of flatbed trucks. Or odes to love as brides and grooms share their vows with family and friends. Taps always – and powerfully – brings us all into a shared state of awareness and appreciation. What is a graduation ceremony without the slow and respectful cadence of Pomp and Circumstance? When an award winner is announced, they don’t ascend to the stage in silence. No! Music makes the moment even more exciting.

But today I want to feature one of my favorite forms of musical celebrations – those amazing marching bands and drum lines that make hometowners virtually burst with pride. Here’s a dazzler, the Texas A&M Band, but there are so many more. Perhaps you can share some of your favorites. The discipline, the clever and intricate pattern changes, all ending with giant, moving school crests – ahh. They serve their schools well.

I think we need an Ode to Music.