When Violence Is An Answer
May 25, 2009 § 3 Comments
My parents and I went to go watch my brother march in our town’s annual Memorial Day parade today. All middle school band kids are required to participate, although the lazy little turd has yet to actually play his instrument [percussion] in the parade, since he’s too apathetic to audition for drumline — he’s always been shouldering a [fake] rifle or something extraneous like that. Even though I was incredibly tired, the parade provided an unexpectedly good source of amusement.
Here I am with my mother:
Seeing all the veterans roused feelings of gratitude in me for these men and women who gave their time to serve their country, whether voluntarily or not. Most of them have probably lost friends and endured many hardships, and I was genuinely glad that they were being given the day to be honored.
The gun salute:
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This band director actually made me laugh out loud. He looked so cartoonish:
This is probably because my marching band experience is limited to the required years in middle school, but I thought these miniature music stands were the coolest thing ever:
Memorial Day is definitely the day for Americans to trot out their vintage vehicles. This one was particularly sweet:
I have never seen an orchestra traveling on foot before. I didn’t even know they could play while walking [a truckload of the bigger string instruments followed behind].
There was a squad of bagpipe players. Are they always men? I don’t seem to recall every seeing a female bagpiper. Bagpipist? They sounded really good, but that didn’t keep me from chuckling at their garb. Men in pleated skirts is always a funny sight, and their ankle coverings made them look like clomping Clydesdales:
Here is my brother in the center of his school banner, trying his best to ignore my parents’ cheers and my delighted cackles:
Marching bands always sound better from the audience than when I’m marching in the row struggling to maintain my embouchure and worrying that my thumb will fall off from supporting the weight of my clarinet. I like the shiny instruments too:
As usual, I took care to notice all of the Asian children marching in the parade [Kennedy Junior High had a TON. Little nerds]. I observed that in almost every Boy/Cub Scout pack, there was at least one Asian boy. But in all of the Girl/Brownie Scout troupes, there was nary an Asian girl to be seen. Why is this? Hmmm. [Of course I would take a post about Memorial Day and put an Asian spin on it somehow. Of course.]
auradis 
you got some nice shots! good work!
what is the kid in the brown jacket playing in the orchestra? the metronome?
the woodblocks, I guess? totally shafted.