She's My Flute Hero (and You Could Be *Her* Hero!)

You know how they say “Everything’s Bigger in Texas”?  Well, as a newcomer to this state, I’d like to coin my own phrase: “Everything’s More Competitive in Texas.”

Daughter H14 started playing flute 3 years ago in the 6th grade.  At her school in Oregon, 6th graders only had band as “special” twice a week for 20 minutes at a time.  Not a lot of opportunity to become a virtuoso.  She was excited to start 7th grade in Oregon – in our district this finally put her in jr high – because she would get to take band for one full period every day.  With more exposure and increased practice time, her skill improved.

When we moved to Texas during her 8th grade last year, despite her enthusiasm for the flute and dedication to practice time, she found herself FAR behind her peers in band.  I think this was because: (a) 6th graders HERE are in jr high, so they’ve automatically had many more hours of class time than she ever had, and (b) it seems like *everything* here is serious business, and band is no exception.  Kids pay for private lessons and band directors expect the best.

Our daughter struggled, but just kept at it.  I had a few “Mama Bear” moments when I really questioned the necessity of all the pressure she was feeling from her band teacher.  But then…oh, then…I finally saw her band perform.  I had tears.  They were SO GOOD.  And you could see that they knew it, and you could see their pride.  You could also see their camaraderie at having tackled it together.

This year, our daughter has joined the high school marching band.  Even though school doesn’t start for two more weeks, she’s been rehearsing with the band all summer long.  She’s been out in the Texas heat for as many as 9-10 hours a day, learning music, working through rigorous conditioning exercises, and commiting dozens and dozens of steps and combinations to memory.  She has come home exhausted – and strangely happy – every single night.

So many students wanted to be on the marching band this year that not every one was able to earn a spot.  But our daughter came home last night, beaming from ear to ear, and announced that she had won a position with the flutes.  Not only that, but that she had been placed in 4th position (out of 16 flutes) – the top freshman, and ahead of some other seasoned marchers.  She has come so far!  We are so proud of her!

Now my husband and I have been introduced to the world of Marching Bands, and here’s where you come in.

As with any group or organization, there are opportunities and expectations for fund raising.  The Band Boosters just kicked off their first fundraiser of the year – selling Entertainment Books.  Can I just say one thing before I continue?  This post is proof that a mother’s love knows no bounds.  I’m willing to risk looking tacky to any and all of you in the name of helping out my daughter and supporting something that she has come to wholly love and desire.

You may have seen these Entertainment Books in your community – you may have even bought one before!  They are chock full of coupons for local businesses, and they do ultimately save you money above and beyond their initial cost.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, these books are available online, and if you enter my daughter’s seller #, she will receive credit for the sale.  AND, her band will get $10 profit from the purchase price of each book.  This year they are hoping to earn enough money to finally build an observation tower for the band directors on the playing field.  The one we have now is laughably short – it doesn’t offer the director a sufficient enough vantage point to accurately judge the quality of the marching.  He’s been doing a phenomenal job with what we have at the school, but we really need something of a more professional grade.

So…if you haven’t closed the browser window in annoyance yet, then spend a minute at www.entertainment.com/email to see if there is an Entertainment Book for your area.  You will need to enter my daughter’s seller # 257861 and your zip code to search through the book and see what businesses are involved and what kinds of coupons are available.  If you decide to purchase a book, my daughter’s seller # will already be entered, and she will receive credit for the sale and our marching band will begin collecting funds towards our goal.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!  We’re very excited for this new endeavor in our daughter’s life, and I just figured I would use every avenue available to me to try to support her.  I understand 100% if no sales result from this post, and I won’t be bummed at all.  I’m just grateful I’ve got the little audience I have to pitch this whole idea to!  Thanks again!

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

1. Wordless Wednesday: Girls Gotta March
2. Review: Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits (Nintendo DS)
3. Our Family Calendar

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